Returning to the screen with a pulse-pounding crime comedy, directing duo brothers Josh and Benny Safdie return to the big screen with Uncut Gems. Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic New York City jeweler, is always on the lookout for the next big score. When he makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime, Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides, in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Howard is determined to prove himself a champion in his day-to-day life. Ever scheming, Howard intends to sell a mined chunk of rock full of embedded gems at auction. If he can navigate his way through marital problems, girlfriend problems, imaginatively vicious debt collectors, and his unquenchable desire to be close to success, he might just have a clear shot at winning.

Sandler commands the screen with such a nuanced performance that it’s like Howard has been sewn into his skin. He juggles the film’s uneasy comedy with a sense of imbued optimism, one that keeps him in trouble but also keeps everyone around Howard — including the audience — rooting for him.

The Safdie brothers give their signature gritty, naturalistic feel to the story, cementing their place in the canon of down-and-dirty New York cinema alongside greats like John Cassavetes and Abel Ferrara.

With surprising turns from former NBA star Kevin Garnett and The Weeknd playing themselves, the Safdies present a vibrant and chaotic picture of the city that is very much of the moment. Wrapped in frenetic, stop-at-nothing energy and full of laughs, UNCUT GEMS is a meaty, edgy diamond in the rough.