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Uncut Gems
Movie

Uncut Gems

2019 • Unknown

Woke Score
2
out of 10

Plot

A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score 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.

Overall Series Review

Uncut Gems is a relentless, anxiety-fueled crime thriller centered on Howard Ratner, a New York City jeweler whose compulsive gambling and chaotic personal life put him in debt to dangerous people. The film is a hyper-authentic character study, not a political screed. The narrative focuses on the universal themes of addiction, greed, and the tragic consequences of self-destructive choices. It immerses the viewer in a specific, high-pressure, multi-ethnic subculture of the Diamond District. The plot's tension comes entirely from Howard's escalating moral and financial debt, which eventually consumes his family life, business, and physical safety. The film contains no evidence of 'woke' ideology and, in fact, includes elements that run counter to modern progressive themes, such as the use of ethnic stereotypes and female characters whose roles are entirely defined by the flawed male protagonist. Its critique is aimed squarely at the destructive pursuit of material value and the failure to honor commitments to family and faith.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics3/10

The film centers on Howard Ratner, a Jewish-American male protagonist, and explores specific cultural tropes and stereotypes related to Jewish identity, finance, and the New York Diamond District, which is dominated by Jews. The narrative is an authentic exploration of an ethnic niche by Jewish filmmakers and is not designed as a lecture on systemic oppression or the vilification of generalized 'whiteness.' Characters are a mix of races and ethnicities (Jewish, Armenian, Russian, Black) who are all equally flawed by greed and self-interest, judging them purely by their chaotic moral actions, not an intersectional hierarchy.

Oikophobia2/10

The narrative does not exhibit a hostility toward Western civilization. It portrays a chaotic, high-stakes microcosm of capitalism within New York City, critiquing the materialistic aspects of this subculture, not the foundational institutions of the West. Howard's family and his Jewish cultural roots, including a Passover Seder, serve as a stabilizing, traditional foil for his personal chaos and self-destruction. His behavior is shown to corrupt the home, rather than the home being framed as fundamentally corrupt or racist.

Feminism2/10

Female characters are not presented as 'Girl Boss' archetypes. The two main women, Howard's wife Dinah and his mistress/employee Julia, are defined by their relationships with the male protagonist's addiction and infidelity. Dinah is the rational 'foil' who ultimately wants out of the broken marriage and family unit, while Julia displays loyalty to Howard despite his destructive behavior. The story focuses on the male character's emasculation of himself through his self-destruction, rather than a deliberate emasculation by the film's gender dynamics. One scene is noted in commentary for objectifying a female character.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie contains no significant LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or commentary on sexual ideology. The central domestic conflict revolves around the protagonist’s affair and his strained nuclear family structure. The focus is entirely on a traditional male-female pairing and its dissolution due to addiction and adultery.

Anti-Theism2/10

The film includes clear acknowledgments of faith and tradition through the main character's Jewish identity and the inclusion of a Passover Seder scene. Howard's materialistic and corrupt lifestyle is implicitly contrasted with religious and moral law, with his ultimate downfall serving as a tragic consequence for his moral failings and attempt to 'cheat God.' Traditional religion is not vilified; rather, the protagonist's failure to adhere to its moral code, seeing it only as 'signifiers and touchstones,' leads to his tragedy.