The stylish, entertaining, a bit bloody gangster thriller THE OUTFIT is tailor-made for it star, the gifted Mark Rylance, and showcase Rylance does, with a clever script and strong direction from Graham Moore, who won an Oscar for his script of THE IMITATION GAME. With a score by Alexandre Desplat, Graham Moore’s directorial debut is a modest little indie gem but one that delivers big, with a tense, twisty story and fine supporting cast, including London-trained, Nigerian-born Nikki Amuka-Bird as a rival gangster, and a thrilling performance by Mark Rylance.
Set in 1956 Chicago, the whole thing mostly takes place inside a modest shop, owned by Englishman Leonard Burling (Mark Rylance), a soft-spoken Saville Row-trained bespoke tailor, who runs the place with help from his shop assistant Mable (Zoey Deutch).
It quickly becomes clear that Leonard is allowing his shop to be used by a mob, led by boss Roy Boyle (Simon Russell Beale). as a drop spot for the gang. From time to time, Boyle gang members leave envelopes in a box at the back of the shop and once in awhile, they retrieve them. Some of the communications come from a shadowy higher-level organization known as the Outfit.
As the gangsters come and go, Leonard works at his craft, creating his suits for his clients. As he works, the film is narrated by the tailor, who talks about his craft as we watch him at work. Leonard tells us he is not just a tailor but a cutter, a higher level of skill in his profession. When anyone asks why such a skilled craftsman left Saville Row, Leonard quips “blue jeans.”
Rylance’s tailor is a quiet fellow, so reserved and deferential that he almost fades into the background, while the gangsters come and go. But this quiet routine is shattered one evening when a pair of Boyle gang members burst in. One of them has been shot, and the film takes a new turn.
The wounded man turns out to be Richie Boyle (Dylan O’Brien), the hot-headed young son of the mob’s boss Roy Boyle. With him is Francis (Johnny Flynn), a trusted associate that Roy had assigned to keep an eye on his son Richie. Fortunately, Richie isn’t seriously hurt but Francis is upset, not just that Richie got shot during a run-in with the rival LaFontaine gang. Francis is worried about evidence that a “rat” within the Boyle gang is working with the FBI. An audio tape has emerged as evidence, and Francis is frantic to find the traitor.
Usually Leonard steers clear of the gang’s business but Francis demands that the tailor stitch up young Richie’s wound, threatening him if he refuses. Leonard has no choice, but as the tailor recognizes the danger he is now in, Rylance’s character emerge from the shadows, and the actor takes the spotlight with bold energy.
Despite its closed-in setting, there is plenty of crime thriller tension, plot twists and a surprising amount of violence in THE OUTFIT. The story all takes place during one night, where various gangsters come and go, secrets are revealed and twists are everywhere. At first, Rylance’s Leonard is so timid that he nearly fades into the background, but once Francis threatens him, Rylance takes center stage, looking for a way to get out of his precarious situation.
Eventually the big boss turns up, along with his menacing bodyguard Monk (Alan Mehdizadeh). The rival gang’s leader Violet LaFontaine shows up in the third act, and Nikki Amuka-Bird briefly steals the show in that role. But Rylance quickly regains center stage and then holds it firmly as the story races to its conclusion.
There are twists and surprises enough to satisfy any crime tale fan, and a ticking clock urgency in this Hitchcockian thriller. There is an unexpected amount of violence and blood for a tale that plays out in a few rooms. That those rooms are small and cramped, gives the film an extra claustrophobic pressure-cooker vibe that works well for this potboiler. Although THE OUTFIT is set in Chicago, this British production was actually shot at a London theater, but stylish noir photography by Dick Pope creates the perfect framing.
Rylance did in-depth research for the role, which has the tailor using his particular skills in the course of staying alive. Rylance even wears a suit he made himself in the film.
THE OUTFIT is great fun, and a made-to-order showcase for the formidable talents of Mark Rylance. Not everything that happens makes complete sense but it is such great crime story fun that it doesn’t matter or detract from the thrills. THE OUTFIT fits the bill for crime tale entertainment, like one of British tailor’s suits.
THE OUTFIT opens Friday, March 18, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema.
RATING: 3.5 out of 4 stars
