Review Marty Supreme 8/10

From its opening moments, Marty Supreme commits to a mode of storytelling defined by momentum and pressure.

The film moves fast, stays loud, and rarely pauses to explain itself. It is a tense, propulsive film that never gives the audience a chance to disengage. That approach will not work for everyone, but it is clearly intentional, and for the most part, it succeeds.

The weight of the film rests largely on Timothée Chalamet, and the emphasis on his performance is earned. He serves as the film’s center of gravity, sharpened further when he is placed opposite Odessa A’zion. Marty is not written to be likable, and the performance does not attempt to make him easier to engage with. He is impulsive, self-assured, and often frustrating. Chalamet plays him with control, allowing the character’s volatility to drive the film rather than overwhelm it.

That performance also helps explain the audience response. Many viewers have described leaving theaters feeling tense and locked in. The movie maintains constant pressure, rarely allowing distance or release. Even when Marty becomes difficult to sit with, the film keeps moving, creating the sense that something is always about to tip. For many viewers, that sustained tension is enough to make the experience feel successful on its own terms.
The structure reinforces this reaction. The pacing aligns closely with the Safdie approach to escalation, built around proximity and urgency rather than explanation. Scenes bleed into one another, and moments that might otherwise invite reflection are pushed aside in favor of motion.

That choice is also where critical response begins to divide. Some critics argue that the film avoids depth, while others see its limited focus as deliberate. I fall somewhere in the middle. Marty Supreme is not empty, but it is narrow. It stays tightly focused on one character and one mode of storytelling, and it does not step outside that frame. The film asks viewers to do more of the interpretive work themselves, which means reactions depend largely on what they expect it to provide.

The film’s execution remains consistent throughout. The direction never loses control of tone, and even when the narrative feels repetitive, it feels purposeful. That consistency matters for a film so dependent on sustained tension.

That consistency becomes more interesting when viewed alongside what the Safdies have been doing separately. Marty Supreme arrives in the same period that Benny Safdie directed The Smashing Machine for A24, with Josh Safdie involved behind the scenes as a producer. Both films are sports-centered A24 projects, even though they differ in tone and focus. Each is rooted in obsession, physical toll, and identity shaped by competition. Seeing those themes explored in separate projects makes it clear that this kind of tension is central to the Safdie approach, not dependent on them working together.

Marty Supreme may not stay with every viewer, but it does not feel careless. It delivers a specific experience and commits to it fully. That clarity of intent ultimately places it above many films that aim for breadth and land softer.