Year Released: 2022
Directed by: Graham Moore
Starring: Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, Johnny Flynn
(R, 105 min.)
Genre: Mystery and Suspense

“… perfection is a necessary goal, precisely because it is unattainable. If you don’t aim for perfection, you cannot make anything great.” –Leonard Burling

A thriller with as many twists and turns as The Bobs, that famous wooden roller coaster from Riverview Park in my native Chicago. And it fits, too, since the dark deeds occur in a dank corner of the “Windy City.” Our most important character, though, hails from London.

Oscar winner Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) anchors the film with stoic English self-control and dedication to his craft, tailoring.

However, our tailor Leonard, dubbed “English” by the unsavory “gentlemen” he caters to, is insulted by that term.

I’m not a tailor. I’m a cutter. A tailor sews on button and hems trousers. Anyone with a need, and thread, and fifteen minutes can be a tailor. I studied for decades to be a cutter. I used to cut on the Row.

And by that he means the famed Savile Row in London, that exquisite location of “bespoke tailoring,” patterns drafted from scratch for each individual customer.

The process of sizing, forming, conjoining the 38 separate pieces of cotton, silk, mohair, and wool, as Leonard explains, requires “no fewer that two hundred and twenty-eight steps.”

It seems like Leonard’s talking about tailoring, but is it really his commentary on life?

Which begs the question: Is the film a thriller clothed in his sartorial musings, or are the musings the real thing and the thriller element merely the dubious overcoat?

At any rate, one cannot help but recall the term tailor and how it appeared in two titles from the famous spy writer John Le Carre’s: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and his lesser known The Tailor of Panama.

Even the rather dim-witted gangsters Leonard must deal with – because who else in that neighbor hood has the funds for his work – see his profession as the perfect setup for spying, especially since they are on the lookout for a mole in their own organization.

A tailor is always there, silent, plying his trade, almost invisible as he works. Always listening, listening, listening, they observe with more than a whiff of accusation.

***

If you are a David Mamet lover (Glengarry Glen Ross, The House of Games ), you might find yourself checking the credits for his name. I did, and it isn’t there. Director Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) co-wrote it with Johnathan McClain, and they did an excellent job. Mamet would be proud.

The Outfit has those same twists and counter twists that are character driven, and like Mamet and the grand dame of mystery herself, Agatha Christie, the twists and clues are out there in the open if you are perceptive enough. Except for the final twist in The Outfit, which is an awkward nod to Wait Until Dark. Almost as lame as the pun embedded in the title.

The nod to Hitchcock’s Rope is more subtle and quite effective.

***

The only problem with mark Rylance’s superb performance is that it makes the rest of the cast seem somewhat ordinary by contrast. The small time Irish gangsters, except perhaps for their boss and father Roy Boyle (Simon Russell Beale), have none of the depth and character we encountered with Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in the Godfather sagas.

Zoey Deutch, whose character Mable is pivotal, fails to hint at the depths below her innocent façade. Bad boys Richie Boyle (Dylan O’Brien) and enforcer Francis (Johnny Flynn) never rise above being little more than gangster stereotypes.

A final note of disharmony in an otherwise excellent film is the constant use of the F word, reflective of the coarsening of our current culture, but actually somewhat rare in the 1950s setting, especially in women. I fault the writers for this rather than the actors.

But let’s not end on a sour note. Mark Rylance carries the film and lifts it up to great heights, while the script allows this humble tailor to have the final word.

At the finish you must reconcile yourself to failure. It’s not perfect. You have to make your peace with that. How? Well, you sit at your board, you lay out your tools, and you start again.

An almost perfect oasis in our current cinema desert.

–Kathy Borich
🥁 🥁 🥁 🥁

Trailer

Film-Loving Foodie

Leonard, the unassuming tailor who peppers our crime thriller with the philosophy of his craft, learned his skills on the famous Savile Row in London.

Here in the bad streets of Chicago he still plies his trade, but his circumstances are quite reduced. Tea, boiled over a single flame Bunsen burner in his quarters, is his usual fare.

But let’s recall Leonard’s heady days on Savile Row, and create an exquisite (some might call it snooty) little martini for him.

A perfect addition to your viewing pleasure.

Cheers.

Savile Row Martini

This martini, from the new cocktail list at Sartoria in London, reflects the timeless style of the restaurant’s Savile Row home. Rosolio is an old, rose-based aperitivo that’s enjoying a bit of a revival – it’s not easy to find, but whiskyexchange.com has Italicus’ gorgeous, bergamot-flavoured version. Serves one.

Italicus is a modern style of Rosalio, a traditional Italian liqueur that was sipped for centuries by their royalty. It combines a mélange of ingredients like bergamot peel, lavender, lemons, roses, and combines them with a neutral grain spirit. The result is a citrusy drink with a mix of floral and herbaceous notes. –Nare Teague

1 ½ oz. Italicus rosolio (or use ginger or peach liqueur)
¾ oz. sherry (I use Tio Pepe)

Touch of Luxardo Bitter Bianco
3 dashes orange bitters

Stir everything in a mixing glass with an ice cube, and serve straight up in a chilled martini glass. I garnish mine with a pickled radish, but that’s up to you. Salute!

The Guardian.com