I'm sure this film had a script and a screenplay, but it plays out more like the stream of consciousness ravings of an inveterate and compulsive gambler in the guise of jewel merchant Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler). I mean really, you have to ratchet up your concentration to a whole new level to follow the musings of Howard as he traverses the city streets of New York to ply his trade and make the one big score that will get him out of hock with an array of dangerous debt holders. Add to the mix the presence of NBA star Kevin Garnett, whose obsession with a hunk of unrefined black opal leads the principals on a frantic chase across the Big Apple. It almost sounds like a comedy, though it's anything but, as Howard and his cohorts play for high stakes in a game in which the highest one might be a matter of life and death. This is an uncharacteristic role for Sandler, allowing for a range of acting ability not in evidence in the types of lightweight comedies he generally appears in. Here he's living on the edge every minute of the day, in a high stakes world that threatens to blow up any minute. Eventually it does, but probably in a way you won't expect. Contrast this film with 2014's "The Gambler" with Mark Wahlberg, and they'll both convince you that there's no such thing as a safe bet.
Review of Uncut Gems
