‘The Outfit’ (1973) review – One of the most criminally overlooked neo-noir crime films of the 1970s

It’s an incredible feeling to entirely surrender to a filmmaker’s vision and be willing to go wherever the story takes you. And that is precisely what the writer/director John Flynn did to me while watching The Outfit. Based on Donald Westlake’s novel The Hunter, The Outfit is one of the 1970s’ most overlooked neo-noir crime movies.

Earl Macklin (Robert Duvall) is let out of prison after 27 months for carrying a concealed weapon. He meets his girlfriend Bett (Karen Black), who informs him that his brother Eddie has been shot dead by a gangster organization known as The Outfit after Earl and Eddie inadvertently robbed one of their banks. To avenge his brother’s death, Earl recruits an old friend, Cody (Joe Don Baker), and together they pursue the gang and begin robbing its casinos, bookie shops, clubs, etc. Earl demands $250,000 from the outfit boss, Mailer (Robert Ryan), to compensate for his loss. Mailer sends his thugs to kill him, which leads to a game of cat and mouse that ends in a final showdown.

Every scene is brilliantly written, directed, and performed with meticulous attention to detail. John Flynn gives time and space for his actors to perform while also allowing the audience to become acquainted with the world. There are four to five robbery scenes in the film in which Earl and Cody rip joints owned by The Outfit, but they don’t feel repetitive. These scenes flow smoothly and come out of nowhere to surprise us. When Earl and Cody decide to go after the mob’s money, they go to Cherney (Richard Jaeckel) to buy an untraceable automobile. The entire sequence of Earl and Cody’s time at Cherney’s place is one of the best in the film and could serve as its own independent short movie, which I would totally watch. Cherney’s brother Buck has a nymphomaniac wife. She makes sexual advances toward Cody, who politely declines and informs her that he has enough experience to know not to get involved and invite unnecessary trouble. The wife, who does not take “no” well, accuses Cody of raping her. Things get heated, which ends up with Earl punching an agitated Buck. Cherney tells Earl and Cody before they leave that she even offered herself to him once or twice, to which she coldly replies, “Bastard, you took it.”

The Outfit, more than anything, is about male bonding. It focuses on the relationship between Earl and Cody, as they have a good understanding of each other and are highly professional. I appreciated that Flynn didn’t make their dynamic into a buddy comedy, which would have disrupted the film’s flow. Their connection is as authentic as it gets, which complements the film’s tone.

On the other hand, the movie suffers from poor treatment of its women. All the female characters have no character depth or significance, and they are all told to “shut up” multiple times for no reason, which can get a bit uncomfortable sometimes. These women are viewed as objects whose primary purpose is to serve and carry out the orders of powerful men. Take, for example, the character Bett, played by Karen Black, who is listed second in the film’s credits. Her character does nothing but accompany Earl and Cody and stay cooped up in hotel rooms while they rob banks. Her character serves no purpose other than to be Earl’s girlfriend, and he keeps her around only for sexual purposes. As a result, her character is totally useless in this movie.

Robert Duvall plays the part of a revenge-seeking man with perfection. He is not a brutal killer out for vengeance but a well-informed person who takes calculated risks and knows what he is doing. For instance, there is a scene in which one of the organization’s assassins follows Earl and Bett to a motel and tries to kill him. Earl catches the hitman, but instead of killing him, he gets all the information he needs about the outfit from him and escorts him to his car.

The outfit is one of the best adaptations of Donald Westlake’s work. Other notable films based on Westlake’s work include Point Blank (1967), The Hot Rock (1972), Cops and Robbers (1973), and others. The premise of The Outfit might not feel entirely original, but the storytelling will hook you and ensure an immersive experience.

The Outfit movie link: IMDB

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