The Outfit

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The outfit. Robert Duvall is great in his role as the not so likable ex con Earl Maclin, on a revenge mission against the outfit(sort of a non Italian mafia) for killing his brother. The film does this in a very different way, in that Maclin, doesn't go about the clichéd "Kill everyone" approach. Instead he demands monetary compensation and warns the outfit that he'll bleed them dry until he gets it. I really enjoyed the first two thirds of the film that deal with Maclin and his accomplice Cody(Joe Don Baker(who was also great in his role)) and how they go about robbing the outfits operations. The finale goes a bit too exploitation and OTT for my liking, which is something of a disappointments. The other problem I had was Maclins relationship with his moll(who only seems to make about 2 major appearances in the film) which i felt was underdeveloped. Overall, The Outfit is a nice little film, that deserves a bit more attention than it got.

Years later his imprisonment, ex-con (Robert Duvall)named Macklin is released from jail. He aware his brother has been justly murdered by two inquisitive hit men under orders of crime syndicate, but they robbed a bank was owned by the mobsters. The outsider ex-con reluctantly gets involved and seeks revenge and battles corrupts killers. Then, he visits to mobster Mailer(Robert Ryan), responsible for his brother's death. Macklin is only helped by a tough thief(Joe Don Baker )and his fiancée(Karen Black), thirsting for vengeance.

This is a tough , action filled, suspenseful, and violent thriller. It's a tense and engagingly movie , ignored in 1974, but now regarded as a top film of the decade of the 70s. Solid main cast, Robert Duval, Karen Black and Joe Don Baker; furthermore veteran supporting cast helps with several known secondaries, such as Elisha Cook, Timothy Carey, Marie Windsor, Shree North, Henry Jones, Jane Greer, among others . This well directed motion picture is based upon a novel by Donald E Westlake, writing credits as Richard Stark. Atmospheric cinematography by Bruce Surtees, son of Robert Surtees, and usual cameraman of Clint Eastwood. Stirring musical score by Jerry Fielding, Sam Peckinpah's habitual. Director John Flynn who gave magnificent performances to Tommy Lee Jones (Rolling Thunder), Jan Michael Vincent , James Woods (Bestseller), here gave immense credibility to Robert Duvall . Rating : Good, the result is a strong outing of action thriller.

Jerry Fielding was a great composer. The edgy sense that follows "The Outfit" from scene to scene is helped immeasurably by his soundtrack. The music builds up, adding a lot to the tension factor. The music is economical, not flashy at all. It has a very close to the bone quality to it. So why do I start by talking about the music? Because it's just so rare that a soundtrack adds so much, it actually makes a better film.

Robert Duvall and Joe Don Baker have a very natural interplay, a sort of grimy half-drunk friendship that feels immediately true to life. Karen Black is very good as well. The plot itself is basic, with shades of "Point Blank" and various other revenge-oriented films. John Flynn is not the most imaginative director, so it's a little low on the style end of things visually. Somehow, it all comes together. Good acting, really great soundtrack, and a fast pace. You'll get into this one.

The first hour is dazzling: Robert Duvall, a bank-heist guy screwed over by the mob, decides he wants $250,000 as recompense. And like Lee Marvin in POINT BLANK, he doesn't take no for an answer. The director, John Flynn, is one of the most underrated in crime cinema on the basis of this picture and ROLLING THUNDER alone: he takes a pretty familiar man-against-the-syndicate story and shoots it with a plainness so eloquent the movie takes on the dignity of a Shaker chair. Duvall is an extraordinarily expressive hard case, especially in his brutally unsentimental scenes with his uncertain moll (a lyrical and volcanic Karen Black). Maybe it's the Donald Westlake source novel, but all the bit parts are beautifully, almost journalistically characterized (with none of the cutesy color of Elmore Leonard). The last act detours into Quinn-Martin territory, but that's not the worst thing in the world, is it? Almost everything in this movie is just incredibly articulate: check out the scene between Robert Ryan, an aging, cock-of-the-walk, but rather insecure mob boss, and the beautiful, put-together young wife (Joanna Cassidy) whom he loves but treats like dirt. A single argument about listening to a Rams game on a car radio speaks novels about their relationship in four terse lines. Flynn could give today's neo-noir directors seminars in the beauties of haiku-like plainspokenness.

"The Outfit" was forgotten for years after its theatrical release, though in recent years it seems to have been revived and starting to find an audience. For the most part, it does deserve its rediscovery. It's directed in an engaging '70s style that sets it apart from many other man against the mob movies. The style is not polished, and gives the movie a rough and dirty feeling that makes what happens on screen seem more realistic. The violence doesn't come constantly, but when it does happen it gives the movie a serious kick, despite the movie in the end earning just a PG rating. Duvall does well, not making his character a superman, but someone who is (believably) well skilled and crafty. Baker makes a good sidekick. If I have any complaints about the movie, they are that there isn't a terrible amount of plot, and that Robert Ryan's character doesn't get quite enough footage. But despite those problems, the movie works well, and is a must for those who are fans of cynical '70s movies.