THE OUTFIT
US, 1973, 103 minutes, Colour.
Robert Duvall, Karen Black, Joe Don Baker, Robert Ryan, Timothy Carey.
Directed by John Flynn.
The Outfit is enjoyable crime drama - which might make one wonder considering the violence and the slayings. However, one's moral sense is put in abeyance for the film as it deals solely with criminals - freelance independents (the goodies!) versus the outfit (the baddies!) - and who is good when both are bad? Thus, the film raises questions of violence, revenge, justice within the framework of the criminal code. Robert Duvall and Joe Don Baker are the two against the outfit (headed by Robert Ryan). There is an effective supporting cast headed by Karen Black. A strange experience in being asked to take sides in an ugly fight and sympathise with gangsters.
1. How successful a crime drama was this? How enjoyable? Why? What values did the director and screenplay writer stand for? What moral values did it presuppose in its audience?
2. How well-made was the film technically? The impact of the pre-credits murder? The priest and the overtones of loneliness etc.? How did this set a tone and atmosphere? How was this enlarged during the film?
3. What was your impression of murder in this film? The ease of criminals' killing themselves? What response and judgement on murder did the film presuppose in the audience?
4. What kind of person was Macklin? In prison? His previous crimes? His return to Bett? His taking up his line of revenge on the discovery of his brother's death? His shrewdness in escaping murder? His vindictiveness against the Outfit? His motivation and revenge? What redeeming characteristics did he have? Was Cody a sympathetic person? Why did he join Macklin? What did he hope to gain from it? How did Macklin contrast with Bett? With such characters as Madge Coyle at the restaurant? Alma? How did he contrast with the hard-bitten criminals of the Outfit?
5. Macklin and Cody saw themselves as 'goodies versus baddies'. Did you agree? Is this how the film worked? Did the audience identify with them against the Outfit? Why? Was this film different in that one was not asked to side with the police against criminals?
6. How well presented was the character of Bett? Why did she love Macklin? Why did she stay with him? Her help in the murders and robberies? Her disillusionment with the life? Her loneliness (Compared with that of Maylor's wife?) The irony of her death after her phone call to her father? How important was she for the film?
7. How much did the film make of Macklin's skill? And his robberies? why were these sequences so interesting? How smartly filmed were they? How well edited?
8. what were your impressions of Maylor? Why did he think himself impregnable? His style? His self-confidence? His confrontations with Macklin? At the auction? The final confrontations? Maylor and his double-crossing? His relationship with his wife?
9. What was the point of the individual robberies? What insight into the running of the Outfit did they give? Of the type of people involved? Of their response to threats to men like Macklin?
10. How important was the sequence of buying the car from Chemy? The melodramatics of Buck and Buck's wife? Did this add to the film?
11. What were your impressions when Macklin and Cody were trapped and Bett was killed? Was their revenge understandable on Maylor? The nature of the siege and the magnitude of the siege. two against the rest? Their skilfulness in escaping? The irony of their getting away?
12. What impression of the United States, and violence does this film give? Is it genuine? Is it merely a reflection of a way of life, or does it give insight into the causes of American violence?
13. Are films like this meant to be taken seriously for themes about crime and violence. justice. good and evil? Or are they meant as sheer entertainment?
