There is a certain level of expectation placed on films by acclaimed directors and actors that can lead to a wide range of reactions, from euphoria to outright disappointment. When a film not only meets those expectations but surpasses them, it becomes one of the most gratifying feelings a cinephile can experience. Benny and Josh Safdie are exactly the kind of filmmakers whose past work generates that level of anticipation, turning their first solo projects into two of the year’s most anticipated releases.

The first of those, Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, delivered a unique shift from the Safdies frenetic style and offered a somber biopic that gave the world Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s career-best performance. That naturally leaves the question: What will Josh’s Marty Supreme bring to the table? The answer is one of the year’s best films and, quite frankly, one of the year’s best performances from the industry’s most exciting young actor.

Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme hits the table with controlled chaos, igniting an invigorating sports drama that never loosens its grip. It barrels ahead with the electricity and momentum of a championship rally and closes on one of the most satisfying finales of the year.

Marty Supreme follows Marty Mauser, a young man navigating 1950s New York in his quest to become an icon. Driven and reckless, Marty’s determination and arrogance lead to setbacks that challenge his chase of glory and his own mortality.

Safdie and Ronald Bronstein’s screenplay pulls no punches. In line with Bronstein’s previous collaborations with the Safdies, Marty Supreme captures a man’s pursuit of greatness and the wreckage left in its wake. The duo effortlessly balances the familiar Safdie anxiety-inducing momentum with an emotional undercurrent that sneaks up on you. Never feeling overwrought or overlong, Marty’s tornado-like path through family, friends, and acquaintances could easily have come off as excessive, but Safdie and Bronstein build it toward a crescendo that makes the journey worth every step and, in some cases, leaves a tear in your eye.

Just as the Safdies injected excitement into the world of jewelry sales and sports gambling, Josh Safdie and Bronstein take ping pong and turn it into the most exhilarating sport on screen. The game is never treated as an afterthought; it carries the kind of weight reserved for the NFL’s most intense Sunday action. Each match feels urgent, and every point becomes crucial to Marty’s path to immortality.

Marty Supreme features one of the year’s best ensembles. Gwyneth Paltrow is as good as she has been in quite some time, while Odessa A’zion delivers a performance that resonated deeply with me. A’zion’s roller coaster arc actively shapes the film’s heartbeat, serving as the emotional beacon that guides us through the frustration and vulnerability we feel alongside Marty’s journey. She is an utter delight.

The most surprising turn comes from Kevin O’Leary. His Milton Rockwell is such a sleazeball that you want to slap the smugness off his face every time he appears, and O’Leary plays it with complete confidence and precision. As a side note, the cameos, including Abel Farrara and a nice moment with George Gervin, add a great touch.

And then there is Marty himself. There are not enough adjectives to fully capture what Timothee Chalamet does here. This is a career-best performance. He is a live wire, unleashing crackerjack dialogue and raw emotion with total command. Chalamet’s movie star presence transforms a character as unlikeable as Tony Soprano or Walter White; makes you hang on every word and every impulsive choice he makes. It is not just one of the year’s best performances. It is Oscar worthy work that fulfills his promise from last year’s SAG speech that he is on the path to becoming one of the greats.

The secret weapons of the film are Darius Khondji’s cinematography and Daniel Lopatin’s score. Khondji captures the raw grit of 1950s New York while giving the ping pong matches an intimate yet frenetic energy that elevates every rally. His lens never sits still, mirroring Marty’s own roller coaster journey. Outside of One Battle After Another and Sinners, I cannot think of a better or more impactful score this year than Lopatin’s work on Marty Supreme. His music pulses and electrifies with every cue, the kind of score that makes you nod along and think, Good God, this is good.

Marty Supreme is a rarity, a film that not only rises to the weight of expectations but explodes past them with the force of something undeniably special. Josh Safdie takes a story of obsession, ego, and relentless climb towards excellence and shapes it into a deeply human spectacle. Every aspect works in perfect rhythm, but it is Chalamet who sends the entire film into the stratosphere. Safdie delivers not just one of this generation’s best sports dramas, but a deeply rich character study that, like Marty at the ping pong table, does not simply compete. It dominates.