User reviews

The pacing here is impressive. I felt like I was running through this entire movie and felt similarly about Good Time, another effort by the Safdie brothers. I still followed the story, though, and I think making a story more or less easy to follow is a hard line for writers to walk. Uncut Gems is frantic but coherent, and it walks this line perfectly.

It follows a really sleazy jeweler, masterfully played by Adam Sandler, as he upsets other people. I was shocked that Sandler was capable of this. I really couldn't take my eyes off of him.

The camera work, lighting, music, and other elements all work in service of the frantic plot. This is the most anxious thriller I've ever seen; in one word, it is FAST.

Intense 2 hrs !! It's loud and shouty and really in your face , gives you a rollercoaster of a ride from start to finish .

Adam Sandler is superb just brilliant, never knew he could be this way and he really became the person !!

It's a great film that never gives you a minute. No real sympathy for any of the characters but you do believe in them all !

A film to watch , just be prepared.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not the biggest Adam Sandler fan. I purposely ignored this movie because I was expecting it to be another bad Sandler film. But upon taking a glance at some of the 2019 year end movie top 10's for some movies to watch, this movie kept showing up on the lists. So finally I caved and sat down to watch it.

And let me just say... DAMN! Wow! Just wow. That was INTENSE! I could actually feel the sweat form on my forehead towards the end of it because I was so nervous. This movie left me a mess. It was great! The directing, the plot, and the CHARACTERS were fantastic. The directing was done pretty well, but there were a few inebriating shots in the first half and throughout, but it's still directed well. The plot was very intriguing. At first I didn't think I'd care, but towards the end I was biting my nails because I was so into the film. I haven't felt so tense throughout an entire film in such a while, and I left feeling like a trainwreck. When a movie can do that, you've succeeded.

I need to give Sandler alot of the credit. I believe it's his best performance acting wise and one of the greatest of the year. Him playing this dark gritty and charismatic gambler was thrilling. I truly believe Sandler should take on more dramatic roles like this, because he was phenomenal. In fact, now thinking back on it, Sandler was so underlooked during the award season. He ABSOLUTELY should've been nomianted for an Oscar. In fact, this movie should've been nominated for Best Picture. This movie is so underrated and I REGRET not watching it earlier.

Look, I'll be willing to watch more of Adam's movies if he takes on more of these roles. This movie and his performance were fantastic!

I'd highly recommended this movie. It's a thrill ride. In fact, I'm surprised at the amount of low ratings in these reviews. It was great!

7.8/10 Might change it to an 8.

The first five minutes of Uncut Gems are bewildering and disruptive; it feels like you re thrown into the middle of something, can't quite hear what is going on, and feel the pressure of whatever situation we have just found ourselves. It continues from there with an intensity that is relentless. It does not make for an easy film, but it makes for an engaging one. It totally sells the sense of addiction and relentlessness of gambling - the highs it offers through the thrill of the chase and the elation of the win, but also the lows of the many downsides and loses.

In doing this, it is a terrific film if you are looking to feel a sense of oppression and anxiety, because this is what it does best. It has a comparatively long running time, but it feels shorter because of how consistently relentless it is. Within this Sandler is the beating heart, convincing in every aspect of his character. It is a tough watch though, because it is very much one-note in its content and message - so it does depend on how much you enjoy that sense of falling self-destruction combined with joy - I really liked it for how well it did it, even if it does feel enclosing and tough. The way it allows Howard his highs and his lows helps; it is not some terrible cautionary tale - we get to see what his life gives him and how he chases (and occasionally gets) the thrill of the big win.

The whole production sets and matches the tone of the film as a whole. There is glamour in the locations, but they also feel tired and forced; the jewellery shop in particular gets this right - it is full of hugely expensive items and has celebrities in it, but yet it has that annoying buzzer, cheap furniture, no windows, and a smell of desperation around it. It probably as a whole isn't a film I'd say I really enjoyed, but as an experience it was engrossing and convincing in its highs and lows, with all aspects of the delivery perfectly in synch to make it work.

All reviews here are correct. The good ones and the bad ones. This movie is a mess and you can like it or hate. My wife hated it, I liked it very much.

An absolutely relentless onslaught to the senses. These guys have followed up 'Hard Times' with an absolute train wreck of a movie, in a good way. I don't think I liked anyone in this movie. The people are total self serving terrible dudes / gals. A sign of our times I guess... I'll live in a metropolitan city and these people are everywhere. That said it's a thrill to watch, hideous, horrible, wrenching stuff. I'm glad I don't live for money or fame!

Breaking out with 2017 effort Good Time, directing duo Benny and Josh Safdie quickly became one of the most talked about up and coming filmmaking prospects in Hollywood, with their Robert Pattinson starring thriller showcasing a knack the brothers had for crafting a frenetic thriller filled with abundant energy and visuals, that if refined further, could create something truly special.

Fast forward to the now and that promise has indeed come to fruition with Uncut Gems, one of the most insanely tense and energetic offerings to come our way in the last few years, as the brothers employment of the perhaps never better Adam Sandler as Jewish New York based jeweler Howard Ratner takes us on a unique and inspired ride through the Big Apple's diamond district, in what is an unpredictable and gripping affair that is deserving of the hype it has generated.

It's hard to put into words just how sweat inducing and hold your breath like Uncut Gems is to the uninitiated, as scenes such as Ratner yelling at a basketball game or fixing a broken automatic door don't sound like the staples of thrilling movie viewing but under the guidance of the Safdie brothers and delivered by Sandler, these such scenarios all combine to ensure that this dialogue heavy offering refuses to let us catch a break across its two hour plus runtime.

Built around some brilliantly realised sound design, often creating the feeling that we are listen to two or three conversations at once but never confused as to what we are hearing, some breakneck editing courtesy of Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie, in your face cinematography by famed D.O.P Darius Khondji and one of the previous year's best musical scores by Daniel Lopatin, Uncut Gems is the full package that has been conjured up by the clear and singular vision of its talented creators.

All this magic behind the scenes would've mattered for little had the Safdie siblings not been able to get the right people involved to enact out their vision in front of the camera but alongside side players like Lakeith Stanfield, Idina Menzel, NBA legend Kevin Garnett (playing himself!) newcomer Julia Fox, the Safdie brothers struck gold when they secured Sandler as Howard, a role it feels as though he was born to play.

Ratner is one of the most fascinating cinematic creations of recent memories, a not very likable self-serving businessman who is at all times placing himself first above all others including friends, family and mistress, he feels both entirely different to the persona Sandler has developed over decades in Hollywood but also one that perfectly suits his loud-mouth and quick talking repertoire, that see's the often misunderstood and lazy comedian/actor finally stretching his ability to what has now become universally praised results.

In almost every scene of this expletive-laden exercise, Sandler is utterly convincing throughout the Safdie brothers exercise, managing in the process too get us to root for Howard as his life threatens to de-rail around building financial debts and the recent possession of a potentially magical rock filled with Ethiopian gems.

It's unlikely we will ever see Sandler again find a role that fits him so perfectly, with it a shame the Academy Award members overlooked his impressive turn in the Best Acting category at the 2020 Oscars, a field he well and truly deserved to be a part of.

Final Say -

While there's certain plot developments and occurrences that might not stand up to intense scrutiny, Uncut Gems is a undeniable energy rush of a feature film, that is both a thrilling exercise in extended tension building and a stunning showcase for the rarely seen ability of Sandler, who has never been better than he is here.

4 ½ Furby necklaces out of 5

Sandlers character is a grating ego-centric ahole mostly throughout. Got on my nerves, like a lot of the film. Long run-time for a slim plot, didn't have the stylistic flourish to justify it but just about held me to the end due to Sandler's great performance and occasionally engaging script. The pay off was not rewarding enough...disappointed after reading pro reviews (not just IMDB). Very "meh" about this.

Some folks wrote that this movie was a mix-up of Marty Scorcese and Abel Ferrarra style and I think that's right. And Adam Sandler speaks, looks like, borrows every expression on the face from Al Pacino. I Don't know if the audiences have also noticed this but that's so obvious. Anyway, that's the kind of role, character that would have perfectly fit to Robert De Niro's co star in HEAT and the IRISHMAN. I like this uncut gem very much.

I didn't hate this movie but I certainly didn't like it either. I don't know if it was the story that didn't captivate me, but I can say that I looked away several times unlike when I saw Good Time that stuck me to the screen all the time. What stands out most here is Adam Sandler's interpretation that although in my opinion he does not deserve the Oscar nomination due also to this year's great competition and also considering that Robert Pattinson was still better in 2017, Sandler gave his best performance of all I saw. 6/10

Wow, what a ride. This wasn't the unbearable anxiety-fest that some are claiming, but it sure does invoke a lot of uneasiness throughout. The Safdie Brothers take you on a mesmerizing journey in the life of a gambling-addicted man in the Diamond District. Hopefully this puts to bed the idea that Adam Sandler isn't a good actor. He displays his incredible versatility and gives the performance of his career. I really loved the synth score used throughout and it greatly heightens the intensity at key moments. Uncut Gems is a shocking and stressful tour de force that is worthy of the praise heaped upon it.

Personally, I find the more a film affects my feelings and emotions, the better(no matter the emotion). From Tobe Hooper's "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", to "Free Solo", or even "August Osage County"; films aren't simply bad because they make you uncomfortable. One could argue; the more uncomfortable, the more effective. This is the case with Josh and Benny Safdie's "Uncut Gems".

Adam Sandler's comedies are hit and miss for me. Some are genuinely funny, some are not, but "Uncut Gems" just edged-out P. T. Anderson's "Punch Drunk Love" as my favorite film from this seemingly unrecognized serious actor. The Academy's omission of any nomination (especially for Sandler) is inexcusable. The film currently parks-itself behind "Parasite" as the second best film I have seen from 2019(36 films through an 84-film watchlist).

Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a Jewish Jewell Dealer mired in a world of debt, gambling, gangsters, and real-life Superstars. The casting is exceptional! Every single character makes the film more believable, and it needs them, because the world that Howard Ratner lives-in is so chaotic, that it may have plausibly crumbled-to-pieces without them. Sandler pulls-off the monumental task of creating audience empathy, for a character who is morally bankrupt. We want this guy to find his way out of this relentless hurricane.

The film never lets-off the gas. One might criticize the monotony and predictability of it all, if it weren't for some interesting family and gambling dynamics thrown into the mix. The film seems to be literally dropped into the climax of Ratner's life. There is so much that led to this crescendo, but still, the film manages to completely flesh-out it's characters. By the time it's all over, the viewer feels like they've been pulverized into diamond ash.

The ending is thought-provoking enough to make you ask questions, and the artistic value is nearly flawless. This is as uncomfortable as I've been watching a film in many years, and for that reason alone, it is a success.

9/10 for me.

You Might Like this if you liked: Pi, Charlie Countryman, Mississippi Grind, Sorcerer, or Leaving Las Vegas.

At first I didn't get the point of the movie, and at some point I almost stopped watching it. About 1 hour in I got it - this movie is very real. It tells the story of gambling addicts, and in my view it did it pretty good.

The movie is kind of slow, but you can almost feel present while watching it. I wouldn't recommend watching it for enjoyment, but you should watch it if you're in a mood for a unique experience. I hope it makes sense.

Saw this at TIFF. From front to back, this movie might be most stressful thing I've ever seen. I was a huge fan of Good Time and this movie ramps the intensity to an even higher level. Sandler's performance is great. It just shows that time after time, if he's working with a good director(s), a strong supporting cast, and an interesting concept, he will absolutely crush it. Also what other movie could have "people watching sports" be the most exhilarating part of the story?

I also loved that the score (Daniel Lopatin aka Oneohtrix Point Never) is used super strategically to build discomfort, especially when it swells to drown out the dialogue.

Looking forward to watching this again when it gets a wide release in December.

Chaotic, loud, non-stop, never satisfying the viewer because Howard never is. Always that next score. You'll hate it and enjoy it or you'll just hate it because he is that kind of person that disgusts you. It will stress you out! Remember to breathe!

They should hand out high-grade blood pressure meds to people going to see this after it ends. The major strength and in a way the slight weakness of Uncut Gems is how laser-focused the Safdies are in conveying total anxiety, stress and mania through this extreme act of full cinema SOUND (levels of acting and over-lapping dialog, that Vangelis-Blade-Runner-on-Steroids/Crystal Meth score, some of the cinematography and the tracking of the camera).

I do wish there was a little more than just flourishes of relief, though I'd be lying if I said Sandler was anything but exceptional and riveting playing degenerate crumbling right before our eyes. While Eric Bogosian, Lakeith Stanfield and Kevin Garnett and many others here are natural solid, it's Sandler's show, and it's soulful and tense and harrowing and ultimately (as terrible as Howard can be) tragic. The filmmakers's greatest achievement from the looks of this and Good Time is finding star-actors who aren't known for their wide range and getting career-triumph work from them. If the movie isn't all that complex, I do think Howard is and that helps make this pretty special as a depiction of addiction, more than anything else. It's got grit and style to burn, which is mostly fine by me.

Nerve wracking and anxiety-inducing the whole runtime. Well acted and directed. Clean script and screenplay.

This movie on of weirdest movies that I have ever watched .. Sometimes you feel it's great and hopefull then after 5 seconds you feel the movie fkd up and go to wrong way with loud shouting and screaming .. It deserves 6/10 By the way Adam sandler was great in drama he should leave comedy for a while and focus on drama now

I really wanted to enjoy this film but the score was incredibly overbearing and the characters constantly shouting over each other constantly was just an annoyance. I turned on the subtitles so I could turn the TV volume down and then I realised just how pointless a lot of the dialogue was. They were bits that I quite liked but they weren't enough for me to not turn off this film after an hour. I got the impression that there was little plot and I could predict what was coming next. It's quite sad that a film with potential was squandered by poor choice of music and dialogue. Shame I couldn't cope.