Shadows on the Wall | Marty Supreme

Marty Supreme

dir Josh Safdie
scr Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
prd Eli Bush, Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie, Anthony Katagas, Timothee Chalamet
with Timothee Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Geza Rohrig, Abel Ferrara, Fran Drescher, Emory Cohen, Penn Jillette, Sandra Bernhard, Fred Hechinger, David Mamet
release US/UK 26.Dec.25
25/US A24 2h29

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Loosely based on a true story, this riotously fast-paced film follows an ambitious ping pong hustler. Shot in period style with grainy 35mm imagery and earthy sets and costumes, the film races through its narrative by the seat of its pants, matching the energy of the central character. The excessive running time makes it exhausting, but it's a tour de force for filmmaker Josh Safdie and actor Timothee Chalamet.

In 1952, Marty Mauser (Chalamet) can't bear to sit still, selling shoes so he can buy a plane ticket to London's table tennis championships. His long-term girlfriend Rachel (A'zion) has married another man (Cohen), and his mother (Drescher) has stopped trying to control him. After the final game, Marty immediately starts planning for a rematch in Tokyo, raising funds by playing trick matches with Bela (Rohrig) and hustling in New York with cabbie pal Wally (Okonma). He also falls for a movie star (Paltrow) and tries to get her businessman husband (O'Leary) to sponsor him.

Each scheme Marty launches spirals into mayhem. Along with earning a huge fine from the sporting body, he's chased by cops for various crimes and by a gangster (Ferrara) after a bizarre hotel bathtub incident, leading to a showdown in New Jersey with a crazed armed hermit (Jillette). There's also the issue that Rachel is now eight months pregnant with his child. All of this chaos and more pours out in a relentless barrage, as Marty remains stubbornly focussed on the thing he cares about: ping pong.

Constantly in motion, Chalamet deploys all of his gangly physicality as this absurdly tenacious young man. Then in the final act, the character begins to reveal something deeper, culminating in a kick of pure emotion. It's a terrific performance, and he ricochets expertly off of the supporting ensemble around him. Paltrow has fun as the fading diva who gets caught in his orbit, and A'zion gives Rachel her own steely intentionality. Everyone gets their own standout moment.

Frantic pacing propels this film from one heart-pounding situation to the next, filling the screen with extraordinary moments and several exhilarating set-pieces, including breathtaking table tennis matches. This is maximalist filmmaking, as Safdie throws a blinding array of plot threads and messy action at the screen, gorgeously rendered in closeup by cinematographer Darius Khondji. So even if it wears us out fairly early on, this is bravura filmmaking that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 14.Nov.25

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