The Outfit

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 ...

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!

Having arrived on Chicago from Saville Row, London, master tailor Leonard has to survive a deadly night at his Tailor's shop.

It is the perfect game of cat and mouse, after the long opening sequence, and opening fifteen minutes, I wasn't too sure it was going to be the kind of movie I'd enjoy, however, it opens up, and from that moment onwards it's a dramatic tale of intrigue and suspense. I could imagine this being done on the stage.

Well paced, original, I don't have many films to compare it to, it is quite a unique watch. The visuals are very much on point, as you'd expect the fashions are exquisite.

Not w big cast list, but every single character has purpose, and plays a rich part in this well woven mystery.

Mark Rylance, (it staggers me how much his voice sounds like Donald Pleasance,) delivers a career best performance as The Master cutter, I thought he was phenomenal here.

Loved it, 9/10.

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.