And so, the second film post-Safdie separation arrives with Josh Safdie taking a very different swing at a sports-based film. Its breathless praise has nothing on how you feel by the time the credits role.

Set in the 1950s and loosely inspired by a real person, Marty Supreme is Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), a man with an irrefutable belief in his talent as a table tennis player that he will stop at nothing to reach his dream of becoming world champion. A hustler in every way, he is forced to beg, borrow and steal to make it to competitions by increasingly unhinged and risky means. Those around him are either pulled in by his magnetic, toxic ambition or become collateral damage (often a mix of both), from Rachel (Odessa A’Zion), the childhood friend he refuses to accept is pregnant with his child, to Kay, the faded movie star with whom he begins a torrid affair. This is categorically not your parent’s sports movie (and not really a sports movie at all).

The two and a half hours that follow are nothing short of a thrill ride. We meet Marty as a shoe salesman, trying to get the money to fly to London and it isn’t long before we’ve hopped onto a runaway train and the film barely lets up from there. There is a propulsive, frenetic energy running full steam ahead, keeping you on the edge of the seat and leaving you absolutely exhausted by the closing scene. The table tennis scenes themselves are as unpredictable and thrilling as any other sport scene in film, but that dynamism is merely a condensed down presentation of the crazy energy that vibrates through the whole film. We are hauled into Marty’s tunnel vision, dragged into his efforts to get from one moment to the next, forced to watch as one harebrained scheme leads to another and potentially fatal consequences are ducked and dived. Rarely have we seen such a headstrong, bloody-minded character, blinkers on and all, who will genuinely stop at nothing to get what he believes is his, no matter what it costs him or others.

Chalamet is outstanding in the role, completely disappearing into Marty and owning every frame. Unrecognisable without a physical transformation, he throws himself fully into every moment and somehow manages to keep us onside and deeply invested despite the many abhorrent actions and attributes of his character. Whilst ego is undoubtedly the defining characteristic, Chalamet never lets Marty fall into caricature. The Oscar buzz is warranted: this feels like a performance, and film, for the ages. He is supported by a brilliant cast of supporting actors and characters. A’Zion is terrific as Rachel, a role that is given so much more depth, complexity and agency than the female counterpart is given in films like this. Paltrow too reminds us of what a great actress she is; hopefully this marks a real return to cinema for her. Elsewhere, Safdie continues his penchant for getting great performances out of non-actors: Kevin O’Leary is excellent as a primary villain and Tyler, The Creator gives a great as Marty’s friend and hustling partner. Even the smaller parts are played by great actors and each character feels fully inhabited, filling out this tapestry of New York. The city itself is a huge character, offering gritty, textured backdrops and adding to the pulsating energy created by the film’s plot.

Safdie has a firm grip on everything at play here and the chaotic nature of the film never feels like it is going to spin out of control. Every element keeps us tumbling forward with excellent pacing (the film’s runtime is not felt at all) and the film remains entirely absorbing throughout all of Marty’s ups and downs. Is it a sports movie? It isn’t really about ping pong, although the match scenes are thrilling; this is a muscular character study, a thesis on the American Dream and a look at the consequences of single-minded, toxic ambition, with none of it bending to convention. The film retains the high-wire energy that had become hallmark of recent Safdie-brother films but it feels fresh even in that context, let alone in the wider pantheon. There are scenes you don’t expect, scenes you’ve never seen before; Safdie keeps you on your toes as the plot veers wildly, held together by Marty’s singular goal. The film’s brilliant score vibrates on the same frequency as the action on screen, featuring a distinctly synth-based sound that, alongside the excellent 80s needle drops (used to great effect), fits brilliantly into the film and somehow doesn’t feel incongruous with the 50s setting as they perfectly match the energy of the scenes. The final song’s lyrics are the perfect closure to the story.

This is a breakneck thrilling piece of cinema that feels destined to go down in the annals of film history. Featuring a tour de force performance from Chalamet, it is an unforgettable ride; you may feel like you need a lie down after.