Adam Sandler can boast an extremely prolific filmography, but quantity has been far more pronounced than quality in it. Although some of Sandler's comedies bore an unmistakable authorial stamp, and some of them were even funny, it was far more common for Sandler's oeuvre to cause head-scratching even among those critics who are willing to turn a blind eye to commercial Hollywood. All the more unusual, then, that Sandler emerged as a fairly serious contender in the race for Oscars and other prestigious awards at the end of 2019. Of course, it was hard to expect that he would remain in the waters of comedy, so for such an achievement Sandler had to do something significantly different. For example, to play the protagonist of a deadly serious drama directed by independent, "artsy"-oriented auteurs that critics love. And that is precisely the kind of film Uncut Gems is, which was directed by the brothers Josh and Benny Safdie.
In the film, Sandler plays the character of Howard Ratner, a middle-aged Jewish jeweller who owns a shop in New York's Diamond District. At the very beginning we see him undergoing a colonoscopy, but that situation, however unpleasant and frightening, is not at all problematic compared to what awaits him over the next few days. Howard is, in fact, a gambling addict and his tendency to spend insanely high sums betting on basketball has had predictable consequences for his finances, business, family life, and ultimately threatens the most dramatic consequences for his health. The main reason is that, trying to get out of the hole, he borrowed money from his brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian) who makes a living as a loan shark. Given that the debt has grown to over $100,000, Arno becomes increasingly ruthless in his efforts to collect it, which includes not only intimidation but also beatings. Howard tries to get out of this situation by borrowing from other people and similarly Sisyphean bets that should finally cover the debt, but things, as usual, go downhill. Howard's last hope is an opal that he managed to order from Ethiopia two years ago, which he believes is valuable enough to solve all his problems. As a potential buyer appears the famous NBA basketball player Kevin Garnett (playing himself), who shows exceptional interest in the gem that could bring him luck in key matches.
This is not the first time Sandler has played a loser, but he has rarely portrayed a character whose losing is a consequence not only of self-destructiveness, but also of the ability to direct destruction at the people around him. Howard Ratner is a character who, by all objective criteria, i.e., because of the way he behaves towards his business partners, employees, family members, and even his mistress Julia (Julia Fox in her debut, but quite impressive role), should be perceived as a disgusting scumbag. Sandler brilliantly portrays this character, often using dark elements that could be found in the characters he played in comedies, but which never surfaced as they do in Uncut Gems. Sandler, however, despite everything, manages by the end of the tale to evoke pity, and even sympathy for his character, so the seemingly sudden turn that occurs before the film's finale appears quite natural and convincing.
Just as the role choice is unusual for Sandler, so is the style used by the Safdie brothers. The film, despite occasional flirting with black humour or formally remaining in the thriller genre, is actually a rather dark and depressive drama. And this darkness can be clearly seen through the cinematography of Darius Khondji, dominated by dark tones, which stylistically relies on Hollywood crime films and urban dramas of the 1970s, when cynicism and pessimism dominated the big screen and the main characters ended up as losers. A lifesaving diversion from the neo-noir darkness is provided by the unusual soundtrack of Daniel Lopatin, a composer whose specialty is electronic music and who allows viewers to observe the dark events from a kind of ironic distance. The Safdie brothers, however, sometimes cannot resist allowing themselves to veer into art-snobbish waters, which is best seen at the beginning, where the display of the internal structure of precious minerals merges into the colonoscopy frame. The finale, which is in a way predictable in its brutality, on the other hand, is not the best developed scriptwise. The authors can also be criticised for a lack of sense of rhythm, because of which Uncut Gems lasts at least twenty minutes longer than it should. Despite that, it is a film that can be recommended both to Sandler's fans and to viewers who, tired of Hollywood pap, want to see something a bit different on screen.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)
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