“The Outfit” Review

Mabel (Zoey Duetch) and Leonard (Mark Rylance) find themselves a part of a gang war in 1957 Chicago in “The Outfit.”

“The Outfit” is a film that feels like it doesn’t belong in an age of franchises and epics. Which is precisely why it is fantastic. It’s a small film that is as suspenseful as it is compelling with one of my favorite modern actors at the center. 

Set in December, 1957, Leonard Burling (Mark Rylance) is a tailor who has spent years in England learning how to perfect his craft of fashioning suits. Now in Chicago, Burling caters to gangsters while staying out of their business. One cold, snowy night, a pair of gangsters (Dylan O’Brien and Johnny Flynn) walk into the shop with a tape of a wiretap that every cop and gangster in the city is looking for. With the gangsters using his shop as a base, Burling must play different factions of the lawless against each other to keep himself and his secretary Mabel (Zoey Deutch) alive. 

I have a fascination with films set entirely in one location. Films like “Rope,” “12 Angry Men,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Reservoir Dogs” and “The Hateful Eight” could all easily be plays but they have a cinematic quality that can’t be expressed in any other art form. “The Outfit” is set completely in the tailor shop with only a few shots outside. What makes this story so compelling is how suspenseful the story is. 

Directed and co-written by Graham Moore, the Oscar winner of Best Adapted Screenplay for “The Imitation Game,” his work in creating a claustrophobic and engaging story pays off big time. The idea of all of these dangerous people trying to get this tape and having an outsider be at the center of it works well on the screen. Not only is this film well written but Mark Rylance’s performance is fantastic. 

Over the past few years, I have really grown to appreciate Mark Rylance as an actor. He has turned in a slew of great performances in films like “The BFG,” “Dunkirk,” “Don’t Look Up” and his Oscar-winning performance in “Bridge of Spies.” I absolutely adored his portrayal of Bill Kunstler in “The Trial of The Chicago Seven” and his performance as Leonard Burling is wonderful. There’s an intriguing side to his performance as it’s hinted that Burling has a dark past, which is slowly revealed throughout the film. 

Also turning in a great performance is Zoey Duetch, who I’ve loved in films like “Everybody Wants Some!!,” who is able to stand alongside a veteran like Mark Rylance and deliver a character that is also shrouded in mystery. 

Alongside Mabel and Leonard are an assortment of gangsters, all of which want to get their hands on a special tape. All of them are awful in their own ways but Johnny Flynn is both disgusting and intimidating as Francis. His psychopathic demeanor is in sheer contrast with the other gangsters, who respect Leonard and his craft. Francis doesn’t care about anyone but himself and doesn’t mind killing Leonard or Mabel to keep himself safe. 

“The Outfit’s” intricate details also give it a feeling of realism. Seeing Leonard crafting suits is a feast for the senses. The film’s sound design is exquisite and pairs with the story quite nicely.

However, the biggest imperfection of the film is its pacing. While most of the film is riveting, the ending could have been cut by a good five minutes. The film’s ending also reveals a bit too much about Leonard that could have easily been left in shadow. But these flaws do not make this film unwatchable. If anything, this is one of the most riveting films I’ve seen in a good while. 

Usually, I have to wait until the summer or Oscar season to see films of this quality, making “The Outfit” a rare treat at the movies.