The Outfit, 2022.
Directed by Graham Moore.
Starring Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Johnny Flynn, and Simon Russell Beale.
SYNOPSIS:
An expert tailor must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) makes his directorial debut with the 1950s set twisty-turny thriller The Outfit, set in a Chicago tailors run by Englishman Mark Rylance.
Rylance’s Leonard is a former Saville Row tailor who relocates to Chicago following a personal tragedy and makes clothes for some of Chicago’s underworld, is he blissfully unaware of the goings on of his employers or is there more to this simple Englishman than meets the eye ? This last question gives the story most of its impetus and it is Rylance who is tasked with keeping many of the film’s secrets as they slowly divulge, delivering one of his best roles to date in a career full of irresistible performances.
The one location nature of the film heightens much of the tension and feels like a callback to thrillers of yester-year especially Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Rope. The production design fully evokes the 1950s setting and the costumes are off course sumptuous.
Following a botched job Dylan O’Briens Richie and Johnny Flynn’s Francis find themselves holed up in Leonard’s Tailors waiting for the heat to die down and trying to uncover who might have given them up. This opens up the crux of the story as we dive into a labyrinth of possible moles and rats with more twists than an Agatha Christie whodunit, perhaps one of the most recent films to compare The Outfit to is Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move which also employed numerous twists and was riffing on the 1950s mob. Whether or not the number of twists will flummox some audiences one can’t help but applaud Moore’s sense of ambition.
Rylance’s cool calm performance feels far removed from his recent performance as larger than life Maurice Flitcroft in The Phantom of The Open. His reserved nature here makes audiences sympathise with Leonard but hinting that there may be something beneath his calm demeanour and a sense of tragedy lingering over Leonard. While the film is unquestionably a vehicle for Rylance the supporting cast prove strong foils with a more mature role for Dylan O’Brien and a fun role as a mobster for Johnny Flynn showing his range as an actor. Zoey Deutch is fun if underused as Leonard’s colleague and Richie’s love interest Mabel, who feels a little undercooked. Richie and Francis’ battle for the affection of Richie’s father adds an extra layer to the story and uncovers some of the intricacies of the mob. Simon Russell Beale is an interesting choice as the head of the Chicago mob and it is a thrill to see two of Britain’s finest actors face off against one another in some of the film’s most heated exchanges.
The Outfit is an intriguing thriller that makes the most of its 50s setting and contains an array of strong performances, particularly Mark Rylance in the lead. At a sprightly 106 minutes it manages to cram numerous twists and turns without feeling overly complex and while perhaps not as original as some films that it could call influences it is worth audiences time if purely for seeing one of Britain’s finest contemporary actors delivering yet another tour-de force.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
