The Outfit

"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.

As I was watching 'The Outfit' I felt sure that I was going to go to the IMDd trivia section after the film and find out it was based on a play. It all happens in one location, contains a very manageable budget and has exquisite dialogue. And it's a rare play that I'd actually want to see, because this film was damn good.

Mark Rylance is just fantastic. Most of the films I've seen him in he's been in a supporting role and he always nails it. But to see him in a starring role where he was getting endless screen-time was just terrific. He's one of those actors who always feels like their character is in total control of every scene they're in. Endlessly calm, yet potentially the most cunning/dangerous one in the room.

This movie just gets everything right. It's the type of plot that if done wrong could be a disaster, however if done the way it is here can be nothing short of a treat to watch. The pacing, the dialogue, the acting and story structure were all terrific. A very strong 8/10.

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.

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.

Suspend your disbelief - it is possible to do so. Especially because the actors and the setting is so well chosen, that you will just fit right into it. No pun intended - and even though there are certain things that seem quite coincidental and based on luck rather on skill or whatever else you would want to call it, the movie and the characters in it, really draw you in - I guess that could also be considered a pun.

While the not tailor (don't call him that, he is a cutter) is at the center of the story and many things seem simple ... there are quite a few revelations that might be able to surprise you. Again do not worry about what makes sense or not too much - just enjoy how well woven it all is - ah another pun. Well I can't help it, it feels good when I put them on and they work like a charm ... charm(e) also something that can be said about the actors involved in this. Not many people in it, but those who are give it their best ... great thriller, with touches of evil and Hitchcock ...