Uncut Gems sets the pace

Aren’t colonoscopies supposed to be stressful?

Not if you’re Howard Ratner. The lead character of Uncut Gems leads a life of such minute-to-minute anxiety that by the time he gets a call from his doctor with test results we’ve completely forgotten we first met him with a camera up his ass. Played by Adam Sandler in a bravura performance, Howard is a jewel salesman in New York City’s diamond district and a gambling addict who’s more of a bad-decisions addict — betting money he doesn’t have, lending precious gems he can’t lose, pawning items he doesn’t own — endlessly dodging proverbial bullets of his own making while trying to climb out from under debt. His main obstacle may be not knowing when to shut up. Whether he’s lying to bookies or cursing at auctioneers, Howard consistently defaults to anger in place of charm, alienating everyone who holds keys to his salvation with all the self-awareness of a chihuahua attacking a Rottweiler. When his wife levels him with one of the most devastating takedowns you’ll ever hear (“I think you are the most annoying person I have ever met. I hate being with you, I hate looking at you, and if I had my way I would never see you again.”) Howard doesn’t flinch: “That’s ‘cause you’re mad.”

Other movies have been made about gambling addicts but Uncut Gems actually manifests in us the unique tension of being addicted. Moments like the arrival of Howard’s precious opal are soundtracked to his employee quitting in rage. The relief of his doctor’s phone call is overshadowed by the vandalizing of his fish. Some of it is hilarious, like when an impulsive drive to Philly immediately proves fruitless or when NBA star Kevin Garnett’s attempt to return the opal is foiled by a malfunctioning door. The relentless pacing quickly teaches us to savor peaceful moments — a couple seconds in an elevator, settling onto the office couch for the night — before Howard’s back to getting punched in the throat or dangled out an office window. By the time he schemes to bid up the price of his opal at auction we’re hoping he succeeds just for some relief — though on some level we know it’s not going to end well.

According to his lawyer, psychopathic killer Ted Bundy consistently made decisions that hurt his chances of winning at trial. Howard’s character seems to operate on a similar sociopathic instinct for self-sabotage, taunting bookies with photos of money and beckoning enforcers against their own warnings. Even in moments of should-be elation he can’t help himself, celebrating winning a bet by spying on his girlfriend from the closet just to inject some tension. Still, there’s a strange, child-like enthusiasm in Howard that’s almost endearing as he embarks toward self-destruction — a single moment in his daughter’s school play is enough to make him forget he was just locked naked in the trunk of his car. And when he sees his opal for the first time, it’s as good as sex.

The resulting character study becomes a thriller by nature of the character being studied. Written and directed by the up-and-coming Safdie brothers with a flawless craft that elevates pulp into high art, Uncut Gems possesses a kinetic humanity that hasn’t been put on film before. Was this what it was like when Scorsese hit the town with Mean Streets? By the end of the movie we might even be rooting for Howard as he proves irretrievably lost to his impulses, betting it all yet again with the inspiration of a brilliant artist and leaving us to experience the big game as he does, tracking every bounce with our lives. So when the bet hits, we understand how truly happy Howard is as his bookie’s enforcer angrily guns him down — unable to dodge one last bullet. On some level we knew it wasn’t going to end well.