I haven’t seen a movie more often in recent years and no movie wakes me up every time, makes me tense, makes me excited and even makes me sweat: We’re talking about “Uncut Gems”, aka “The black diamond“, for me and the editors of FILMSTARTS, the best Netflix film of all time.
So if you don’t know what to watch tonight, Netflix Original might be the perfect choice for you.
‘The Black Diamond’ was actually made by the production and distribution company A24, known for exceptional, courageous and above all always original films, but outside the US the rights were transferred to Netflix. That is why the masterful thriller drama of brothers Josh and Benny Safdie is considered – and is one of only four so-called Netflix films that could get 5 stars in the FILMSTARTS review.
Only David Fincher’s “Mank”, the drama “Pieces Of A Woman” and Alex Garland’s sci-fi masterpiece “Annihilation” have this top rating, which Netflix also bought on its own and is now available on Blu-ray and other streaming providers. are available, but from Netflix further so-called is placed on the market.
“The Black Diamond”: so much more than Adam Sandler at his best
But now back to “The Black Diamond”, which I have streamed over a dozen times on Netflix and seen on Blu-ray imported from the US (and was lucky enough to see it on the big screen in a New York cinema can be seen). Adam Sandler, who usually prefers comedic roles and was rightly praised for this film, plays New York diamond dealer Howard Ratner. He is addicted to gambling, always has multiple bets running and now feels a major coup. He’s got his hands on a black opal that will not only free him from his gambling debts, but also earn him a big payday.
But when he borrows diamond basketball star Kevin Garnett, everything goes haywire. Pursued by criminals and while also managing the fragile relationships with his wife Dinah (Idina Menzel), his lover Julia (Julia Fox) and his two children, Howard must save his skin…
The Safdies and Sandler are in their element
The Safdies had already established their style in their short films and previous dramas, reaching an initial peak in ‘Good Time’ with Robert Pattinson and then reaching their full potential in ‘Uncut Gems’. They film in the middle of the action and also like to throw their characters and the cast around Adam Sandler into real life (Sets are often not cordoned off, many supporting roles are not played by professional actors) and create their own chaos. They use all the tools of filmmaking, from image to sound, to create tension in the viewer and thus repeatedly develop a sensational appeal.
This chaos should not be confused with a lack of control – quite the opposite. The Safdie brothers have a clear idea of what their films should look like – and this is impressively demonstrated in ‘The Black Diamond’. Although the camera always seems to stay incredibly close to the characters, a handheld camera that gets close to them is not used that often.
The excellent cinematographer Darius Khondji (“Seven”, “Panic Room”) often positioned himself quite far away from the action and with a tripod. This gives the actors a lot of freedom of movement. We consciously take into account the fact that they sometimes block the camera, as it were, walk through the image and obstruct our view. Pan tracking makes scenes faster than using a handheld camera, but without the judder that often destroys clarity.
Overview in chaos
Most people don’t notice this consciously, but subconsciously it has an effect. “The Black Diamond” looks so wild and chaotic, but remains clear at all times. You never completely lose your orientation while watching, you know where you are, where the individual characters are.
All this is reflected in the sound. In “The Black Diamond” the characters are not only shouting almost constantly and are constantly excited, angry and at 180. Other sounds are also amplified, a doorbell or the buzzer sounds extremely loud and there is also a very present score. Because the aforementioned screams of the characters constantly overlap, no excuses are given, but they prefer to talk over each other and dialogue can also be heard in the background. This creates an unnerving sound carpet – but here too there is control in the chaos.
What most people probably won’t notice until repeat viewings is that the characters are constantly repeating themselves. Just like with camera work, this has an unconscious effect. Despite all the (and therefore multiplied) shouting, despite all the fighting sounds At the end you still know what’s going on and can follow the movie at any time.
Personally, I think that’s brilliant – and it’s one of the reasons why I simply admire the craftsmanship of ‘The Black Diamond’. But this only emerged after repeated viewings, because the effect all this has is much more important: “The Black Diamond” stresses me out in a good way. Movies are supposed to stir emotions, make us laugh or cry, and get us excited. And that’s exactly what “The Black Diamond” does for me – even on the tenth playthrough, just like the very first time.
“Uncut Gems”: Get excited even after watching it for the 12th time
I’m excited again, first for Howard and later for Julia. I wake up, experience a rollercoaster ride of emotions and get carried away. ‘The Black Diamond’ is certainly not an easy film. It is not a film that I watch in between and then continue with my daily activities or then go to sleep. I really have to come down afterwards because it’s almost a rush. But how the film manages to evoke these feelings even for the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th etc. time is something that crosses my mind again and again.
For me, only ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ aka ‘Dog Days’ by Sidney Lumet with his brilliant leading duo Al Pacino and John Cazale (one of the best actors of all time, who has created almost only masterpieces in his far too short life) comes close. . This is also a film with a lot of screaming, a lot of stress and pure chaos, yet it becomes clear without the means used being obvious.
Finally, I wish you “fun” with “Uncut Gems – The Black Diamond” and hope you enjoyed the streaming tip, in which I didn’t even mention Adam Sandler’s masterful performance.
“Uncut gemstones – the black diamond“ is available exclusively on Netflix in Germany!
Author: Björn Becher
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
