The Outfit (2022)

The Outfit (2022)

 

6/10

Starring

Mark Rylance

Zoey Deutch

Johnny Flynn

Dylan O'Brien

 

Directed by Graham Moore

 

The movie was okay. This old-school, crime-noir-themed film delivers what you’d expect from a story set in the 60s: a plot drenched in lies, double-crossing, secret lives, and even more double-crossing, as we try to untangle a very long web. At first, the movie makes you suspect the tailor is the mastermind behind all the confusion, but things eventually unravel and get tangled around someone else’s feet.

The chief selling point of The Outfit is its restraint. There’s no unnecessary action here. This crime thriller features maybe three shoot-out scenes, and you could probably count the bullets used. Set in Chicago in the 50s, the movie begins with a tailor describing how he creates suits for his clients. Right away, you get the sense there’s more to him than he lets on, which is one of the movie’s predictable elements. As the web of lies tightens around him, the plot finds a rhythm where you can start to anticipate the possible outcomes of certain twists. Depending on your preferences, this might make you enjoy—or dislike—how the story unfolds.

Leonard, our tailor, runs his shop with the help of an assistant named Mable. A local gangster family operates out of the shop, similar to how The Sopranos used everyday businesses as fronts. As long as Leonard keeps quiet, everything stays peaceful.

Leonard goes out of his way to stay distant from the mob’s activities, while Mable dreams of leaving town and is secretly saving money for it. However, the crime boss’s son is a loose cannon with a big mouth and little substance. One day, Leonard meets one of Mable’s boyfriends, which makes him uneasy—but that uneasiness is nothing compared to what happens next. The following day, the crime boss’s son shows up at the shop with a gunshot wound, forcing Leonard to take care of him. He’s assisted by Francis, the boss’s right-hand man.

Leonard’s desire to stay uninvolved with the family’s dealings crumbles in an instant, dragging him knee-deep into their business. The police are after the family, and the family, in turn, is hunting for a rat in their crew.

When the crime boss himself shows up, everything begins to unravel. Guns are drawn, accusations fly, and Leonard finds himself in the middle of a tense stand-off where lies are the only thing keeping him—and everyone else—from getting killed.

This is a nice sit down on a weekend movie, that you can fall asleep watching.