Mark Rylance fits the Outfit like a glove

Posted on 28th October 2022

Single set dramas – anything from 12 Angry Men to Reservoir Dogs – are compelled to do something interesting with words, and The Outfit is no exception. Mark Rylance is reliably excellent as the cutter Leonard (he’s makes it clear he is not a tailor) who makes outfits for the mob. He is ably supported, in this Chicago based drama, by fellow Brits Simon Russell Beale and Johnny Flynn. The three of them combine to give this claustrophobic thriller a pleasingly theatrical feel, reminiscent of Sleuth. The three of them joust throughout, clearly relished a script that brings to mind the intricacies of Aaron Sorkin deft words.

US screenwriter and novelist Graham Moore makes his directing debut here, having previously won a script Oscar for The Imitation Game, and he’s produced a significantly superior film. The plot may be a preposterous twisty-turny thing that stretches incredulity to snapping point, but that only adds to the fun in this soberly paced mystery. Always one step ahead of the audience, it almost defies you to second guess where it’s going to next. There are double crosses, triple crosses and misdirection all over the place, with only the MacGuffin of an incriminating tape to anchor the wayward behaviour of the mobsters Leonard serves, but doesn’t consider gentlemen.

Referred to throughout as “English” his character manages to be both deferential and supercilious in a way his disreputable colleagues consider typical of his race. It’s an effective device to suggest all is not what it seems with Leonard. He has secrets of his own, of course, deftly revealed during Rylance’s nuanced performance. Why come to Chigago? What really happened in England? Who’s posting those letters in the post box in the back room? You’ll need to go see the film to find out.