Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme is an exhilarating film, both fun and thrilling as you go on this completely wild ride led by Timothée Chalamet in an electrifying performance. Chalamet is terrific as Marty Mauser, someone with an almost delusional level of belief in himself and his ability to become the best table tennis player in the world. His personality constantly lives on this thin line between the overconfidence needed to desperately chase a dream nobody around him really takes seriously, and just straight up unearned arrogance where he assumes the world should already see him the way he sees himself. Somehow though you still root for the guy through basically all of it. There is something infectious about someone believing in themselves that strongly, especially when everything around them continues giving them reasons to quit.

Chalamet completely carries the film and probably gives one of his best performances, but the supporting cast around him is really strong too. Odessa A’zion was terrific as Rachel and gives Marty a relationship that feels more personal and grounded compared to the constantly moving chaos everywhere else in his life. Koto Kawaguchi as Koto Endo was also great as Marty’s rival, and the dynamic between them helps make the table tennis side of the story feel like more than just a vehicle for everything else happening. There is a respect and competitiveness between them that gives those matches actual weight. Kevin O’Leary was also surprisingly great as Milton Rockwell and fits into Safdie’s world almost perfectly, playing this larger-than-life businessman without feeling like stunt casting just for the sake of it. The entire cast really works because almost everyone Marty runs into feels like another personality capable of matching his energy in some way.

The filmmaking itself is incredible and probably one of the best parts of the movie. Safdie and cinematographer Darius Khondji find so many interesting ways to frame scenes and especially the table tennis matches, making a sport that could have easily been visually repetitive feel genuinely thrilling every time Marty steps up to the table. The camera feels like it is moving with the speed of the ball and the energy of Marty himself, constantly finding these tight angles, reactions and movements that make every point feel important. It also captures this older version of New York beautifully, not in an overly clean or romanticized way but as this crowded, grimy, lived in place filled with people constantly hustling for something. Daniel Lopatin’s score is great too and fits the film perfectly, adding even more momentum to scenes that already feel like they are constantly moving forward.

There is definitely a lot of Uncut Gems in the DNA of the film, which makes sense coming from Josh Safdie, but it never really feels like it is just trying to recreate that movie with table tennis. It has that same pulpy feeling where one decision leads into another problem, which leads into another person Marty owes something to, another opportunity he thinks he can somehow talk himself into, and another situation that seems like it could completely collapse at any second. The story just keeps moving and constantly finds another direction to take Marty without feeling like random chaos. A lot of that comes back to Chalamet because Marty is basically incapable of accepting that something cannot be done, which is simultaneously one of his best qualities and the thing responsible for most of his problems. The confidence that keeps him moving toward his dream is the exact same confidence that convinces him he can get away with basically anything.

Overall Marty Supreme is just a ride from beginning to end. At around two and a half hours, it could have easily started to drag but the story, score, performances, and constant momentum make the runtime fly by. Safdie finds a perfect tonal balance between comedy, tension, sports drama, and something much more sincere underneath all of it, especially as Marty’s obsession with becoming somebody starts to become less about arrogance and more about this genuine need to prove that the life he imagines for himself is actually possible. By the time it reaches its surprisingly heartfelt ending, the movie manages to bring all of that ambition back down to something much more personal without suddenly becoming a completely different film. Chalamet is electrifying, the supporting cast is great, the matches are genuinely thrilling, and visually the entire thing is incredible. One of those movies where once it starts moving it basically never stops, and easily one of Josh Safdie’s strongest films.

5/5