In a year that actually includes the release of Todd Phillips’ film, “Joker,” an argument can be made that the most Martin Scorsese-esque film to hit theaters in 2019 is actually “Uncut Gems.” Where “Joker” seems to hold Scorsese’s previous works like “Taxi Driver” on a pedestal to be worshipped, the Safdie Brothers’ latest thriller feels more in line with something the iconic filmmaker would make if he was just now coming up in the industry.
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And in a new interview with The Guardian, Scorsese explains how he came to know the Safdies and how he eventually became one of the executive producers on “Uncut Gems.” Apparently, the frenetic, almost chaotic energy that you find in the films from the two brothers is just an extension of their real-life personas.
“The Safdie brothers, they’re crazy,” said Scorsese. “I saw them in Telluride at a dinner and it was like they were mugging me. They look like two bandits. When they said they had Adam Sandler, I thought: OK, that’s interesting. They would come on the set of ‘The Irishman’ and hang out. There’s still an aspect of me that has an affinity with their ferocious manner, so to speak.”
From how he described his experience with The Safdie Brothers, as well as his experience with “Happy as Lazzaro” (another film to carry the Scorsese name as an EP), it appears that the filmmaker just likes to put his name on projects that he personally endorses. And if that’s all he had for input on “Uncut Gems,” then that’s plenty, as the Martin Scorsese seal of approval still carries some pretty good weight around these parts.
“Uncut Gems” is in theaters now.
