Uncut Gems Ending Explained

Summary Howard's pursuit of money leads to his demise in the tumultuous ending of Uncut Gems.

The film highlights the fleeting pleasure of greed, with Howard's temporary success overshadowed by his fate.

Adam Sandler defends the controversial ending, arguing that Howard had to meet his unfortunate end.

Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Uncut Gems.

The Uncut Gems ending comes almost as a sigh of relief, relinquishing the audience from two hours of unnerving and unrestrained stress courtesy of its main character, Howard Ratner. Directed by Benny and Josh Safdie, the film follows Ratner (Adam Sandler), a charismatic and eccentric jeweler in the Big Apple's Diamond District, through a series of ill-conceived bets and a sea of ferocious loan sharks until he finally achieves what he always wanted: his big break. So, here's what happens in Uncut Gems' ending and what it means.

At the end of Uncut Gems, Kevin Garnett pays Howard a massive sum of money for the opal, which would allow Howard to repay his debts. However, Howard instead decides to bet it all, sending Julia to the Mohegan Sun Casino to place a bet on Garnett's real-world next basketball game. During the game, Howard's creditors show up, with Howard trapping them in the security doors. When the game ends, Howard ends up winning $1.2 million, causing him to set the three men free. An enraged Phil then shoots Howard as well as Arno, with him and Nico then looting the store.

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Howard Ratner's Death Explained & Meaning

Why Did Uncut Gems End Like This?

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Uncut Gem's final shot leaves off on Howard's corpse, lying on its back and staring up at the sky in a rapidly growing pool of blood. The camera engages in another one of its uncomfortably extensive zooms, this time penetrating through the bullet hole in Howard's cheek and through his head until finally coasting through the familiar geologic and colorful terrain of the opal.

This symbiotic conclusion confirms what the bulk of Uncut Gems' 135-minute runtime infers: that Howard's life revolved around greed. The Safdie Brothers' have confirmed to The Wrap that the kaleidoscopic aesthetic achieved by peering into the gemstone is a representation of the circle of life. So just as Howard had lived by the pursuit of money, just so had he died.

Related Why The Uncut Gems Directors’ Next Sandler Movie Taking So Long Is Good The Safdie brothers are making another film with Uncut Gems actor Adam Sandler, and while the movie is taking a while, it'll probably pay off.

Was Howard's Opal Actually Lucky?

Or Was It All In Their Heads?

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Despite Kevin Garnett constantly insisting that Howard's opal is his lucky charm, it is doubtful that this is the case. After all, Howard is in possession of the opal for the majority of Uncut Gems, and his luck is anything but good. There is no hint that the supernatural actually exists within the world of Uncut Gems, with the basketball player's belief that the opal is actually a good luck charm being nothing more than a superstition that many athletes believe in.

Where Does The Money Go?

What Does Julia Do With It

Julia's rather heroic exit making off with Howard's money seals Uncut Gems off on a relatively happy note. In reality, should Uncut Gems have continued, Julia's happiness would not have lasted long, given that she would have inevitably discovered that the life she was excited to begin and the man she was prepared to spend it with were now both dead. This does leave the question of what happens with Howard's winnings up in the air.

Because Julia was aware of Howard's familial situation, and that she, other than that one pervasive scene with The Weeknd, is a good person, it's likely that she wouldn't leave Howard's three fatherless children completely ignorant of their father's grand prize. Splitting the several hundreds of thousands of dollars with the rest of the Ratners in their time of grieving (though the children, other than Howard's eldest son, don't seem too enthused by their father), it's a good feeling knowing that Julia has a relatively open path at a new start in New York City, or anywhere else she'd please.

This is assuming, of course, that Julia makes it out with the money alive. Because Howard has been killed, it is very possible that the few remaining people he'd owed would relinquish their pursuit of getting their money back. But Phil and his team, as the only people who know how much money Howard had just earned, could very possibly go after her and the cash, especially since their professional ties with Arno have ceased to be. But if what happens to Julia was of pressing concern, the Safdie Brothers would have included it in Uncut Gems.

What Adam Sandler Has Said About Uncut Gems' Ending

He Still Stands By It

The ending of Uncut Gems has been quite controversial since its initial release, with some viewers claiming that Howard's death was unsatisfying and out of nowhere. Despite this, Adam Sandler defends the ending of Uncut Gems, with him discussing it on a 2020 episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers. While on the show, Sandler said that even his mom has problems with the ending. However, Sandler stands by the ending and believes that the film had to end this way. Here are the actor's full comments from the episode:

“I agree with your parents – it’s too much on it. Certainly my mother – my mother in law…anybody over a certain age was like, "Ohh, that ending. That was too much, I didn’t need to see that." I got yelled at the other day on the set here. A guy telling me, ‘Man. Why’d they do that do you at the end of Gems?’ And I have to defend that ending. It had to happen.”

Related Adam Sandler's Uncut Gems Follow-up Can Fully End His Bad Movie Curse Following the rampant success of Uncut Gems, Adam Sandler's upcoming projects are an indication that his bad movie streak could be coming to an end.

The Real Meaning Of Uncut Gems' Ending

It Is All About Greed

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Uncut Gems is a movie about greed, and Howard's story throughout the film highlights that he (as well as much of humanity) pursues the temporary pleasure of the moment of attaining some material good, with that high wearing off almost immediately after. Howard wins several times throughout the film, with Garnett's money being one of the prime examples of this. However, even then Howard wasn't satisfied, with him using this money to up the ante.

Howard does end Uncut Gems in a moment of happiness, with him having won $1.2 million. However, like every other moment where greed is satisfied, this pleasure is temporary, with Howard being killed almost immediately after. Throughout the film, Howard gambles with his money, his family, and his life, and Uncut Gems ends with the realization that this temporary pleasure isn't worth it when someone finally comes to collect.

Uncut Gems Where to Watch *Availability in US stream

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buy Not available Not available Not available A crime thriller from Josh and Benny Safdie, Uncut Gems follows New York jeweler Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) as his gambling addiction forces him to associate with increasingly dangerous individuals. After receiving an incredibly rare black opal, Howard believes he can finally free himself of his mounting debts, but not without engaging in one final high-stakes balancing act while fending off violent loan sharks. Director Josh Safdie , Benny Safdie Release Date December 13, 2019 Studio(s) A24 Distributor(s) Netflix , A24 Writers Ronald Bronstein , Josh Safdie , Benny Safdie Cast Jonathan Aranbayev , Eric Bogosian , The Weeknd , Idina Menzel , Noa Fisher , Kevin Garnett , Tommy Kominik , LaKeith Stanfield , Jacob Igielski , Adam Sandler , Julia Fox , Keith Williams Richards Runtime 134 minutes Budget $19 million Expand