Uncut Gems (USA: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, 2019)

 

 Uncut Gems (USA: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, 2019: 135 mins)

This jolt of pure cinematic adrenaline affirmed directors Josh and Benny Safdie as heirs to the gritty, heightened realism of Martin Scorsese and John Cassavetes. Adam Sandler delivers an almost maniacally embodied performance as Howard Ratner, a fast-talking New York jeweler and gambler in relentless pursuit of the next big score. When he comes into possession of a rare opal, it seems Howard’s ship has finally come in—as long as he can stay one step ahead of a wife (Idina Menzel) who hates him, a mistress (Julia Fox) who can’t quit him, and a frenzy of loan sharks and hit men closing in on him. Wrapping a vivid look at the old-school Jewish world of Manhattan’s Diamond District within a kinetic thriller, Uncut Gems gives us one of the great characters in modern cinema: a tragic hero of competing compulsions on a shoot-the-moon quest to transcend his destiny. - Criterion Collection

Angel, Arielle, David Klion, and Jacob Plitman. "An Unserious Man." Jewish Currents (January 23, 2020) ["Uncut Gems, the Safdie brothers’ winter blockbuster starring Adam Sandler as Howard Ratner, a sleazy diamond dealer caught in an escalating series of debts, might be the most explicitly Jewish mainstream movie since the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man (2009). Its release prompted the following emergency meeting of the editorial staff of Jewish Currents to discuss what Uncut Gems says about contemporary Jewish identity."]

Bronstein, Ronald, et al. "Josh & Benny Safdie and Uncut Gems Team on the Making of Their Electrifying Crime Thriller." Film at Lincoln Center Podcast #256 (October 7, 2019) ["On Day 11 of our New York Film Festival daily podcast, we explore the making of the festival’s surprise screening, Uncut Gems. In the introduction, Eugene Hernandez, FLC’s Deputy Director and Co-Publisher of Film Comment, is joined by Eric Kohn, IndieWire’s Executive Editor & Chief Critic, to discuss NYFF, the importance of film festivals, and the evolution of the Safdies. Then we go to yesterday’s NYFF Live talk on the making of Uncut Gems, moderated by Kohn. Directors Josh and Benny Safdie (Heaven Knows What, Good Time) were on hand to detail the process of making this electrifying New York City-set thriller, joined by co-writer and editor Ronald Bronstein, producer Sebastian Bear McClard, composer Daniel Lopatin, and casting director Jen Venditti."]

Burke, Christopher. "The Global and the Hyperlocal: Chains of Exploitation, Voyeurism, and Family in Uncut Gems." (Personal Website: March 9, 2021)

David, Caylen. "Rethinking Uncut Gems: A Movie That Gets Better on Rewatch." Penn Moviegoer (July 24, 2019) ["I don’t think that Uncut Gems can be truly appreciated after your first viewing. Speaking from experience, viewers will likely be too preoccupied with catching up with each mishap in the fast-paced crime thriller to fully process and appreciate the Safdie Brothers’ creation. For instance, during my own initial watchthrough, I was too busy waiting for a plot-turning change of tone that never came, and because of that, I looked beyond the miniscule details that are necessary to understanding the movie and Sandler’s character. You have to really think about what’s happening and the larger reasons behind why things happen throughout the film, rather than passively watch the movie to finish the plot and see the ending. Additionally, you must understand that the film is intentionally an insanely but intentionally stressful experience, as that perfectly sets the tone for the protagonist’s downward spiral. Rewatching the film from this perspective made me realize that, while I initially cited Gems’ stress as a weakness, it’s actually the movie’s greatest strength."]

Eggert, Brian. "Uncut Gems." Deep Focus Review (Ongoing Archive)

Hoberman, J. "Uncut Gems: Taking it to the Rack." The Current (November 23, 2021)

Lazic, Manuela and Adam Nayman. "21st-Century Cinema in Review: Uncut Gems." The Ringer (October 31, 2025) ["Josh and Benny Safdie are talented filmmakers with a good sense of rhythm and an appealing documentary-like approach to fiction, and this may be their crowning achievement as a filmmaking duo. Uncut Gems follows the series of misfortunes and terrible decisions that a Jewish New York jeweler, played by the ever-ingratiating Adam Sandler, goes through over a few decisive days. A gambling addict and a bit of a dreamer, Howard genuinely loves gems, but also the NBA and money—a bad mix that makes his life a constant tightrope act. Together with revered director of photography Darius Khondji and Daniel Lopatin’s almost omnipresent score, the Safdies accentuate the tension under which Howie is living. The experience of watching this film is a visceral one where each twist of fate that befalls Howie is felt in your bones."]

McDonough, Alex. "The Thrilling Modernity of Uncut Gems." Medium (June 10, 2020)