Arno (Uncut Gems)

"You think I'm stupid Howard, you and your whole f*cking family! I heard you resurfaced your f*cking swimming pool ,you know how that makes me feel?! you think your life is more important than my life?"

- Arno threatening Howard

"Howard, where's the money right now?"

Arno Maridian is the main antagonist of 2019 American crime thriller film, Uncut Gems, he is a New York jewish loan shark and the brother-in-law of protagonist anti-hero, Howard Ratner, who owns money to him. He is also the boss of goons Phil and Nico.

He was portrayed by Eric Bogosian, who also portrayed Travis Dane in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory.

2010
In Ethiopia a miner suffer an accident, during the commotion, two other miners sense an opportunity, they go inside the mine and find an extremely valuable black opal, embedded in a piece of rock, an Uncut Gem.

2012
Howard Ratner is the owner of KMH Gems and Jewelry, a jewelry store in New York's Diamond District, he is addicted to gamble and struggles to pay his gambling debts, particularly $1,000,000 to Arno a loan shark who's also his brother-in-law, one day Arno sends his goons Phil and Nico to speak to Howard, Phil show to be very quick-tempered by slapping Howard in front of his employees and customers when he gave him a bottle of water even though he refused, Howard takes them to his office where they take money he just picked up from a pawnshop and his watch. Howard has a estranged wife, Dinah and a lover, his employee, Julia.

Demany, an associate of Howard who finds buyers for him brings basketball player Kevin Garnett to the shop the same day Howard is recieveing the black opal, upon arriving, he finds Kevin's bodyguards fighting with Phil and Nico, they hit Nico before Howard separates them, Phil thinking they are Howard's bodyguards gives Howard a death threat before leaving.

Kevin and the opal
Howard presents the opal to Garnett, who becomes obssesed with it, he wants it for luck on that night's game but can't afford to buy it so he convinces Howard to lend it to him, he reluctantly agrees but takes Kevin's championship ring as collateral, Howard pawns the ring right away to bet on Garnett's game, planning to buy back the ring with the winnings, unaware that he's being followed by Phil and Nico he sends Arno a picture of the money before betting it.

Howard wins the bet, but Demany tells him that Kevin wishes to keep the opal longer. That night Howard is ambushed at his daughter's school play by Phil and Nico who take him to Arno, Howard tries to explain his bet plan but Arno informs him he place a stop on the bet as it was made with the money he owed him, Phil and Nico strip Howard naked and trap him on the trunk of his own car, they leave and Howard is rescued by Dinah.

Desperate, Howard agrees to meet Demany at a party hosted by The Weeknd to retrieve the opal as Demany told Howard he had it with him. However Howard fights with Demany as he doesn't have the opal, Howard then gets into a fight with The Weeknd after finding him and Julia together in a bathroom, Julia and Howard fight and Howard throws her off his apartement despite Julia's insistence that she remained faithful to him.

The Auction
Howard plans on auctioning the opal as soon as he gets it back, Kevin comes to the shop with the opal, and offers $175,000 for it, Howard refuses to and tells him his auctioning it, when Kevin asks for his ring back, Howard lies to him telling him he left it at home, when Garnett leaves, Demany argues with Howard and quits after learning Howard pawned the ring as well as his and other clients' collateral.

Howard's family have a Passover dinner, a Jewish holiday, where Howard brags to his father-in-law, Gooey, about the opal's value at the auction, Arno, who's also at the dinner overhears this and becomes interested in the auction.

Howard takes the opal to the auction house but he discovers it has been appraised by $150,000. Howard, desperate, convinces Gooey to bid on the gem to drive up the price, as Garnett is going to be on the auction and Howard is sure, he'll get the gem no matter the cost. However this plans backfires when at $200,000, Garnett bows out and Gooey wins, Gooey mad at Howard gives him the opal to sell it. Howard then notices Arno was also at the auction and he meets him outside the building with Phil and Nico. Howard pretends to speak to Kevin on the phone which just angers Arno even more, when Howard insists on explaining to him, Phil and Nico punch him on the face and throw him to a fountain.

The Big Bet
Howard, battered and humilliated, returns to his shop and has an emotional breakdown, Julia comforts him and they repair their relationship. Howard receives a call from Garnett's assistant informing him that he still wants the opal for $175,000, Howard with new hope, retreives the ring by exchanging it for his own Knicks championship.

Howard speaks with Garnett and completes the deal, in that moment, Arno and his goons arrive to the shop, Howard becomes obssesed with betting Garnett's pay for the opal on him as he feels a conecction between him and the gem, he gives the money to Julia without Arno and his men noticing and tells her to go to he Mohegan Casino and bet it all on Garnett's game that night, Julia barely escapes from Arno. When Arno learns from Howard's bet he's infuriated and given Howard's constant bragging and provocaitions, Phil becomes more infuriated and with Nico they take him to the window and hang him from the legs, ordering him to call Julia and tell her to return to the shop, Arno tries to talk them out of doing it as he thinks they're going too  far, Howard agrees but backs down, tired of the situation, they try to pursue Julia but Howard locks them in the shop's vestibule as they try to leave, half of the goons managed to leave and Arno and Phil order them to go find Julia at the casino, Phil pulls a gun on Howard from behind the bulletproof glass but Arno prevents him from shooting, Phil then makes a phone call, Howard fearing from his kids, he calls Dinah and tells her to leave the house.

Howard then watches the game with Arno and his muscle locked as the glass box heats, against all odds, Howard wins the bet and celebrates, Arno is amused by this, however Phil just wants to leave, Howard releases Arno, Phil and Nico, but an angry Phil approaches Howard and shoots him in the face, killing him, Arno, horrified, protests but is menaced at gunpoint by Phil, Arno tries to escape but Phil tired by his former boss incompetence, he shoots him dead in the head, then alongside Nico, they steal as much as they can from the shop. Meanwhile Dinah, concerned that Howard is in danger due to the recent events, calls the police on the shop, Julia leaves the casino with the money and prepares to return to Howard, unaware of his death, on the store Phil and Nico are looting the store as police sirens are heard in the distance.