04 Apr The Outfit Review

THE OUTFIT

dir. Graham Moore, starring Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, and Dylan O’Brien

The Outfit, the debut film from writer/director Graham Moore, centers on English cutter Leonard (Rylance) working in Chicago whose primary customers are a family of Irish mobsters. On a fateful night that catches Leonard at his shop late, members of the mob use the shop to hide out from a consistently escalating tuf war between the Boyles and the LaFontaines, the French crime outfit. From there, the tension and drama play out over the course of a long night as motivations are revealed, alliances are forged and broken, and few live to see the sunrise.

An expertly paced crime film, The Outfit is an excellent addition to the list of movies that takes places over the course of one day (a bit of a cheat, the first 10 or 15 minutes take place the day before). That, combined with the intimate setting of this small three room shop, makes for raised stakes as characters that are plotting against each other are also always within sight of the people they’re plotting against. Leonard’s determination to keep himself and his assistant Mable alive for the duration of the harrowing evening is the film’s main crux; watching him successfully navigate his way through the lies and threats while keeping his hands clean is a delight to see. With the colorful cast of (albeit one note) characters that revolve in and out of the shop, we’re exposed to a number of the major players in the Chicago crime industry. Moore’s love of crime fiction and noir are on full display in this debut; from the way shots are framed to the lighting and even down the set design, the 1940s dime store novel influence, and Moore’s respect for that era of quick and dirty storytelling, can be felt.

Starring Mark Rylance as Leonard Burling, the English cutter settled in Chicago, The Outfit lives and dies mostly on his performance. Thankfully, Rylance is more than up to the task, delivering a character that is humorous, kind, and immensely shrewd. It doesn’t take long to realize there’s more to Leonard than meets the eye, and watching Rylance navigate through each scene’s twists and turns proves that he continues to be underrated in his field. With Leonard as the audience’s gateway into this seedy underworld of mob bosses and mcguffins, Rylance is a consummate everyman, just as caught up in the ever-changing tide of events as we are. Co-starring Zoey Deutch as Mable, Leonard’s shop assistant, Deutch also has levels to her character and performance as well. Innocent and naïve to the criminal activities that go on in and around the shop, Mable is just as much a daughter to Leonard as he a father to her. A well fleshed out character with the simple motivation of getting out of Chicago, Mable’s action both help and hinder Leonard’s as well as other characters as their worlds intertwine throughout the night.

Johnny Flynn’s Francis, the film’s wild card character, chews up every bit of scenery he can get his hands on. Flynn delights in affecting the Chicago gangster accent and prowls around each set glaring, threatening, and hamming up the scenes in way that’s harkens back to a young James Woods in Once Upon a Time in America. Flynn is excellent as the film’s main antagonist attempting to manipulate multiple sides to his desired outcome. Even though Francis’ motivations are incredibly shallow and thin enough to be considered cliche, Flynn’s performance smooths over some of the cracks in the writing. While not in the film long, Dylan O’Brien plays his part well as the heir to the Boyle criminal empire. Charming, manic, and riddled with insecurities, O’Brien’s Richie Boyle plays the Fredo character with absolute earnestness. While no one in this film will be winning any acting awards, it’s perfectly clear that everyone involved knew exactly what type of movie they were out to make, and everyone delivered on that expectation.

Making his film debut, writer/director Graham Moore makes a big splash with this punchy, snappy, stylish film. No stranger to storytelling, Moore published three crime/suspense novels before co-writing The Outfit with Johnathan McClain. Staged almost as a one setting theater play reminiscent of Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight, the entirety of the movie takes place in Leonard Burling’s clothier. With such a narrow focus on setting, Moore manages the three room rotation, constantly moving his characters and action from place to place to keep the story fresh and dynamic. At 106 minutes the film zips by, thanks largely in part to the pacing of the film; rarely is there a slow part of The Outfit, and each scene feels necessary to the overall story. Packed with a number of surprising reveals at the end, perhaps the film’s biggest mark against it is one gotcha moment too many. Still, Moore’s style of directing and camera placement, as well as his obvious delight for the crime genre, is reminiscent of a young Guy Ritchie.

Overall, The Outfit’s myriad number of twists and turns are enough to keep the audience engaged and present as Moore unveils each new facet of the story. The slickly directed, excellently paced drama is welcome precursor to the inevitable onslaught of summer blockbuster movies elbowing each other and clawing for viewer’s attention. Its main strengths lie in Graham’s direction and Mark Rylance’s weary I’ve-seen-it-all charm. A throwback to the days gone bye of classic noir films, aided by the score of the always outstanding Alexandre Desplat, The Outfit feels like a story ripped straight from Old Hollywood days. The Outfit is currently in theaters.

Review by Darryl Mansel