The Outfit

Starring: Mark Rylance, Zoey Deutch, Dylan O'Brien, Johnny Flynn, Simon Russell Beale, Nikki Amuka-Bird

Director: Graham Moore

Leonard Burling (Rylance) is a cutter and tailor who made his way from England to Chicago after a tragedy. Setting up shop in an area run by the Irish Mob, he lets his shop be used as a drop off point for the boss' son Ritchie Boyle (O'Brien). Ritchie is also the boyfriend of Leonard's assistant Mabel (Deutch), who dreams of leaving Chicago to travel the world. One night, Ritchie and Francis (Flynn) show up after Ritchie was shot in a gunfight with the rival LaFontaine family. Leonard is forced to treat Ritchie's wound and hide a briefcase containing information provided by "The Outfit,” an organization that helps protect criminals from the law. As the night wears on and the bodies start to pile up, it appears not all is what it seems in the Boyle crime family.

This is a top notch thriller anchored by a fantastic lead performance from Mark Rylance. Taking place solely at Leonard's tailor shop, this feels like a play that was adapted for the big screen. It takes a deft hand not only in directing but writing as well to keep a plot like this as tight and surprising as it is. Oscar winning screenwriter Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) makes a fantastic directorial debut. While it isn't as flashy as some debuts, it knows exactly what story it is trying to tell and keeps you on the edge of your seat telling it.

There are double crosses on double crosses and I can't wait to watch it again to see where all the pieces and clues fit together. To say more would be an injustice to this carefully woven gangster film.

I haven't been impressed by Mark Rylance. I thought he was very underwhelming in his Oscar-Wining role in Bridge of Spies. He'd run away with the Best Actor Oscar in my opinion and it will be hard to top this performance for me. I honestly haven’t been this engaged in a character in a long time. I was that blown away. No matter how out of control the situation gets, he always seems in control. His genuinely timid character is given several monologues that reveal more and more as the film passes. It's a commanding performance and his relationship with Zoey Deutch is touching and fatherly. Not to be outdone is Johnny Flynn who was equally as menacing in 2017's thriller Beast. His Francis is smart, terrifying, and never as in control as he thinks he is.

I honestly can't wait to see this fantastic, self-contained gangster tale again, thanks to one of the best performances I've seen in recent memory.

Grade: A