Uncut Gems is a masterclass in triggering an audience’s adrenaline reaction.
For some, uncut Gems may have been a novel experience, but plenty of other movies like Uncut Gems may make you feel the same way.
Even though no movie can capture the Safdie brothers’ style, below are the best movies like uncut gems that will undoubtedly make you sweat.
With this thriller by the Safdie brothers, Adam Sandler demonstrates his ability to enter the drama world.
The Safdie brothers are well-known for making movies that significantly increase audience anxiety, and their independent movies are effective.
As the protagonists in their movies are put through terrible scenarios one after another, one feels compelled to pull their hair out.
1. Cape Fear (1991)
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Cast: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, and Martin Balsam
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
The same-named 1962 movie was remade in 1991 under the direction of Martin Scorsese.
One of Scorsese’s most anxiety-inducing movies is this one. It centers on Max Cady, a convicted rapist who has served his jail sentence.
He wants vengeance on public defense and his family for hiding information that would have led to his release from jail.
The picture is quite spooky, and Cady’s repeated threats serve to increase the viewer’s worries.
A superb example of Robert De Niro’s acting range is his depiction of an evil character. This is one of the amazing movies like uncut gems.
2. Corpus Christi (2019)
- Director: Jan Komasa
- Cast: Bartosz Bielenia, Aleksandra Konieczna, Eliza Rycembel, Tomasz Zietek, Barbara Kurzaj, Leszek Lichota, Zdzislaw Wardejn, and Lukasz Simlat
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
Although Parasite won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for the 2020 Academy Awards, director Jan Komasa’s movie from Poland is still incredibly captivating.
The absurd concept based on actual events is that an ex-convict decides he wants to become a priest after having a life-changing experience in prison.
When he is informed he can’t because of his criminal record, he continues along the road that led to his arrest.
He seems to do so fairly convincingly, which benefits the neighborhood as a whole, which is now mourning over the victims of a horrible tragedy.
Despite his charisma, it’s impossible not to support the dishonest pastor who is deceiving his way to the top.
The movie’s clever script shines at examining the areas of truth and religion, and the movie’s complicated main character is both refreshing and three-dimensional. Even the ending avoids becoming too sentimental and emotional.
3. Whiplash (2014)
- Director: Damien Chazelle
- Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, Chris Mulkey, and Damon Gupton
- IMDb rating: 8.4/10
Whiplash will have your heart racing and foot thumping from the very first scene.
In Whiplash, Miles Teller plays Andrew, a drummer in the most renowned music school in the country, Shaffer Conservatory, who aspires to be among the best drummers in the world.
Andrew’s aggressive conductor Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), is the key to his future participation in the school’s studio band.
Whiplash is as suspenseful as the other movies like uncut gems on this list, even though no characters’ lives are in danger.
If Andrew makes even a little mistake while playing, he risks losing the opportunity to play professionally.
Surprisingly, band sessions, when Terence is free to treat his kids in whatever he pleases, are some of the scenes that cause the greatest concern.
4. Good Time (2017)
- Director: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
- Cast: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Buddy Duress, Taliah Webster, Barkhad Abdi, Necro, and Peter Verby
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
Uncut Gems’ closest counterparts are, of course, the other Safdie brothers’ movies.
The movie Good Time, starring Robert Pattinson and Benny Safdie, was released before Uncut Gems and followed the narrative of Connie and Nick.
When things go bad, Nick tries to rob a bank. The main characters are immediately thrust into a challenging predicament in this movie, much as in Uncut Gems.
The movie’s pace never gives you a chance to catch your breath.
Every minute of this movie is filled with nail-biting tension as Connie keeps getting into increasingly risky situations, and the police are always lurking around the corner.
5. Paddleton (2019)
- Director: Alex Lehmann
- Cast: Christine Woods, Mark Duplass, Ray Romano, Jen Kuo Sung, Stephen Oyoung, Bjorn Johnson, Harry Dej, and Sierra Fisk
- IMDb rating: 7.1/10
Watching Paddleton is recommended for three main reasons. The first two are Ray Romano and Mark Duplass, who portray the story’s main neighbors.
The third is director Alexandre Lehmann, who also oversees Blue Jay.
When one of these odd neighbors receives a cancer diagnosis, they are forced to work together.
They set out on a journey that becomes an adventure to the closest drugstore, a six-hour drive away.
This premise allows Paddleton a lot to work with since it’s both a comedy and a drama about a terrible illness. Although it is a bromance, it centers on a frail relationship.
Paddleton is one of the amazing movies like uncut gems because of all these contradictions. Once again, both actors are outstanding. It’s worthwhile to see it simply for them.
6. System Crasher (2019)
- Director: Nora Fingscheidt
- Cast: Helena Zengel, Albrecht Schuch, Gabriela Maria Schmeide, Lisa Hagmeister, Melanie Straub, Victoria Trauttmansdorff, Maryam Zaree, and Tedros Teclebrhan
- IMDb rating: 7.8/10
This is one of the strangest, most high-energy movies like uncut gems you’ll ever see while being somewhat challenging for viewers.
In this outstanding German drama, Bernadette, also known as Benni, is a terrified 9-year-old continuously suspended from every school she has attended. Benni is a “Systemsprenger” (the original German term).
A child who is uncontrollably hostile and slips through the cracks of special schools, foster homes, and social service institutions is a system crasher.
Frau Bafané, portrayed by Gabriela Maria Schneider, is her assigned social worker, but despite her best efforts, everyone rejects her, testing the patience of those around her.
The final recourse is a trip with Micha (Albrecht Schuch), a fierce boxer and anger-management coach.
System Crasher, which Nora Fingscheidt directed, is powerful, chaotic, and real in an almost spooky way.
Its distinctive, frenetic camerawork contributes to its devastating impact.
You could find it challenging to maintain your professional distance from all of this, much like the social workers themselves. You’ll remember this tremendous drama for a very long time.
7. Nightcrawler (2014)
- Director: Dan Gilroy
- Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz Ahmed, Michael Papajohn, Marco Rodríguez, James Huang, and Kent Shocknek
- IMDb rating: 7.8/10
In the movie Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a thief named Lou who is searching for a stable job.
When Lou watches two police officers rescuing a lady from a burning car, he notices that a photographer has recorded the incident and sold the footage to a news agency.
Lou then decides to give photojournalism a shot. Lou begins to stretch his journalism ethics by intervening in the crimes after capturing a successful video for a local news channel.
Nightcrawler gives you the impression that someone continually watches you and wants to document any negative things.
Nightcrawler invites you to think about why people watch some crimes more often than others and raises issues about how the media gathers films of horrific incidents. This is undoubtedly one of the best movies like uncut gems.
8. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Cast: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar, Beulah Garrick, Carol Kane, Sandra Kazan, Marcia, and Jean Kurtz
- IMDb rating: 8.0/10
War veteran Sonny (Al Pacino) makes an attempt to rob a bank, but things rapidly go wrong when he and his partner Sal (John Cazale) cannot leave before the cops show up there.
Most of the movie is set inside the bank as the attempted bank heist gradually develops into a hostage crisis.
As you witness, these people fall short at what might have been a straightforward bank heist; Dog Day Afternoon is shockingly amusing the whole time.
The thieves, police, hostages, and a crowd outside are the movie’s four main characters, who split off into groups very fast.
All sides feel that they may lose control at any time, which could cause the deaths of several innocent people.
Dog Day Afternoon, based on a real story, offers a complex look at the police force, veterans, and political environment of the 1970s.
9. Rear Window (1954)
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr, Judith Evelyn, and Ross Bagdasarian
- IMDb rating: 8.5/10
It may be terrifying for viewers to see a character go through really tense situations, which is why thrillers are so captivating.
However, it might be particularly unsettling to see a character who is powerless and unable to do anything.
It may also be annoying if a protagonist’s helplessness is not accurately shown.
However, one can rely on Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, to go above and beyond and provide an emotional roller-coaster experience.
A photographer with a broken leg confined to his home and sees a murder in the house next to him is the main character of the 1954 movie.
10. The Road (2009)
- Director: John Hillcoat
- Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Molly Parker, Michael Kenneth Williams, and Garret Dillahunt
- IMDb rating: 7.2/10
This 2009 post-apocalyptic movie succeeded because its speculative plot did not get too ambitious.
The movie’s primary focus was just survival and nothing else. There are no elaborate plans for remaking the world or efforts to interpret societal issues through the lens of dystopia.
Instead, the movie skillfully depicts the bond that forms between a father, his child, and his wife as they make their way to the seaside. They have to deal with dangerous obstacles on their path.
Since the audience becomes so emotionally engaged in the characters, even the suggestion of anything disastrous makes one uneasy.
As viewers bite their nails in hope, the distress of a parent striving to safeguard his family is immediately transmitted to them.
This is one of the amazing movies like uncut gems whose visual expertly conveys the bleakness and desperation of a post-apocalyptic society.
11. Bad Lieutenant (1992)
- Director: Abel Ferrara
- Cast: Harvey Keitel, Brian McElroy, Frank Acciarito, Peggy Gormley, Stella Keitel, Dana Dee, Victor Argo, and Paul Calderon
- IMDb rating: 7.0/10
Many bets on the national league championship series include The Lieutenant (Harvey Keitel).
The size of The Lieutenant’s bets and the amount with which he abuses his authority as an officer both increase as time goes on.
The first part of Bad Lieutenant builds tension gradually as The Lieutenant makes mistake after mistake until he gets into serious danger.
Whereas Uncut Gems immediately get your pulse pumping, Bad Lieutenant takes its time to get the audience’s blood pumping.
The paranoia associated with drug and gambling addiction is explored in Bad Lieutenant, as is the difficulty of quitting once you’ve begun.
12. Run Lola Run (1998)
- Director: Tom Tykwer
- Cast: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri, Armin Rohde, Joachim Król, Ludger Pistor, and Suzanne von Borsody
- IMDb rating: 7.7/10
The pace of Run Lola Run is relentless throughout. To avoid being killed by Manni’s employer Ronnie, Lola (Franka Potente) has 20 minutes to assist her lover Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu), in delivering 100,000 Deutschmarks.
The movie uses time travel to transport Lola back in time so she may repeatedly attempt to save Manni to test the effects of adrenaline.
Run Lola Run’s fast pace may be the closest a movie has gotten to accurately capturing the experience of running a marathon.
With its innovative combination of animation and real action, Run Lola Run is an experience you won’t want to finish. This is one of the amazing movies like uncut gems.
13. Good Time (2017)
- Director: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
- Cast: Robert Pattinson, Benny Safdie, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Buddy Duress, Taliah Webster, Barkhad Abdi, Necro, and Peter Verby
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
The Safdie brothers’ popular, tense stories peaked with 2017’s “Good Time,” which came before “Uncut Gems.”
Like the 2019 movie “Good Time” has the same jittery, protracted sense of a car journey that requires you to grasp something tightly.
The plot centers on Robert Pattinson’s character Constantine Nikas, whose brother ends up in jail after a failed heist.
Nikas embarks on a crazy journey through New York City’s nightlife and underworld throughout one thrilling night to release his brother.
Although there is just one conflict in the movie, it moves at a blazing speed and suddenly throws twists and shocks at the audience.
Amazingly, the story flows with wonderful causality despite the degree of uncertainty.
Pattinson received accolades for his unconventional character, subtle acting performance, and writing and suspense.
14. The Raid: Redemption (2012)
- Director: Gareth Evans
- Cast: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy, Donny Alamsyah, Joe Taslim, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, and Tegar Satrya
- IMDb rating: 7.6/10
A police stealth operation, a gunfight, and hand-to-hand fighting all take place in an apartment complex in The Raid: Redemption.
The movies like uncut gems on this list are thrillers, while The Raid: Redemption transforms the excitement of committing a crime into an action movie.
To capture crime lord Tama (Ray Sahetapy), Rama (Iko Uwais), newbies in a special operations unit, joins a twenty-man squad.
As soon as the raid starts, the situation changes smoothly as dozens of henchmen show up to murder the special operations unit.
Your seat will be on edge since the movie is one long action scene.
The Raid: Redemption can portray character growth using each character’s fighting technique, bringing the heart to an action thriller even if it never slows down.
15. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Aleksa Palladino, Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, and Sarah Livingston
- IMDb rating: 7.3/10
The financial predicament of Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his brother Hank (Ethan Hawke) is terrible.
Andy decides to loot their parents’ jewelry business to fix their difficulties, but everything goes wrong.
In various circumstances during Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, characters are forced to keep information from other people in the room.
Every moment in this crime thriller with family turmoil makes you nervous as you wonder whether Andy and Hank’s secrets will come out.
You will be on the edge of your seat as you wait to see whether they will reveal their secrets in seemingly routine situations, like picking up a CD from a rental car dealer.
This is undoubtedly one of the best movies like uncut gems.
