Graham Moore

(On Cable TV, December 2022) I wasn’t expecting much from The Outfit, and for a while the film seemed determined to reassure me that I was right. This theatrically-scaled thriller begins and ends in one night at a 1950s Chicago tailor shop, where a quiet cutter is at work with his assistant. Trouble comes barging in when mob figures carry a wounded man inside the shop—it turns out that the store’s main clients are the well-dressed organized criminals, and that tonight is when many things will come to a head. Headlined by the deceptively understated Mark Rylance, The Outfit ends up being far more interesting than expected. Like the double meaning hidden in its title (eventually used in a line of dialogue), it’s a blend of Zen-like contemplation of specialized work well done, gangster thrills and a hidden revenge story. Rylance’s narration (about the work of a suit cutter) is portentous and the lush dark cinematography of the film erroneously makes viewers feel comfortable. Writer-director Graham Moore carefully measures his effects and uses a modest budget wisely, gradually cranking up the tension from a quiet opening. The result is pleasantly old-school—a bit of bloody violence aside, one could imagine this being a remake of a classic noir-era classic Hollywood film. The Outfit is a welcome surprise at a time of bombastic, overheated thrillers: something as quiet, refined and deadly as its central character.