Marty Supreme Review

Emma Mukhija

Art by Kailey Shin

Released on Christmas day, Marty Supreme is one of 2025’s most heavily promoted films, making it and its star, Timothée Chalamet, almost impossible to escape. It’s the first solo-directed feature from Josh Safdie since 2008, who is best known for Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019), the critically-acclaimed, high-stakes crime films made in collaboration with his brother, Benny.

Taking place in 1952, the film follows Marty Mauser (Chalamet), a talented table tennis player and hustler from New York’s Lower East Side, as he attempts to prove he’s the best competitor in the world. His character is loosely based off of real-life player and hustler Marty Reisman, but the film is in no way meant to be a biopic. From breaking into his boss’s safe to being chased by cops, movie-Marty’s escapades are his own, with some inspiration for the character being taken from various Jewish table tennis players of the 1940s and ‘50s.

Marty is, by all accounts, an arrogant, manipulative narcissist, and, if played by anyone else, would have been impossible to watch. But Chalamet injects his performance with so much passion and charisma that — despite all of Marty’s flaws — part of you can’t help but need him to win. Every table tennis match is spent in anxious anticipation waiting to see if he’ll come out on top. Every chase scene, no matter how awful or immature his actions are, is spent hoping he’ll somehow make it out unscathed. Chalamet may have drummed up some controversy for his cocky attitude during the film’s press run, but it’s hard to say that his performance isn’t a highlight. “I don’t want to play people that are written in a broad way … Sometimes, the character is morally ambiguous. You want to play real, real people, real life. Life is messy. Marty is a real guy that has positive qualities about him … [But he’s also] willing to cross lines … to get to where he wants,” Chalamet told IndieWire.

As usual for director Safdie, Marty Supreme is an action-packed, downright stressful film. Marty is so deep in the mess he’s made that the idea of him ever getting out of it seems ludicrous. His relentless pursuit of greatness often leads him into increasingly perilous situations, but just when it counts, he finds a way to get back up again. Safdie and co-writer Ronald Bronstein’s quick dialogue provides wit and humor to the film, and the fast camerawork doesn’t let up for even a minute, holding your attention for the entire 150 minute runtime. “It’s so zigzagging in plot. Its untraditional structure doesn’t follow screenwriting ‘act one, act two, act three,’” Chalamet explained.

In line with other Safdie projects, the film features a wide array of performances from non-professional actors. One of the most interesting casting choices was Koto Kawaguchi,  a real-life Japanese table tennis player, as Marty’s rival, Koto Endo. On the other hand, one of the most controversial choices was Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary as Milton Rockwell, a business tycoon at odds with our protagonist. Understandably, many were put off by this decision, as O’Leary is far from what most would consider a good or ethical person; however, it was this very reason that he was chosen for the role — a role in which he is essentially playing himself. “I’m not speaking out of turn when I say, honestly, it was really refreshing to be around someone that wasn’t pretending to be a villain, not refreshing from a life point of view, from an artistic one … It helped me root for Marty,” Chalamet said, describing O’Leary’s ruthless approach to life that matched his character’s.

Behind the scenes, table tennis consultants Diego Schaaf and Wei Wang — who herself played for the 1996 US Olympic team — helped choreograph the matches, adding a layer of authenticity to the film. Schaaf worked with Chalamet beginning in 2024, teaching him how to play the game in a way that resembled the techniques used by real players from the film’s time period. Later, he would have to memorize these moves in order to play against Kawaguchi during filming. “[The process was] unbelievably physically demanding, but also mentally demanding. Because nobody memorizes points. He did. He took notes,” Schaaf said.

To top it all off, the 1980s inspired soundtrack is an unexpected yet perfect contrast to the film’s 1950s setting. Daniel Loptain’s score is arguably the strongest part of an already exhilarating film; it adds an extra layer of energy while also bringing heart to the rare subdued moments. “[T]he score should have these two essential qualities: one is just a neoclassical sound, which is the world as Marty finds it as a young man — a world that’s not his own … And then there’s the music of his dream for himself that he hasn’t yet reached, but he has to generate to propel himself on the way to where he’s going to go … And the electronic part of the score supplies that,” Loptain told Interview Magazine.

Marty Supreme may be all over the place, but the chaos elevates the story rather than detracting from it. With its committed performances, addicting score, and immersive cinematography, the film lives up to the high anticipation surrounding it.