The Outfit

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.

This 'little' film very much has the feeling of a stage play. There is really only one set (the tailor Leonard's shop) in which everything happens. To go along with that, it has an almost claustrophobic atmosphere as the different Chicago gangster characters come and go, threaten Leonard and his receptionist Mable (nicely done by Zoey Deutch), argue, leave again. Leonard basically has to outwit them at every twist and turn (and there are lots of twists and turns), and that is about it for the plot. Add to that the fact that no one is entirely who they seem and we get a fascinating hour and a half of intense 'locked room' drama.

I wouldn't quite call this minimalist ("Wating for Godot" would classify as minimalist in my books). It's continually absorbing and yet built out of nothing but carefully rendered dialog. Mark Rylance is as always superb, he somehow builds a character out of measured dialog and changes in expression that might not be anything more than a raised eyebrow or a tightening of the mouth. Amazing to watch.

I first noticed Zoey Deutch in Before I Fall (2017) in which she was about the only standout. Nice to see that bigger and better roles are coming her way.

Saying anything more at all would give away too much since The Outfit is, in part, a mystery as well as suspense drama. Just go see it!

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.

"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.

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!