Academy-award winning Writer Graham Moore brings forth a riveting tale and I think you should check it out. Here is my full review of Focus Features’ THE OUTFIT.
From the Academy Award-winning writer of The Imitation Game (Graham Moore) comes The Outfit, a gripping and masterful thriller in which an expert tailor (Academy Award winner Mark Rylance) must outwit a dangerous group of mobsters in order to survive a fateful night.
The Outfit is another showcase piece for Oscar winner Mark Rylance. His ability to command every breath of a character continues to amaze. His delicate systematic nature as Leonard the English cutter (not tailor) is one of the year’s finest character portrayals. He can be giving with his fellow actors like in scenes with Zoey Deutch or Dylan O’Brien or dictate a scene with his slight movements and calm demeanor. The constant appeal allows for his fellow actors to play the wider emotional spectrum and expand sequences to the right suspenseful heights.
Graham Moore’s intelligent writing really mirrors the deliberately slow pace that doesn’t deter the film’s excitement. You forever feel as if the stakes are amping up and the fearful suspense never dissipates.
Moore’s direction really seems like a noir that Alfred Hitchcock would admire. The twisty reveals at the end echo the great director’s ability to shock and awe. The Outfit on appearance may appear as something slight but Moore has delivered a wonderful thriller.
Dick Pope’s cinematography is isolated in the location of the tailor’s shop and the limited shots of the exterior of the store. And yet the master DP delivers amazing shadows of mystery and memorable slight-of-hand moments. A masterclass on how to light, frame, and move in a confined location!
The Outfit also has a haunting soundscape by the amazing Alexander Desplat. The two-time Oscar winning composer seems to relish having a crisp noir like feel. Costume designers Sophia O’Neill and Zac Posen’s polished clothing choices are gorgeous. The film takes a lovely time illuminating the delicate elegancy of cloth and how a master cutter can truly transform an outfit.
A treasure of a film that seems like a perfect throwback to the elegant films of the past.
Directed by: Graham Moore
Written by: Johnathan McClain and Graham Moore
Rated: R
Selig Rating: 4.5 Stars
Running Time: 1h 45min
Crime Drama
In Theaters Only March 18th
Starring: Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Dylan O’Brien, & Nikki Amuka-Bird.
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
4 Stars – Good movie
3 Stars – OK movie
2 Stars – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
1 Star – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
