The Outfit

You don't see many movies like this in theatres these days! And this is exactly why I loved it, it's the kind of film that I really miss seeing a lot of; they type that typically gets dumped on streaming these days. It's an old-fashioned crime thriller that takes place in one location and is a dialogue driven story... and believe it or not it's not part of a franchise! It's a very well done film and is certainly going to be one of the most underrated films of 2022. If you're reading this, don't sleep on it, go see it right away! I didn't even watch a trailer for it, I went in pretty much blind, and absolutely loved it! I ate it right up; it was a huge, pleasant surprise! It's a perfect classic day-in-the-life of a mobster tale!

Writer-director Graham Moore really brings a Hitchcock frame of mind to this film. It takes place all in one location, has a small cast and yet could not be more intense and impressive! The script is immaculate, one of the best crime thriller scripts I've seen in ages and feels like it actually has a high quality feel to it. There are so many awesome twists and turns throughout, and some truly electric dialogue. I also loved how it uses the concept of Chekhov's gun to cleverly setup and subvert expectations, it made the twists even more satisfying! Every time I thought I had the film figured out, it turned the tables on me, keeping me in suspense. Moore handles the suspense so well, in very Hitchcockian ways and the movie is constantly gripping, interesting and intense! However while the films abundance and reliance on its twists is its greatest strength, it's also its greatest flaw as it slightly pushed my suspension of disbelief a little far and messed with the pacing at times. But the pros far outweigh the cons. I also loved how cleverly Moore made use of the space (the tailor shop), which was immaculately and thoroughly utilized throughout. I was constantly surprised how they kept finding new ways to use the space and evolve the story! The only downside was that this didn't allow for the cinematography to be as impressive or eye popping as it could have been; it was good but not overly creative, just purely functional.

Another huge strength of the film is it's impressive cast and stellar performances! Mark Rylance kills it in this movie, he delivers such a daring and phenomenal performance as Leonard. It's incredibly nuanced and I just love how he slowly revealed more about his character through ways he behaved and slight tendencies in dialogue delivery. The story also really helped here, I loved how it slowly pulled back the curtain on the character as the film went on, and you couldn't help but root for him. Zoey Deutch was also such a surprise, she was so good in this, and Dylan O'Brien and Johnny Flynn were also great and need to be in more stuff! All the acting in the film was incredible, it blew me away. The actors alongside the great script truly carry the film and are the reason I loved it as much as I did!

The Outfit isn't flashy, but it's a very solid story with a tightly tailored performance from Mark Rylance. It's perfect for fans of old-school thrillers; it's very well made and very enjoyable. Don't miss this one, it's rare we get films as special as this one these days!

Greetings again from the darkness. Graham Moore won an Oscar for his screenplay on Alan Turing's life in THE IMITATION GAME (2014). Now he has directed his first feature film, one he co-wrote with Johnathan McClain. The final product is a bit unusual in that it takes place almost entirely in one spot ... a tailor's shop ... and features only a handful of characters. It's a film that would transition easily to the stage for live performances.

Mark Rylance (Oscar winner for BRIDGE OF SPIES, 2015) excels here as Leonard, a Savile Row-trained tailor now working his craft in his own shop in 1956 Chicago. His path from London to the windy city is a bit murky, but we immediately take note of Leonard's calm and elegant presence accompanied by his soothing voice. Rylance uses that voice as narrator to explain the intricacies involved with creating a man's suit, and the importance of reading the man prior to utilizing the 4 fabrics and 38 pieces that make-up the outfit. Leonard is also protective of Mable (Zoey Deutch, ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP, 2019), his assistant who dreams of traveling the globe.

An early montage shows us how the mob utilizes Leonard's shop for drops, and trusts him due to his 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' demeanor. Leonard is one cool dude, and it's obvious we (and the mob) are underestimating him ... but we can't quite figure out why or by how much. One crazy night changes everything. Richie (Dylan O'Brien, THE MAZE RUNNER franchise) is brought into the tailor shop after being shot by a rival gang ambush. He's accompanied by Francis (Johnny Flynn, EMMA., 2020), and the dynamics between these two is quite interesting. Richie is the son of the Boyle family patriarch and has been seeing Mable on the side, while Francis is the favored employee after saving Roy Boyle (Simon Russell Beale) by taking gun fire. Richie is a whiny, spoiled wannabe tough guy, while Francis is volatile and constantly sneering.

What follows is a bit Hitchcockian. We have plot twists, murder, backstabbing, danger, and surprises. When it's discovered the Boyle family has a rat that is feeding details to the rival cross-town gang and the FBI, things get tense thanks partially to a MacGuffin audio tape. It all leads to confrontations in the shop, and some nice scene-chewing from Simon Russell Beale and Nikki Amuka-Bird as the leader of the rival gang. An elaborate plan by one of the characters is a pleasant surprise (to us, not the others). As Leonard points out on a couple of occasions, he's a "cutter", not a tailor - a distinction he takes as seriously as his skill with shears. The film's title has double meaning: the suits Leonard crafts, and the national syndicate that involves the Boyle family. Most of this we've seen before, but it's Rylance's portrayal of Leonard that offers a different look and feel. Fans of deceptive thrillers will find some joy here.

Opens in theaters on March 18, 2022.

"Anyone can be tailor." Leonard (Mark Rylance)

Although sometimes I can't tell if I love film more than theater, with The Outfit I found a film that satisfies both affections. Writer-director Grahame Moore brings a Hitchcock frame of mind with one dominant location, an atelier holding no more than four or five characters, just like a theater stage, and a sense of foreboding coming from history and the characters themselves, just like the modern psychological thrillers do.

Just watch out for those scissors-Hitch would love the touch.

Underneath the simple set is a rumbling of sin as the meek tailor, Leonard, contends with three mobs threatening him and his secretary, Mable (Zoey Deutch). He is required to stitch around those who want to kill each other and destroy his business, with different crooks coming in the front door intent on finding a tape that allegedly would send them to jail.

The joy of this neo-noir thriller is the suspense that Hitchcock virtually patented because his non-mob characters are seemingly innocent types, and his sinners not quite in control of their ambitions. What Hitch and other thriller directors like Moore want is to show the vulnerability of the common citizen and the weaknesses of the seasoned mobsters.

Although it's up to Leonard, small haberdashery owner in Chicago, to protect his shop, he also, in a narcotic-like voice over, explains the allegorical implications of his cutting and sewing. For instance, he is not a tailor but rather a cutter. The former artless, the latter a professional trained for years on London's iconic Saville Row.

No recent film has surpassed The Outfit's ability to reveal the wickedness of humanity and its adaptability while supplying a dose of old-time noir. Delight in the spare set, the super acting, and the innumerable closeups that do as much to reveal character as the uncomplicated, Pinter-like dialogue.

Although this tidy feature, similar to Leonard in its meticulous revelation of character and motive, seems suited to streaming, it is a euphoric experience on the big screen as the spare audiences can be enveloped by the powerful characters and story, in a setting that puts all in a dynamic room with mystery aplenty.

The Outfit makes up for its few flaws with snappy dialogue, intriguingly layered characters, and some truly satisfying thrills and unexpected twists.

Certain bits of conversation will reveal quirks and backgrounds for every character, and it makes it easy to rally behind any one of them, in spite of their tangible flaws. The writing in this department is truly worthy of the highest praise.

The film's concluding twists reach quite a bit too far, requiring some logical leaps, mostly because they imply that some characters knew and predicted things that left far too much to chance.

But even though the story does stumble at the end, I was amazed at how engaged I was throughout the entire rest of the film, despite the whole thing taking place in three rooms. It's a pretty impressive addition to the tired gangster genre.

The Outfit proves that you don't need a bunch of over paid actors and a huge budget to make a great film. A good script and solid acting works just as well. 7 stars.