UNCUT GEMS: Did the Gamble Pay Off?

The Safdie Brothers have never done work outside of shorts and documentaries and yet they put out the most raw, real film of the year and the theme of gambling is everywhere.  Some producers gambled on them and put up the money for their first feature film, they took a gamble on Adam Sandler, yes, a small gamble, but still a risk.   Adam Sandler himself took a gamble taking this role from first time directors but it was clear as crystal that all three parties saw the same thing, a chance to achieve a what so few can these days, a unique film, a fresh concept, and making them work toward a great finished product, a good damn movie.

Adam Sandler delivers a performance so far and above any of his previous work, you have to double take to make certain it was him.  What we got from him was a full commit.  He walked the tightrope between skyscrapers with no harness, no net, and no pole for balance.  This movie is a sprint from start to finish.  As I told my closest friends after finishing my first viewing, Uncut Gems is an extremely engaging anxiety attack and you feel it from the onset and the grip tightens more and more as the minutes fade away.  Once it was over I felt grimy.  I needed to shower to shake off the dirt and the dismay and just needed to run some water over my head to cool off and calm down.  The world building from the Safdie brothers was a thing of beauty so understated you didn't even realize it was happening.  Everything was so natural, the characters so rich and raw they felt real (mostly because they were real, they used real NYC diamond distract workers throughout). This movie was so grounded to reality because of the familiar.  We know who Kevin Garnett is, we know that gambling is nail biting nerve wracking and soul scourging.  Its bliss when you hit and utter sickness and depression when you bust.  This film brought you all of it.

Uncut Gems is my 2nd favorite movie of the year and the 2nd best movie of the year (the 1st being Downton Abbey and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... respectively).  That said, Sandler gets my nod for top performance.  He was incredible and the Safdie brothers deserve all accolades for direction, writing and cinematography for this brilliant film as well.  I can't recommend this film enough.  It has everything you could want.  There's heartbreak, laughter, well paced thriller style cinematography, amazing atmosphere, fresh material to digest and a world to immerse yourself in and soak in the detail and gravity of what is laid before you.  The entire run time is a delight to the senses even when its uncomfortable its amazing.  Watch this movie ASAP.  This is the kind of cinema that needs the support of the people so we can keep getting more of its like.