Marty Supreme: Maximum Chaos, Minimal Control

Marty Supreme is pure Safdie energy—sweaty, chaotic, and relentlessly alive. From the jump, the film barrels forward with the kind of frantic pacing the brothers have made their signature, driven by sharp, rapid-fire dialogue and an anxiety-inducing rhythm that recalls Uncut Gems at its most unhinged.

One of the Safdies’ greatest strengths has always been pulling surprising, electric performances out of non-actors and unexpected casting choices, and Marty Supreme continues that tradition. Kevin O’Reilly is a standout, delivering a performance that feels both raw and lived-in, while Tyler, the Creator, proves to be a natural on screen, fitting seamlessly into the film’s jittery, off-kilter world.

Technically, the film is firing on all cylinders. The soundtrack pulses with urgency, perfectly syncing with the film’s breathless momentum, and the cinematography captures that familiar Safdie grime—intimate, claustrophobic, and constantly in motion. There’s a lived-in chaos here that feels deliberate, immersive, and undeniably compelling.

That said, Marty Supreme struggles to sustain its initial high. The second half noticeably drops in momentum, failing to keep pace with the blistering intensity of the first. At overlong runtime, the narrative begins to feel unfocused, as if the film isn’t quite sure which threads are essential and which are indulgent. The dog subplot, while fun and oddly charming, ultimately feels extraneous—something that could’ve been cut to tighten the story and preserve its urgency.

Still, even at its messiest, Marty Supreme is unmistakably Safdie: weird, abrasive, and thrilling in bursts. Despite its shortcomings, Marty Supreme's nerve, performances, and sensory overload make it difficult to overlook and even more difficult to forget.