The Outfit

Earl Macklin is released from prison to find that his brother has been killed and he is a target of a hitman. Having dealt with the killer he discovers that a bank job he did had been owned by the mob. Macklin joins with partner Cody to continually hit the organisation until they pay him $250,000 to make amends. However can two men take on the whole mob?

I approached this as someone who has seen plenty of tough 70's mob movies – both good and bad. However my wariness soon vanished as this turned out to be genuinely hard boiled stuff. From a great script the plot follows the two men as they repeatedly hit the mob. The dialogue is hard but also informative – not just tough for the sake of being tough. The action is also quite shocking – women being beaten etc, even for this type of movie it was quite pretty harsh.

Duvall is excellent – many actors may have played it a bit softer to try and keep the audience but he goes all the way as a cruel violent man. Baker is more affable but is less effective for just that reason. Black has a small role but makes the most of it. The mob support cast is good but really Duvall takes this and makes it his own.

Overall if you like the 70's hard boiled thriller genre then this is for you. Even if you don't then there is still much to appreciate here – not the best film in the world (plot is a little linear) but still a good tough thriller.

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.

Upon reading the popular novel " The Outfit " by Don Westlake, one can well imagine how a movie of the same name would look like. That book later became the foundation for a movie directed by John Flynn. With a cast which includes Robert Duvall and Joe Don Baker, the film is a great adaptation of the novel, so much so it's made for several remakes. The last one was with Mel Gibson and 'Payback.' Duvall plays Macklin one of two brothers who unwittingly rob a small town bank belonging to the Mob or Outfit. He goes to prison for 2 years, while the outfit presided by Mr. Mailer (Robert Ryan) kills Duvall's brother. Released from prison, Macklin vows revenge and is though insane for thinking he can go up against the outfit and win. However, the movie is interesting to watch as each dramatic scene develops into a more intense and exciting story. A fine supporting cast helps to insure it's success. Members included Richard Jaeckel, Elisha Cook Jr., Roy Jenson, Henry Jones and Karen Black. This is one of those movies which mirrors the novel and improves with age. Easilly recommended for Duvall and Baker fans as the two make for a rough and tumble team. ****

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.

Robert Duvall is as cool as can be in this well-shot, efficiently paced production adapted by director John Flynn from the Richard Stark (a.k.a. Donald E. Westlake) novel. Duvall plays Earl Macklin, who's just getting out of prison after having robbed a Mafia (or "Outfit") controlled bank. The Outfit has already knocked off Earls' brother Eddie (Edward Ness), so he's ripe for revenge. Hooking up with another cohort from the robbery (Joe Don Baker), he makes a nuisance of himself until The Outfit is forced to deal with him.

Under-rated action filmmaker Flynn, whose other credits include "Rolling Thunder", "Defiance", "Lock Up, "Out for Justice", and "Brainscan", keeps things moving along nicely, telling an entertaining (if familiar) story in fine fashion. The film is effectively violent without going overboard on the gore, so less squeamish viewers shouldn't be bothered. Overall, the film is fun, in the tradition of tales about bad guys who are up against WORSE guys. Of course, with this narrative, you're never in much doubt that our protagonists will manage to keep their heads and take on all comers.

Duvall and Baker make a good team, sharing a relaxed chemistry as they work to stay one step ahead of The Outfit. The always welcome Karen Black is engaging as Duvalls' lady friend, who doesn't find it that easy to stand by her man. (For one thing, in order to stay ahead, she, Baker, and Duvall have to keep moving from hotel to hotel.) But what's truly nice is that so much of the supporting cast is occupied with known actors. One might argue that some of these people don't get enough to do, but it's a joy to see them just the same: Robert Ryan as the top-dog mobster, as well as Joanna Cassidy, Timothy Carey, Richard Jaeckel, Sheree North, Marie Windsor, Jane Greer, Henry Jones, Elisha Cook Jr., Bill McKinney, Archie Moore, Roy Roberts, Emile Meyer, Roy Jenson, John Steadman, and Francis De Sales.

Flynn keeps the tale gritty and reasonably realistic, aiming it towards an effectively action and suspense packed finale. If the prospective viewer is a fan of this genre, this is a film worth catching.

Seven out of 10.