It’s a masterpiece.
The sense of overwhelm is asphyxiating. The story constantly branches, so that at any moment multiple crises are pressing down on Howard at once. If Greig Fraser mastered “dirty” photography in The Batman, the Safdie brothers master dirty dialogue here—overlapping, chaotic, and deliberately disorienting. The film is a rollercoaster that offers no respite. And Adam Sandler’s performance? I’m at a loss for words.