20 Anxiety-Inducing Moments That'll Terrify You Senseless

Fine, this is cheating, but, ah, well. With Uncut Gems, narrowing it down to just one moment would be unfair because every moment of this one is stressful in the extreme. 

The story of gambling addict Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), who keeps digging himself deeper into debt with one stupid decision after another, Uncut Gems will make even the calmest viewer feel like they've just drunk several massive cups of coffee far too quickly. It is relentless, unstoppable chaos crafted to absolute perfection.

The disorientating editing, the lived-in authenticity of the narrative and performances, characters yelling over each other, everything that can go wrong going wrong, a protagonist who just cannot stop making things worse, and, of course, the never-ending F-bombs - every single aspect of this movie feels like it was meticulously designed to be a cinematic panic attack. 

And somehow, Uncut Gems keeps one-upping itself. Just when you think it can't get any worse for Howard, he makes yet another terrible decision, and it keeps escalating right up until the steely knockout of an ending that'll leave everyone picking their jaws off the floor. 

That mustn't be misread as a criticism. It makes Uncut Gems a one-of-a-kind modern classic, and it beautifully recreates the fear and uncertainty that comes with dealing with the appalling affliction that is an addiction to gambling. The Safdie Brothers crafted something exceptional here - namely, what could just be the most anxiety-inducing movie of them all.