‘The Outfit’ Review: Mark Rylance, Dylan O’Brien & Zoey Deutch Put A Stylish Twist On The Mob Drama

When a mild-mannered English tailor living in Chicago finds himself embroiled in the politics of the city’s most fearsome gangsters, a quiet evening turns into a bid to escape with his life in Focus Features’ “The Outfit,” which arrives in theaters on March 18. Though ‘The Outfit’’s chamber drama setting and relative lack of plot developments make for a rather thrill-less crime thriller, the film’s clever script and a captivating lead performance from Mark Rylance make the tidy mob film a fresh, stylish take on a well-worn genre.

READ MORE: ‘The Outfit’ Trailer: Mark Rylance, Dylan O’Brien, and Zoey Deutch Star In New Gangster Pic Coming February 2022

Starring Mark Rylance, Dylan O’Brien, and Zoey Deutch (the latter of whom will reunite again later this year for “Not Okay”), “The Outfit” follows aging Saville Row tailor Leonard (Rylance), who left the UK and moved to America after a mysterious tragedy in his past. Upon his arrival, he found himself playing host to the local mob’s drop point, frequently manned by Richie (O’Brien) the son of one of the city’s top crime bosses. But when an incriminating tape recording goes missing, Leonard finds his shop swarmed with shady figures, and it’s up to his quick thinking and cool head to ensure both he and his secretary (Deutch) make it out of the evening alive.

For a film set in gang-ridden Chicago, “The Outfit” makes the curious choice to veer away from tommy guns, drive-by shootings, and dark alley foot chases – opting instead to spend its entire runtime in a single, sedentary location – the confines of Leonard’s tailor shop. That’s not to say that “The Outfit” doesn’t feature its fair share of violence, but the film is curiously lacking in a number of hallmarks that usually populate the mobster/crime genre.

That being said, though, the more grounded, dialogue-heavy approach to a crime thriller is undoubtedly one that works in the film’s favor with a lead like Mark Rylance’s Leonard – a man clearly out of his depth in terms of physical prowess, every move Leonard makes in his fight to see the night through is one of strategy, not brute force. It’s a characterization that also fits neatly in with the film’s presentation of Leonard as an English fish-out-of-water living in America: like Leonard himself, “The Outfit” is a mild-mannered film in a world full of flashy, gun-toting mob flicks. 

As Leonard, Rylance brings the perfect amount of stiff-upper-lip standoffishness mixed with quiet, gentle charm – especially when playing off of his young secretary Mable, Leonard is always whip-smart but bears a certain fatherly wisdom that not only makes him endearing to the audience but also causes many of the mobsters with whom he runs afoul to let their guards down. 

There’s pressure on Rylance to keep the film well-paced and engaging – especially because it’s so dialogue-heavy and lacking in action – but he shoulders the burden effortlessly, and when the time finally comes for Leonard to tip his hand and jump into action, it’s a satisfying reveal that Rylance sells wholeheartedly.

Opposite his quiet tailor is the brash, loud-mouthed (and heavily accented) Richie, played by Dylan O’Brien. O’Brien, who in the past has populated young adult dramas like “Teen Wolf” and “The Maze Runner” is in new territory as one of the film’s more intimidating figures, but while his accent may err on the side of parody, he still stands as a serviceable baddie for Rylance to go up against. His Richie is easy to believe as a young, hot-headed mobster’s son who doesn’t quite understand when to keep his mouth shut, but the script’s sudden decision to get rid of his character at the turn of the second act is a frustrating one – it rids the film of its most vibrant personality, as well as a well-established villain.

Filling the void in Richie’s absence is a gaggle of mobsters including Francis (Johnny Flynn) and Richie’s father Roy (Simon Russell Beale), neither of whom stand out as anything more than stock gangster figures for Leonard to eventually outwit. The exception to the rule is Nikki Amuka-Bird’s Violet, who makes her appearance frustratingly late in the film’s last act, but whose commanding presence makes for a refreshing change of pace just as the film was feeling stale.

The other major play is Leonard’s secretary Mabel, with whom he shares a close, borderline familial bond. The first act of the film is almost entirely devoted to developing their relationship (and her blossoming romance with Richie), which is why her absence for almost the entirety of the second act is a jarring disappointment – Mabel is a spitfire and Deutch plays her with a wit that would’ve been much appreciated in the film’s duller moments.

Still, even with a relative lack of action, and a confusing attitude towards introducing and removing characters from the narrative in rapid succession, “The Outfit” is still a wonderfully atmospheric film and fresh new addition to the genre – thanks in large part to Alexandre Desplat‘s heady score, sharp dialogue from writer-director Graham Moore, and Rylance’s consistently impressive leading performance. [B]

“The Outfit” hits theaters on March 18.