The Outfit

Directed by Graham Moore (2022) ***

Graham Moore (2014 Academy award-winner for his screenplay for the Alan Turing biography, The Imitation Game), has, in his debut as a director, created a concise and efficient thriller, nearly as elegant as the clothing fashioned by its protagonist, Leonard Burling (Mark Rylance). Strip away some of the violence and profanity, and The Outfit could have easily been an early ’30s Warner Bros. crime drama, with, say, MGM’s Lionel or John Barrymore starring as the renegade from England. It’s a modest film and stage bound (the entire story takes place in Burling’s tailor shop) — a kind of film I like to see more of.

In 1956 Chicago, the softspoken, but calculatingly talented Burling runs his business deep in the heart of mob control. Irish gangsters use the back of his shop for a drop-off point (presumably laundered money). Burling also has a complicated but loving relationship with his young assistant, Mable (Zoey Deutch), who he treats nearly like a daughter. The strong-willed Mable is, however, having an affair with the mob boss’ (Simon Russell Beale) son, Richie (Dylan O’Brien).

Most of The Outfit takes place in one fraught, cold and snowy night, which starts with Richie being shot by a rival gang and showing up at Burling’s door with his partner Francis (Johnny Flynn). They also have in their possession a MacGuffin that the police and the rival gang want their hands on: an FBI recording containing info on the Irish mob’s procedures, originating from Al Capone’s Outfit syndicate.

As the night wears on, alliances are made, relationships tested, and the riddle of who has the damning evidence, what it means and where it will end up bring searing conflict and suspense to the quiet little shop, culminating in a powerful appearance by the mob boss himself, played by Sir Simon Russell Beale. Also worth noting is the rivalry between Richie and Francis; the former is slated to eventually lead the mob, but the latter is better suited (pardon the pun) for the role.

Especially important because of its fixed location, cinematographer Dick Pope (The Illusionist and Mr. Turner) has created a luxurious backdrop for the proceedings, using a palette heavy on green, brown, beige and gray. It functions as the functional and elaborate habitat of a master craftsman and grounds the story’s events.

Mark Rylance (also Knighted), an actor I’ve admired since his role as William Adamson in Philip Haas’ 1995 Angels and Insects, brings quiet dignity to his part (a style he excels in, as in Steven Spielberg’s 2015 Bridge of Spies). It’s apparent that he knows more than he reveals to the mob and The Outfit‘s only fault is that its denouement piles surprise upon surprise nearly to the point of unbelievability. One or two is acceptable; a deluge risks sacrificing the integrity of the story thus far told. Don’t let this deter you, though, from seeing and supporting the kind of modest drama Hollywood makes and distributes far too little of. If you can catch it at the theater, so much the better.

—Michael R. Neno, 2022 Apr 4