Howard Ratner is a Jewish gambling addict who has came in possession of a black opal, which he plans to auction in order to pay off his debts and get rich. After NBA star, Kevin Garnett, becomes infatuated with the mineral and trades his championship ring for it, Howard's life and luck starts to get rocky as his loan shark becomes more hostile, his wife being more distant, and treating his mistress like garbage as he hopes that he can win big on his big bet. The story is much more minimalistic and is mainly about following Howard's decline in life, which is an engaging, if unpleasant, experience. I love the inclusions of Garnett's basketball games being critical to the bets Howard and how the film takes itself very serious and realistic. The tone is by no means lighthearted or even that comedic, as it's very much a slow-burn drama. With that said, there are some good laughs and Sandler-esque meta humour. From fighting The Weeknd to various outrages to the wonderfully edited, opening scene transitioning from a beautiful diamond to a colonoscopy, the gritty film does have some time to let you chuckle on occasion.
Adam Sandler as Howard is fantastic, mainly due to the extreme, scumbag portrayal he gives. Honestly, Sandler's characters were always a tad douchebag-like, so seeing Sandler go all out is a treat. It also help, since Howard is not a likeable character whatsoever by design. Sure, you can feel a bit bad for him, but he's just trying to get as much money as possible while screwing over others in the process. Demany, played by Lakeith Stanfield, is Howard's assistant who arranges clients such as Garnett to visit Howard in his shop, who is acted really well and enjoyable in his own right. Julia is Howard's younger, devoted mistress who I honestly don't like at all, mainly because I don't understand if the filmmakers wanted you to really like her or not. Her neediness for Howard, despite his hostile behavior at times, seems very petty and unlikeable, but she is crucial in the climax as a character to root for. I just get mixed messages from this character and I just don't like her in general. Idina Menzel plays Howard's bitter wife who has fallen out of love for him. She's not in the movie much, but she's great when she is onscreen. Lastly, there's Eric Bogosian as Arno, Howard's loan shark brother-in-law who has an intimidating presence and doesn't trust Howard's antics after many years. There are other side characters such as Howard's father-in-law and Kevin Garnett himself, but I only wanted to cover the main characters. The cast is all generally acted and characterized well, with Sandler given extra praise for his diverse role.
The Safdie Brothers are a duo of filmmakers who did an excellent job directing this film. As with the tone, the look of the film is usually grey or unfiltered in order to reflect the realistic story and characters. However, there are scenes with fantastic, colourful lighting whether it's the Weekend's concert or the magnification of the opal. The cinematography by Darius Khondji is also captured brilliantly with an almost documentary-style movement where the camera follows the back of the characters or has some motion in scenes of conversation. The music by Daniel Lopatin is very unique with an electronic-based score, unlike the traditional sympathy. It strangely fits the grounded film, due to how it suits perfectly with the almost unnerving tone. The last thing to mention is the ending to the film. I loved the decision to suddenly kill off Howard as soon as you think he just earned a happy ending from winning a million dollars from the biggest bet of his life, mainly since I felt that the character didn't deserve one to his scummy behaviour and him getting rich and running away with Julia would not only have been horrible, but a complete departure from the film's tone and theme of karma and second chances. However, there's a bit of bittersweetness that he dies smiling rather than shocked or despair, which makes the ending satisfying whether you love or hate the character of Howard. Overall, the filmmaking in general from the directing, editing, lighting, cinematography, and score is just perfectly handled.
"Uncut Gems" is clearly the best film Netflix has to offer exclusively. From the creative story, harsh tone, moments of comedy, Sandler's performance as well as the other cast and characters, the Safdie Brother's directing and editing, Kohndji's cinematography, Lopatin's unique, original score, and a fantastic ending. The only issue I have that stops it from reaching a 10 out of 10 is the character of Julia, which I feel should have been dropped from the second act after the big blowup scene. Despite one truly unlikeable character, I was in awe by this dark, yet somewhat beautiful film.
Verdict: 9/10. Amazing film, up there with "Dolemite Is My Name" for my favourite Netflix films. Check it out if you haven't got the chance to.
One of the best films I saw in 2019.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this, now I'm very curious to see what the Sadfie Brothers would've done with their 48 Hours remake.