Uncut gems howard12/13/2023 ![]() When Howard actually wins his crazy bet and is now a millionaire looking forward to staring at Julia’s new tattoo on a beach and the music swells, we dare to dream of some relief, a win for Howard after the relentless anxiety trip the film has been. The matter has become personal to Phil now and it is part of why he kills Howard. Phil’s threat here is easily dismissed and forgotten by the audience as idle tough guy talk posturing and at the time it probably was, but it is fair to say Phil is not best pleased by being emasculated and out-heavied by the two physically imposing bodyguards of KG. On a second viewing it is ominous to see that Phil promises to kill Howard near to the beginning of the film when he wrongly assumes that Howard has hired the two men who throw him out of the jewelry store, who are actually the bodyguards of Kevin Garnett. When Phil is trapped between locked doors, overheated and pissed off beyond belief, he becomes again master of his own will, not simply an agent of Arno and his tolerance for dealing with Howard which has been very low and only gotten lower throughout the film hits zero. In Jewish folklore the Golem is a being created to serve its master – in many versions of the tale however the Golem becomes disobedient to its master with often fatal results. It is only at the end that we realise Arno has created a Golem in hiring Phil that leads to both his and Howard’s death. In the scenes after kidnapping where Arno, Phil and the other heavies are confronting Howard, Arno still seems in control – despite Phil being very willing to cause harm. “You’re lucky there’s people around here ya prick.” Howard is shocked that Arno is going to these lengths as evidenced by the kidnap scene, this is our first clue that Arno is perhaps in over his head and resorting to methods he does not usually resort to – especially with a family member. On first viewing it seems that they are under Arno’s control and that he is a powerful leader of low level organised crime. “Don’t Arno me, don’t fucking say my name” ![]() We can also infer that Howard has racked up the hundred grand debt with some sense of immunity due to the two being of familial relations and that Arno knows this and therefore makes the decision to hire Phil and his two cohorts. ![]() We can infer that Sandler did not think Arno would do this and is shocked that he has sent genuine heavies to his store to intimidate him. Phil has been hired by Howard’s relative by marriage – Arno to put pressure on him for a $100,000 gambling debt. ![]() Even on set the Safdie’s have described a palpable tension working with Richards, especially during stunt scenes where he may have been going harder on Sandler than a typical actor would. He brings an authenticity to this crucial role, something that seemed commonplace in character actors of the 40’s and 50’s but now seems rare. It gives a real sense of danger and of threat by having someone who is not a recognisiable actor. Having a non-actor in the role of Phil was an excellent decision, it plays into the realism of the film that builds its plot around actual basketball games and also features Kevin Garnett and The Weeknd playing themselves. Keith Williams Richards was spotted on a New York street and cast in the film. The ending of the film on a first watch is a devastating gut punch, knowing it is coming gives a different perspective and illuminates the complete inevitability of Phil shooting Howard. One of the most compelling aspects on a second viewing of the Safdie Brothers relentless Neo-Noir Uncut Gems was to watch the character of Phil played by non-actor Keith Williams Richards and Arno played by Eric Bogosian. ![]() *The following contains spoilers for Uncut Gems* ![]()
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