The Outfit (2022)

THE OUTFIT is a movie about an English tailor, Leonard (Mark Rylance), who moves to Chicago after a personal tragedy. The film opens with Leonard working in his small shop, creating beautiful suits for the only people around who can afford them — a family of gangsters. While he is talented at his craft, the environment he’s in is rough and the customers are not always pleasant. Working for him as a receptionist is Zoey Deutch’s character, who is also trying to make a new life for herself after tragedy strikes her family.

The two form an unlikely bond as they work together to create clothing that will make the gangsters look good, but also help them to feel better about themselves. But things start to get complicated when the gangsters come to believe that there is a “rat” leaking information to their enemies. Leonard’s store becomes host to a cat-and-mouse game of betrayal and violence that threatens to destroy everything he’s built.

THE OUTFIT is a well-crafted film that features strong performances from its cast, particularly Rylance and Deutch. The story is intriguing, and the characters are compelling. The film does have a few slow moments, but overall, it is an enjoyable crime drama. While it may not be an action-packed movie, it is intelligently plotted, and the dialogue is sharp and witty with unexpected twists and turns as Leonard tries to outsmart the gangsters at their own game.

The cinematography, with its palette of browns, enhances the feeling of a seedy underbelly, and the use of period clothing and the style of the shop’s interior gives the film a classic gangster movie feel.

THE OUTFIT is a refreshing, intelligent film with plenty of twists and turns that is sure to please fans of crime dramas.

(In cinemas in Australia – check your movie guide for your local show times.)