‘UNCUT GEMS’ (Rated R)

Though not lacking for dramatic roles in his cinematic career, Adam Sandler is well-established as a comedic presence, often in the guise of the man-child goofball in characters like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore.

“Uncut Gems” allows Sandler to shine in the serious role of Howard Ratner, owner of a jewelry store in New York’s fabled Diamond District. Addicted to gambling, Howard leads a messy, complicated life at work and on the home front.

His marriage to Dinah (Idina Menzel) is crumbling due to his infidelity and heavy gambling losses. He’s estranged from his own children. His assistant Julia (Julia Fox) is also his mistress who lives in his pied-a-terre in Manhattan.

While his personal life is in shambles, things are even worse for his cavalier attitude about high stakes betting on sporting events. In debt to bookies, Howard is constantly working a scam to hold at bay unsavory characters owed money.

In possession of a large rock from an Ethiopian mine that is embedded with sparkling opals, Howard claims it is worth millions and intends to sell the rock at an auction to reap a huge payday that would allow him to indulge his gambling obsession.

Vulgar and strident, Sandler’s Howard looks the part of a hustler with his goatee, designer glasses and leather jacket. He’s constantly yelling, often profanely, at thugs trying to collect the gambling debts and even his own staff and family.

His compulsive gambling is so reckless and desperate that he ends up deep in debt to his unforgiving brother-in-law (Eric Bogosian) who turns loose his violent thugs.

Howard’s business associate Demany (LaKeith Stanfield) is not immune to the verbal barbs, even after he brings in basketball superstar Kevin Garnett (playing himself) who takes a great interest in the opal-studded stone, believing it has some magical powers.

Garnett loans his Boston Celtics championship ring to Howard in exchange for the use of the stone as a lucky talisman for his next game. After upping his game play, Garnett decides he must own the stone and Howard is more than willing to sell it.

However, knowing that the stone must go for a price far beyond its appraised value, Howard gets deeper into trouble while employing unethical tactics to push the sale.

“Uncut Gems” is a brilliant showcase for Adam Sandler’s gritty performance as a hustler and gambler in need of impulse control so that his life would not be a complete train wreck.



‘6 UNDERGROUND’ ON NETFLIX

As the director of the action films “Bad Boys” and the “Transformer” series among so many others, Michael Bay’s bold approach is characterized by an aggressive visual style, high-octane action, extensive use of special effects and plenty of explosions.

Bay’s method is appreciated far more by movie-going audiences than critics. That’s likely to be true of his newest venture for the streaming on Netflix of the action film “6 Underground.”

Loud, goofy and outrageous are other means by which to describe the director’s bag of cinematic tricks, and all of these descriptions fit perfectly for an understanding of what’s in store for a “Mission: Impossible”-style adventure on steroids.

Operating from an abandoned airfield in the California desert, Ryan Reynolds is an eccentric billionaire who has assembled a group of mercenaries working off the grid to do the messy job of taking down corrupt foreign leaders that governments are unable or unwilling to handle.

Functioning without identities, Reynolds and his crew have all faked their own deaths to operate below the radar. Not one of them has a name, just a number. Reynolds is known as One, and his right-hand person is the sexy former CIA agent Two (Melanie Laurent).

The team is rounded out by tough guy Three (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), parkour risk-taker Four (Ben Hardy), putative medic Five (Adria Arjona), and daredevil driver Six (Dave Franco). After one member dies, former military sniper Seven (Corey Hawkins) joins the team.

The action starts in earnest during an extended frenetic car chase through the scenic streets of ancient Florence, Italy, during which shootouts and driving stunts are choreographed like a ballet of insanely desperate acts.

The primary mission is to take down the evil dictator of the fictional nation of Turgistan and replace him with his democracy-loving brother currently held prisoner in the gilded cage of a penthouse apartment in Hong Kong.

Given the setting is one of the “stan” countries, an overthrow of the totalitarian government will be greeted by the oppressed citizenry with the enthusiasm of a successful Arab Spring. If only that were true for some other Middle East nations.

With Ryan Reynolds on board channeling his “Deadpool” character, there is plenty of deadpan humor, snarky remarks and a remarkable amount of cynicism.

The plot is really immaterial because, after all, the Michael Bay signature style is to go over-the-top with the intent to entertain with a lot of pyrotechnics and dazzling stunts. “6 Underground,” regardless of its flaws, is headed in that direction.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.