The Outfit (2022)

Written by Nathan on January 6, 2023

The Outfit is an isolated who-done it set in the late 1950's as a group of mobsters desperately try to find the rat in their crime organization. The setting was superb and nostalgic, and the set is fixed to one room for the entire film, which really aided in the paranoia of the film.

This isolation led to the film primarily being carried by dialogue and exposition, which was superb here. The script and dialogue were complex and clever, and the performances worked great in conjunction with it. Mark Rylance stole the show, he was sweet and calm, but had suspiciousness to him that led the audience to believe he knew more than he was letting on. He outshined everyone in this film. Zoey Deutch was lackluster as she really didn't seem to play a character that was believable. Her delivery was very modern day. Johnny Flynn and Dylan O'Brien were fine, but Simon Russell Beale was a surprise. For the small time he was here, I really enjoyed his menacing presence and his chemistry with Rylance.

This film has multiple layers of mystery to it, and it was a joy to watch them unfold on the screen. However, I believe that there was too much towards the end. I was very satisfied with the twists and turns up to the end of the film, but then they just became absurd and over the top. I really did not connect with the final few twists and ultimately it hurts the enjoyment of the film in totality.

Score: 81% Verdict: Great