Uncut Gems (2019)

I have a big announcement to make. After a not-so-long consideration, and after much anticipation from absolutely no one, I have decided that Josh and Benny Safdie are my favorite filmmakers of the new generation. It was a close race of several directors who have had their works distributed by A24, but the Safdie brothers recently took the lead when I learned they turned down an offer to make a super hero movie in order to make a film that took them roughly 10 years to get off the ground. That film is “Uncut Gems”.

When they first broke out into their third feature film, “Good Time”, it was apparent that the Safdie brothers had developed an unquestionably unique style in the remarkable way they tell the stories of otherwise unremarkable people.

With “Good Time”, Robert Pattinson plays a recently released felon who immediately botches his next job that ultimately lands his brother with special needs in prison. In “Uncut Gems”, Adam Sandler plays a jeweler who at the surface is a failure in every aspect of his life, more or less. He is deep in debt with debtors hunting him down and visiting him at work. His marriage is in shambles (albeit by his own doing and acknowledgement of an affair), and every deal he makes goes south one way or the other. But yet, he still radiates an aura of success.

The Safdie brothers take these seemingly uninteresting stories and film them “guerilla style” on the streets of New York, giving them an atmosphere of heightened intensity. What is happening through most of the film, when broken down, wouldn’t even be worthy of the exposition heavy dialogue scenes of an action movie. But the way they are filmed and edited with the heavy booming drone of the electronic sound track creates a sense of urgency that makes the audience feel like they are witnessing this action-packed chase be unveiled right before their eyes.

Adam Sandler, as always, proves that his talents are truly meant for more serious ventures than the majority of his works. His ability to make you root for an undeniably unlikable character simply through charisma alone is enough to go toe-to-toe with more widely respected actors. He is a man addicted to winning big that you would probably abandon if they were in your everyday life, but you stay with him on this ride and honestly want him to make the best decisions. Your mind cheers when he does and braces for the worst when he doesn’t.

The world these talented filmmakers have built (or simply put on display) in this film is immersive to say the least. It feels other worldly, even though it takes place only a 2-hour drive up I-95 from where I am based. This film has me excited for this up-and-coming generation of filmmakers. I hope it gets recognized during this years awards season, although so far it hasn’t.

But if come February 9th, Adam Sandler is an Oscar winner, I won’t be upset.

My Rating: A