Culture
‘Marty Supreme’ is one of 2025’s most entertaining films
By: Gordon Briggs
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In the middle of this movie, there’s one hell of a scene.
Down on their luck and hard up for cash, the characters Marty (Timothée Chalamet) and his best friend decide to hustle pool at a pool hall. After the locals get wise to their hustle, a fight erupts that results in an explosion, a shootout, and the kidnapping of a gangster’s dog.
Marty Supreme has several sequences like this, moments that start normally only to have the titular character, Marty, show up and have everything descend into pure chaos.
It’s the combination of his main character’s charisma and chaotic energy that makes Marty Supreme one of 2025’s best movies.
On the surface, the movie appears to be a typical underdog sports story. Part of the fun of this one is how quickly it reveals itself as a tale of a manipulative scoundrel who will say and do anything to achieve his dream of becoming a champion.
Supreme follows the fast-talking, egocentric 1950s New York salesman and hustler, Marty Mauser, as he schemes, cons, and charms his way to becoming a world-class Ping-Pong champion, pulling off outrageous stunts like robbing his uncle, hustling locals, and seducing wealthy women to fund his dream of reaching the Tokyo championships.
What’s remarkable is how, against our better judgment, we actually start to root for this lying bastard.
Right from the start, I must compliment Timothée Chalamet as Marty. I’ve felt that he’s a strong actor and has been solid in many roles, but I was really taken with the manic energy he brings to the film. The filmmakers use that energy to set the movie’s overall pace. The editing, combined with Daniel Lopatin’s score, escalates the tension, making the audience feel increasingly uncomfortable as the noose around Marty’s neck tightens. As a result, Marty Supreme is in constant motion, echoing the lead character’s ambition.
There are moments here where Marty’s seemingly boundless enthusiasm draws us in. We can understand why characters such as a naive young girl carrying his baby (a talented Odessa A’zion) or a glamorous actress played by Gwyneth Paltrow would be drawn into his destructive orbit.
Director Josh Safdie, who used to be the other half of a directing duo with his brother Benny Safdie, has previously directed Good Time 2017 and Uncut Gems 2019, two similarly chaotic New York films that also revolved around a fast-talking lowlife who schemed everyone in sight to achieve his goals.
Like those other films, Safdie has an intense, anxiety-inducing style, blending gritty New York settings with kinetic camera work to create immersive, high-stress experiences.
That style, coupled with an unlikable lead character, may turn off some viewers, but the film’s energy will enthrall many and draw them into this story of a scoundrel who will do whatever it takes to survive.
Rating: ★★★★