Anti-Heroes in The Gambler and Uncut Gems Essay Example

Anti-hero is a very broad term when you think about it, some may just say it's the opposite of a hero. It’s drastically much more than the opposite of a hero, it’s someone who brings upon themselves the worsened positions they are in. It’s somebody so overcome by their own emotions and mind they make the wrong decisions and drag others down with them. The anti-hero is commonly known to partake in criminal acts, be struggling financially and commonly have a lapse in their judgment. As seen in The Gambler and Uncut Gems these characters commonly wear suits; they are very well dressed to add ambiance to themselves. Although there are slight differences in each Axel and Howard due to time period and just simple life differences, they are very much alike too. 

In The Gambler by Karel Reisz it's very clear to the audience that Axel is an anti-hero. Axel is addicted to gambling and constantly is digging himself a whole with more and more people. Axel is willing to bet money he doesn't have on games he doesn't know about purely for the thrill he gets from gambling. Although the article titled “The 1970’s Era of Rebel Cinema, Anti-heros and their Sunglasses” by Wei Koh states in the 70’s anti-hero characters wore a lot of denim, open neck shirts and sunglasses, it's not all shown in The Gambler. We do see Axel wear a lot of open neck shirts and denim, but never sunglasses. He also commonly wore suits when gambling in casinos for bigger prize pots. In Uncut Gems Howard was a strict sunglass wearer, same goes for suits and leather jackets. When Howard was making serious bets and having business meetings he would wear suits just like Axel. Howard wore sunglasses in multiple scenarios, when he wanted to be conspicuous and serious and when his face was beaten up to hide the bruises. In the 70’s gambling was much bigger than it is now. Casinos aren't as popular and bet making isn't as common, due to the price of things and the state the economy is in. In Uncut Gems the topic of gems and jewelry is much more set to the time period. Jewelry and gems or crystals are very big in society nowadays. In the article “The Antihero”  by Jacob Baggett he explains that anti-heroes in today's society most commonly have relatable struggles, partake in criminal acts, and struggle with morals. All three of these happen in Howards life. He sells and gambles illegally with jewelry and his rare gem. Throughout both films I believe there are a few hero's journey steps they both do tackle. I find that the steps followed for both films are simply just the conflict steps, cause and effects steps, etc. The films didn't follow the steps where the main character became a better person, or became the hero.

Throughout both films there was beautiful cinematography. I do have to say though, in Uncut Gems the cinematography was much more memorable. This is most likely due to the technology we now have compared to in the 70’s. The first scene in The Gambler that stood out to me was at 1:10:35. In this scene Axel just lost an extremely big chunk of money. He placed a bet on a basketball game and his team didn't win, making Axle loose over 50,000 dollars. Axel is sitting in the bathtub listening to the game on the radio, filled with hope and eagerness for his team to win. He is listening very closely. When the announcers reveal that the Lakers did not win, it was down to the second, Axel looks distraught. Out of anger Axle kicks the radio over and makes a huge splash in the water. The camera angle during this scene was perfect, catching the entire bathtub and Axle in frame. It allowed us to see the state of mind he was in, he was desperate to win. The next two scenes are from Uncut Gems. The first scene is at 48:30. This scene shows Howard being attacked and held hostage for not paying his debts. He is taken against his will in the parking lot of his daughter's school and then released in his trunk, locked inside naked. He had to call his wife to unlock the trunk, while he was fully nude in a parking lot with children surrounding him. This scene shows one of the lowest points Howard has hit in his life. He upset not only his wife, but disappointed his daughter as well. The cinematography is very good in this scene. It's dark outside and the moon light and street lights are making the  lights on the cars shine. The camera is at the same height as Howard is in the trunk and it shows how vulnerable he is in this situation. 

Greed is a main theme in both Uncut Gems and The Gambler. In today's society greed is still very present. Many people nowadays still are greedy in the sense of money and property. In my opinion greed is the effect from the state of society with inflation, and overpopulation. Not only do I feel like the state of the economy is a big part of the cause of greed, but selfishness is too. Greed causes disruption in the feeling of safety for the society. Society begins to become defencive and fight back which worsens the current  problems. When I would find myself to be greedy or selfish  I always have to stop and think about how lucky and blessed I am to be at this point in my life. I have to allow myself time to realize why I felt the way I did. Am I just being rude because I don't like that something isn't going my way? You must hold yourself accountable and learn to change. Be thankful for what you have, and most importantly be thankful to be alive.