Uncut Gems Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs
Adam Sandler turns in his finest performance ever in Netflix's edge-of-seat thriller.
Uncut Gems enjoyed a rather successful run on the festival scene at the close of last summer, premiering at Telluride and moving onto Toronto before it was ultimately released in the U.S. in December. And after much anticipation, it has arrived on Netflix internationally, giving the rest of the world a chance to see what all that fuss was about.
Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, the crime thriller follows vibrant Diamond District jeweler Howard Ratner, who gets himself in deep with loan shark brother-in-law and must find a way to pay back his debt - something he plans to do with a rare black opal... and y'know... a lot of gambling.
Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin Garnett and Idina Menzel - and featuring a breakthrough performance from Julia Fox - Uncut Gems is a film that feels like it belongs to another decade in the best way possible. It's a thrilling well-paced ride that, although not perfect, benefits from its dramatic performances and a script that is so meticulous in its bid to mount tension that you constantly find yourself on-edge waiting for the pay off.
First, the negatives...