Ever since watching the Safdie brother's previous feature, Good Time, I was eagerly awaiting their next feature. Good Time showed that they are masters of tension and momentum, with their impressive culmination of unique characters, editing, dialogue and of course musical scores, and Uncut Gems further cements that they are not only masters of tension, but they are truly two of the most exciting rising filmmakers right now.
I usually know how to structure a review, but Uncut Gems is so unconventional in nearly every regard, and frankly I'm not quite sure where to start. It doesn't let up, ever. Pretty much from the first minute to the end you are shot into a relentless world of chaos among various reoccurring characters, all gravitating around Adam Sandler's "Howie". That leads me to Adam Sandler's performance and character. I LOVED it. Oh boy, is he good. He's not only fantastic at delivering dialogue for extremely long and exhausting takes, but just seeing his characters psyche continuously digging himself deeper is electric.
I'll leave off with saying Uncut Gems is one of the most exhilarating and unique films that I've seen this year. Adam Sandler (and the entire cast) kill it, the musical score is loud and exciting, it looks beautiful, and it has an energy that I haven't seen in any other film this year.
I really can't wait to see what the Safdie's come up with next.
