‘Uncut Gems’ is a frenetic nail-biter

Posted on January 10, 2020

By MARK VIOLA

“Let it ride!” Never have those three words been more fraught with tension and fear than in the Safdie brothers’ (“Good Time”) new film, “Uncut Gems,” even if they are never actually spoken. Main character Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler, “Happy Gilmore”) is a compulsive gambler in every sense of the word, from his actual bets to his work and home life.

Following him for two hours and 15 minutes in this movie was one of the most nerve-wracking times at the movies since “Joker.” Howard is not a good person, or really even a nice one. He’s cheating on his wife (Idina Menzel, “Frozen”) with one of his employees (newcomer Julia Fox). He’s willing to scam or outright steal from his business associates — both the legitimate ones and his bookies — if it keeps him afloat a little longer. And, that’s what it’s all about for Howard, staying afloat until the big score, even if like a dog chasing a car, he wouldn’t know what to do if he actually got there.

This is a frenetic movie that never slows down (with one notable exception) as Howard tries to stay one step ahead of friends, family and upset loan sharks until he can finally cash in his big score.

Through it all, Sandler is a revelation, better by far than I’ve ever seen him before. I would compare him to Leonardo DiCaprio in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Also like that movie, there is plenty of language, with “Uncut Gems” boasting the seventh most uses of a certain four-letter word in cinematic history.

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