The Outfit – A Crime Thriller That Fits Just Right

Sometimes a film comes along that fits just right. That being said, not everyone is the same therefore not all fits are the same. Talking about fit, The Outfit, this classic crime thriller will certainly not be for everyone. Taking place in one location throughout its 100+ minute running time, the film almost feels like a play. In spite of this, it becomes quickly clear that it is so much more than meets the eye as it throws audiences enough twists and turns along the way to leave them on the edge of their seats. Some looking for more may be disappointed but where the film ultimately succeeds is with its strong script and performances led by a deep and understated Mark Rylance who, appearing in every scene, is the one constant for which it would not have worked nearly as well if not for him. Sprinkling it a handful of quality turns by Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O’Brien among others, and the result is one of the biggest surprises of the year so far.

The Outfit follows an expert tailor named Leonard (Rylance) who was merely minding his own business working at his Chicago shop until he found himself in a life or death situation, pulled into a mob dispute. Working in a seedier part of town, the mob were often his clients, often coming and going. Despite this, Leonard had still made quite the life for himself alongside his secretary Mabel (Deutch), using the many skills that he had learned and developed over the years to listen to his clients and tend to their needs. Earning himself a reputation, that life and daily routine was disrupted when the line between he and his clients became a little more blurry. Vowing to stay out of their business, he was now part of it, like it or not. A favor for a pair of mobsters named Francis (Flynn) and Richie (O’Brien) quickly became something more as things snowballed from there.

There was much more going as far as Francis and Richie were concerned though the one location setting kept a lot of those events off-screen. With some context lost off-screen, The Outfit relies on dialog as a means to make up for that and for the most part, it does. The film throws in a few twists and turns along the way as all the pieces behind the real story and the possible organization behind it all known as The Outfit slowly emerged but regardless, things were not always what they seemed. That intrigue just added another dimension to the characters and the story. However, the most compelling one was of course Leonard as he needed every ounce of his cunning in order to navigate his way through the night in order to stay alive by the end of it. Little did the mobsters know, he was no innocent passenger by any means and one who should not be underestimated. Watching him work was a delight.

As mentioned, the best part of The Outfit was its script and performances. While its script did a lot of work in making a compelling dialog-driven crime thriller out of so little, the performances are what truly brought it all to life. In terms of performances, it begins and ends with Rylance who delivers a powerhouse performance in his own right. Appearing in virtually every scene, he imbues so much depth in Leonard, more than what was arguably on the page. He has clearly been through some things and it wore him down. He took refuge in his work to get away from his pain and troubled past that he thought he left behind but some of that past came trickling back. Meanwhile, it wasn’t just Rylance here as the film featured some strong supporting work in roles that are admittedly smaller than some may expect. Deutch was a scene-stealer as Mabel, a character who helped bring out the humanity in Leonard. Though Flynn and O’Brien were charming young mobsters, the latter’s strong Chicago accent was a little jarring.

At the end of the day, The Outfit is an excellent character piece that leaves the door open for more adventures and more wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

 still courtesy of Focus Features

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.