Riley Baker

Long story. I watched this movie with my immediate family and some of my aunts and uncles. Bad idea. About 1/2 through the movie, we walked out. Since I can’t technically be in a R rated movie by myself, I didn’t really have a choice. However, Netflix adding this movie was a godsend. I finished it and was blown away. The cinematography is gorgeous, chaotic, and seems to reflect off the city like the colors in the fabled black opal in the movie. Adam Sandler’s gives the performance of a greedy, scared fiend who is in way over his head, and it is done masterfully. The Safdie brothers are now some of my favorite directors because of this and they’re previous project Good Time, which was also incredible. They are able to convey the sense of disorientation and fear at the same time that gives you a truly unique and beautiful viewing. However, I think one thing that is over looked in this movie is the score. Granted, I’ve watched this film multiple times and have gotten used to the excessive noise in the film, but after drowning that out, the score is sensational. I listen to it on Spotify now, and is now one of my favorite original scores movies. The techno/ jazz synthesized sounds are incredible, and make you feel like you live in Howard’s one dimensional, materialistic, yet elated mind. My only complaint is that I couldn’t finish watching it at the theaters, because you can only truly experience this type of movie once.