New Release! Uncut Gems (2019) [Spoiler-Free Review]

Spoiler-Free!

Directors: Benny and Josh Safdie

Like watching an amazingly agile weasel side-step and juke away from rabid predators for two hours and ten minutes, all with brilliant cinematography and lighting.

Uncut Gems is a feat. I had only seen one of the young Safdie brothers' previous films, 2017s Good Time, which I found to be a gritty, sweaty, fast-paced and amazingly authentic excursion into the shadowy places that desperate losers on Long Island dwell. Uncut Gems is very much in the same vein, even if the setting and main character hail from environs slightly to the west.

This movie follows rare gem dealer Howard (Howie) Ratner, a fast-talking, charismatic hustler who has a severe gambling problem. This tale picks up in 2012, with Howie already deeply in debt to some gangsters whom he keeps at bay with half-empty promises and a knack for escapism. Howie's big chance arrives when basketball superstar Kevin Garnett is brought to his jewelry store and takes a profound liking to a massive raw stone which Howie has just procured from Ethiopia. Garnett feels such an intense spiritual connection to the stone that Howie loans it to him. This kicks off another round of wild betting by Howie on Garnett, whom he's sure will now play a fantastic game. And so it goes, with ever-increasing chances taken and with ever-more pressure placed on Howie via ever-more serious threats on his life by his gangster creditors.

This movie is done so incredibly well that you're likely to feel your blood pressure rise significantly, just watching Howie finagle and bullshit his neck out of one noose and almost immediately into another. All through it, we're being let in on an entire universe which many of us are not privy to - that of high-rolling, high-stakes action junkies. In the world of the Manhattan Diamond District, the adrenaline comes from a hot rare gem sale as much as from a huge bet coming through and paying off. While the movie is fiction, every ounce of it feels authentic. And as someone with a fair bit of family in the New York City area, I can attest to having met more than one Howie Ratner over my time spent with relatives in the area.

There are so many little details in this film that one can appreciate. To name just a couple, there is a depth to Howie as seen through his relationship to his family. It speaks to his perceived social pressure that he feels the need to appease the material desires of everyone around him, whether its toys and trendy gadgets for his children or pricey gifts for his wife and mistress. And there are moments of clear emotional vulnerability where the brash, confident front breaks down, even if it is in somewhat humorous ways.

NBA mega-star Kevin Garnett (left) listens to Howie's rap.
Garnett is just one of many who are bound by Howie's spell.

The acting is as good as it gets. If you're only familiar with Adam Sandler's comedic roles, his turn as Howie may surprise you in its flawless execution. Outfitted with brilliant, fake teeth and scumbag shades, Sandler channels some of his far-too-often untapped range as an actor. The charisma he exudes is not terribly surprising, but the sweaty urgency and flashes of self-serving profundity may show you different facets to his game. It's a marvel to watch. As great as Sandler is, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the entire supporting cast, which includes some familiar faces like Lakeith Stanfield and Judd Hirsh, among others. Yes, even Kevin Garnett holds his own. They're all great, though Sandler is clearly the star around which this film galaxy spins.

A movie like this could probably have fallen flat without just the right direction, but the Safdie brothers do not fail. As they did in Good Time, they create just the right atmosphere of claustrophobia and desperation. There's a dazzling amount of masterful framing and editing, which is quite a feat when having to follow around a character as frenetic as Howie Ratner. I fully expect a few prestigious award nominations to be thrown at this movie for its direction and filming.

Obviously, I'm a fan. I can very easily see myself watching this movie many more times in the future, which is about as good an endorsement as I can give a movie. 

Retro Duo: 50 First Dates (2004); Kick-Ass (2010)

Though no great Sandler fan, I found this
"oldie" of his fairly charming.

50 First Dates (2004)

Director: Peter Segal

A pretty decent rom-com, and one that serves to further remind us of Adam Sandler's oft-abandoned potential.

Set in Hawai'i, Sandler plays animal veterinarian and womanizer Dr. Henry Roth. Roth's modus operandi is to lie about his identity in fantastic ways in order to bed vacationing single women, which allows him to make no serious relationship commitments. This changes when Henry comes across Lucy (Drew Barrymore). At first, Henry sees Lucy as another potential conquest. That is, until he is made aware that Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss, which causes her to forget everything she has experienced that day once she goes to sleep that night. Despite her condition, Henry quickly falls in love with her, going to great lengths to re-introduce himself to Lucy each day, despite the fact that she never remembers him once the day is over.

Like many people, my history with Adam Sandler has been very mixed, and I have almost completely avoided the dreck comedies that he's been putting out for many years now. Still, I loved a few of his earlier comedies, especially Happy Gilmore, and I found him especially effective in the against-type dramatic role he played in Punch-Drunk Love. 50 First Dates was his second teaming with Drew Barrymore, after the also-entertaining The Wedding Singer in 1998, and it is arguably a deeper, more touching movie than that earlier pairing.

The general appeal of Adam Sandler has always been the comedy of his Jekyl/Hyde "lovable dope/furious buffoon" balancing act. In 50 First Dates, he drops the rage monster persona and swaps it out for the part of a womanizer - a move that was a refreshing change of pace and allowed the more charismatic aspects of his on-screen persona to shine through. He and the also-sweet Drew Berrymore have a very strong chemistry, which is no doubt why they've done several rom-coms together spanning two decades. This was still very much the case in this movie, in which the love story is spun out nicely, with some fun, light-hearted comic contrivances. It was actually effective enough to pull one's attention away from the moronic character Ula, played by the always over-the-top Rob Schneider (one of several Sandler buddies who show up and add plenty of ham to nearly all of his movies).

While the movie isn't to be taken too seriously, the romance elements are endearing enough. It's one that I could see myself going back to at some point, as it's one that my wife quite enjoys. We can both share some good laughs while I don't feel my intelligence is being completely insulted. That's really about all I need from a romantic comedy, and 50 First Dates provides that in the beautifully lush setting of Hawai'i.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Director: Matthew Vaughn

How on earth I - a fairly devoted fan of comic book superhero movies - had never seen this movie is a bit of a mystery. It received a fair amount of buzz and was a solid commercial success when it was released back in 2010. Still, I somehow completely missed it. And even when I watched and thoroughly enjoyed Kingsmen: The Secret Service, by the same writer and director, and saw that he was also responsible for Kick-Ass, I still went a few more years without seeing it. Well, that is now remedied.

The movie is merely alright, which was a bit of a surprise, given its reputation.

The movie follows Dave Lizewski, a run-of-the-mill high school senior deeply enamored of costumed, comic book superheroes. So enamored, in fact, that he decides to become one after witnessing more than a few brutal crimes in his neighborhood. While not having any supernatural abilities (nobody does, in this film's world), Lizewski trains to fight, dubs himself "Kick-Ass," and even manages to be just successful enough to start building something of a fan following. It also captures the attention of a powerful local crime boss and a father-daughter costumed vigilante duo in the area. Things grow ever more treacherous for Lizewski as the stakes get higher for him and his crime-fighting alter ego.

Given the context of its time, I can guess that I would have loved this movie far more had I seen it back in 2010 or even within a year or two of its release. It's harder to recall now, but back then, the big-budget, comic book superhero movie trend was only just beginning to get into full swing. Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had come out a few years before, sure. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still barely nascent. What is now a 23-movies-and-counting global movie juggernaut was then only a two-movie dream, with Iron Man and the relatively forgotten The Incredible Hulk being the only movies released up to then. And the X-Men movie franchise was in a bit of a rut, having released the laughably messy X-Men Origins: Wolverine the year before. In the face of these rather straightforward superhero tales came Kick-Ass, an R-rated, darkly funny and extremely violent costumed hero story of a very different ilk. It must have felt like a real treat to watch something that turned the cinematic genre on its ear a little bit.

Seeing it for the first time in 2019, though? It just doesn't pack as much of a punch. By now, comic book superhero movies and (now) TV shows have gotten at least as funny, dark, and quirky as Kick-Ass was nearly a decade ago. It's still entertaining enough, but if you're looking for smart, mature "super-hero" stories, there are just too many better options on TV and film now.