virek213 Under the pseudonym of Richard Stark, Donald Westlake has been responsible for a number of scintillating crime novels that Hollywood has sought fit to turn into movies. His novel "The Hunter" became the basis for British director John Boorman's fabulous 1967 cult crime film POINT BLANK, starring Lee Marvin. "The Seventh" became the basis for the 1968 heist film THE SPLIT, with Gene Hackman and Warren Oates. "The Hot Rock" was made in 1972 under that original title by director Peter Yates and screenwriter William Goldman, with Robert Redford and George Segal starring. And that was just for starters.There is also the 1973 film THE OUTFIT.Adapted from Westlake's novel of the same name by writer/director John Flynn, this rather underrated 1970s crime drama stars Robert Duvall as Earl Macklin, a man who has spent twenty-seven months in the can in Illinois for robbery on a bank owned by the mob, and has now gotten out to exact a little bit of revenge on the syndicate that owned the bank, as well as for that syndicate having shot his brother. With a close friend of his Jack Cody (Joe Don Baker), Duvall works his way up the chain of the syndicate to its chieftain Mailer (the excellent and often underrated Robert Ryan, in one of his final films). Along the way, of course, there's a lot of early 1970s grittiness, a fair amount of shooting (but nothing extremely bloody), plus getting a mob moll, played by Karen Black, to go along with Duvall and Baker getting even against Ryan and his syndicate.Films about either the mob or the Mafia were fairly prominent both before and certainly after the release of THE GODFATHER, but THE OUTFIT benefits from really being a gritty early 1970s updating of the classic late 1940s and 1950s film-noir crime dramas, in color this time, and giving us the opportunity to see many great actors from that previous time frame showing up once more. Among them are Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor, and Timothy Carey, all three of whom had appeared in the 1956 crime classic THE KILLING, which helped to establish the career of its director Stanley Kubrick. There is also Jane Greet, who portrayed the heroine in the 1947 film OUT OF THE PAST and appeared again, in an older role, in that film's 1984 reworking AGAINST ALL ODDS. Duvall, although always something more of a supporting actor than a leading man, is of course superb, as are Baker and Black. But one can't help but notice what a great actor Ryan is here in one of the several film appearances he put in before his untimely death in July 1973 at the all-too-early age of 64. He often played bad men and psychopaths on screen, and in reality he was nothing of the sort.As a director, Flynn may not be a Kubrick, or a Don Siegel, or Sam Peckinpah, but for the purposes of THE OUTFUT, his direction and screenwriting are good enough to recommend; and he is aided by the fine photography of Bruce Surtees (son of the great Robert Surtees), much of it done in and around Los Angeles, and with a solid score by the underrated Jerry Fielding, whose many credits included Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH and STRAW DOGS.Coming from a time when a film's characters and their behavior often determined their actions, and where the shootouts were done with the kind of motivation that made at least a modicum of sense, THE OUTFIT, while not quite an out-and-out crime masterpiece like the films it pays homage to, nevertheless deserves strong reconsideration, and an '8' rating to go along with it.

Ed-Shullivan Not always does the biggest dog win. Nor does a pack of wild dogs always win against two loyal junkyard dogs as portrayed in The Outfit by seven (7 X 2) time nominated Best/Supporting actor Robert Duvall who plays Earl Macklin, a recently released from prison bank robber, and his good old bank robbing buddy Joe Don Baker who plays Jack Cody. The film opens up with a cold blooded assassination executed by two professional hit men on a man who we only know is a gardener and who has a love for dogs. Eventually we discover that the murdered victim is Robert Duvall's brother who also led a life of crime in robbing banks but was trying to hide and live out his remaining days with his wife on a remote farm toiling in the soil.Earl Macklin and Jack Cody also fall victims to the hit men but both of these two junkyard dogs survive a number of failed attempts of murder by the hit men. Gradually Earl and Jack discover that the reason they are being targeted for death is they previously robbed a bank whose cash belonged to the mob who were laundering their cash through that bank.Vengeance is a dish best served cold and these two junkyard dogs are two cold sons of b(r)itches that don't take lightly when Earl's brother is executed gangland style, and then the mob tries and tries again to take them out even after Earl thinks he has made a deal with mob leader Mailer, played by the veteran actor Robert Ryan. Of course I cannot forget about the strong performances of two of the leading ladies in this action/crime film. Karen Black who plays Bett Harrow initially picks Earl up at the prison immediately after his release and theirs is a love/hate relationship. Bett truly loves Earl and Earl also loves Bett, but the hate aspect is emphasized around the guns. Bett wants Earl to give up his guns as she hates that Earl won't give them up. Earl meanwhile has made it very clear to Bett that he hates when ever she attempts to even touch one of his guns. Thus the love/hate in their intense romantic relationship. The other supporting actress in this action/crime film is Sheree North who plays a temptress hottie who tries to first manipulate Jack into her bed so she can falsely claim she was raped but only to ignite her husband into a fit of rage where he would be killed at the hands of Jack and/or Earl. These two junkyard dogs don't fall for this felines in heat plan to have her husband killed, but the subsequent action scenes are great. I really enjoyed the interaction between Earl, Jack and Bett, and in my humble opinion, their performances were stronger as a whole than the more acclaimed actors/actresses who starred in the Academy Award winning film the 1967 Bonnie & Clyde.I give The Outfit a strong 8 out of 10 rating. This film holds up very well over the past 44 years. It is well worth a watch and I will be watching it again sometime.

Wizard-8 "The Outfit" was forgotten for years after its theatrical release, though in recent years it seems to have been revived and starting to find an audience. For the most part, it does deserve its rediscovery. It's directed in an engaging '70s style that sets it apart from many other man against the mob movies. The style is not polished, and gives the movie a rough and dirty feeling that makes what happens on screen seem more realistic. The violence doesn't come constantly, but when it does happen it gives the movie a serious kick, despite the movie in the end earning just a PG rating. Duvall does well, not making his character a superman, but someone who is (believably) well skilled and crafty. Baker makes a good sidekick. If I have any complaints about the movie, they are that there isn't a terrible amount of plot, and that Robert Ryan's character doesn't get quite enough footage. But despite those problems, the movie works well, and is a must for those who are fans of cynical '70s movies.

LeonLouisRicci Compact and minimalist in its execution, all the style here is in the dilapidated decor that permeates the proceedings. It has the look of things fallen and past their prime, inhabited by trapped melancholic Men and Women that also have seen better days. This is a showcase of 1970's grit and the then trend of unfettered realism.There is no aggrandizement or formulated Film stuff here. What you see is exactly what it is and what you get. John Flynn, a very underrated Director is on hand to deliver a pantheon of Noir icons and sensibilities. The Movie is deliciously drab.The bits of Action come fast and furious and there are virtually no set ups. It is a rapid-fire display of excessive restraint, but it all works as inglorious Genre bending to fit the new aesthetic. There is a post-censorship edge in the bursts of violence, but the Dialog is straight out of Film-Noir that was straight out of the Paperbacks and Pulps. This one also belongs in the stable of the Hard-Boiled Richard Stark novels featuring his Parker Character. Only Jim Thompson seems to have a bigger Cult following among the post War Crime Novelists.