The Outfit (1973)

terrible... so disappointed.

Such a frustrating disappointment

A Major Disappointment

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The Outfit is directed by John Flynn and Flynn adapts the screenplay from the novel written by Richard Stark (AKA: Donald E. Westlake). It stars Robert Duvall, Joe Don Baker, Karen Black and Robert Ryan. Music is by Jerry Fielding and cinematography by Bruce Surtees.It arguably took a further decade to pass before the 1970s would be revealed as a superb decade for neo-noir. For where the 60s purveyors cribbed close to the stylistics of the 40s and 50s, the 70s operators often saw a shift in emphasis on noir plotting over stylistics, using their own ideas on style to befit tone of plot. One such case is The Outfit, a cunningly moody piece that's at times brutal and at others a wry revenger pumped full of dialogue barbs.Nobody's luck holds forever.Plot finds Duvall as Earl Macklin, who upon being released from prison finds his brother has been murdered by "The Outfit" and he himself is on the hit-list as well. It transpires that Earl and his brother knocked off a bank that "The Outfit" had serious ties to, and the rub-out is on. Only thing is, Earl isn't about to put on a concrete overcoat any time soon and turns the tables on his pursuers.Macklin's mission of revenge and financial rewards is filtered through a world populated by unsavoury characters in unsavoury period suits, the locations frequented often drab and colourless so as to sidle up with the narrative drive. At Earl's side is Cody (Baker), a cool bad ass who fears no one and can spot a femme fatale from a mile off. Also along for the journey is Bett (Black), she's Earl's squeeze, an unmeaning fatale who is quickly thrust into the bloody tale to play an active part.In the villain corner overseeing quiet menace is Mailer (Ryan). In one of his last films released in the year of his death, Ryan leaves noir lovers a character whose every word is to hang on, while his spousal relationship with Rita (Cassidy) is amusingly tender yet cold. The rest of the heavies are by-the-numbers, but they are really only serving purpose as fodder for Earl and Cody's machismo fuelled spree, with the dialogue exchanges a thing of caustic beauty.Baker and Duvall are excellent, and they are backed up by a brilliant support cast, it's a roll call of film noir heroes, villains and dupes. In fact the noir credentials are incredibly high here, from source writer Stark (Point Blank/The Grifters) and director Flynn (Rolling Thunder), to the cast list, it's noir nirvana. Sure we hanker for more from the likes of Elisha Cook and Marie Windsor etc, but Flynn makes his point and ensures lovers of the noir form can feel his love as well.Problems? Well yes of course there's the issue of not having some true nighttime noir photography, and in truth Black is quite simply miscast but gets away with it since the makers offer her up for a narrative sting. Elsewhere, the treatment of women will annoy some, but tonally speaking you have to say it sits well in the world the story exists in. Then there's the ending! I haven't seen the TV version of the pic, but have to say the one offered up there is surely (in the noir universe) far greater than the one we have in the official release, and certainly more befitting what has preceded it.Niggles apart, The Outfit is a cracker and well worth seeking out. 8.5/10

Grittier than a box of dirty nails, John Flynn's adaptation of Donald Westlake's novel of the same name is lean, mean and clean. No-nonsense plotting, dialogue and direction. A story of characters on the fringe, with shadowy photography (courtesy Bruce Surtees) to match. Who can resist a movie with Robert Duvall and Joe Don Baker discussing ham and eggs? I certainly couldn't.(I'm an enthusiast, not a critic. Thanks for reading.)

I'm not used to seeing Robert Duvall playing lead as bad-ass gangster, but there it is. He (unsurprisingly) does a fine job of molding his character into a tough, mostly upbeat-in-spite-of-bad-circumstances, guy. Mostly, because when he goes slapping his girl around, things get awkward really fast. Back then in the early seventies, it must have been explained away as an action to "settle the chick down" but leading roles wouldn't get away with that nowadays. The 'chick', by the way, is none other than the fantastic Karen Black. The other big supporting role is played terrifically by Joe Don Baker, playing an unusually nice guy (still a gangster, though) compared to what I'm used to.The film is pretty fast-paced and straightforward, with a plot that is built on blind vengeance and acquiring big money fast from a big organization which killed the leading man's brother. There are hardly any big surprises plot-wise, but it stays more than interesting enough, and the finale ís surprisingly happy, almost like a caper. Good enough for me, though.A good 8 out of 10.

They may have changed his name to Macklin, but he's Parker all the way (Parker of Donald Westlake's crime novels). And Robert Duvall plays him as a real son-of-a-"b"; cold as ice, calculating and wielding the massive cojones to go against the mob for revenge. He's like a shark, unwavering in his determination. He's not the face I conjure for this character, but hell if he doesn't pull it off. Overall, THE OUTFIT is a rock-solid crime movie. Love the bass groove score, the gorgeous Joanna Cassidy, and the presence of Joe Don Baker, who makes an ace wingman. He's twice offered a pass on Parker's scheme, but he still stays with the plan. I really like him in this movie. And what really surprised me is the smile on my face as the end credits rolled. It's not every day (ever) you see that kind of ending on such a hard-boiled tough bastard movie. 8/10