Uncut Gems reaches new heights

Sandler delivered a career-defining, heart-stopping performance as the manic, gambling-addicted New York jeweler Howard Ratner in the Safdie brothers' 2019 anxiety-inducing thriller Uncut Gems. The film notably served as a massive breakout moment for Julia Fox, who made her electric feature film debut as Howard's fierce, ride-or-die mistress and employee. One of the movie's most memorable, high-stress sequences features a surprise cameo from The Weeknd (playing a 2012 version of himself). It culminates in a chaotic nightclub confrontation after Howard catches Fox's character partying with the singer in a bathroom stall, leading to a raucous fistfight. The gritty indie masterpiece earned Sandler the best reviews of his career and a prestigious Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.