“The Outfit is a compelling noir-thriller with a sharp performance by Mark Rylance.

Rylance is an unassuming character actor who subsumes himself in a role to become a film’s highlight.

Rylance can make a bad film watchable, as for example, his bizarrely interesting turn as a corporate entrepreneur in writer-director Adam Mckay’s disaster of a disaster film, “Don’t Look Up” (an Oscar best picture nomination and Writers Guild of America original screenplay award notwithstanding).

In “The Outfit,” Rylance (Oscar, supporting actor, “Bridge of Spies,” 2015) plays Leonard Burling, an unassuming tailor (“I’m a cutter,” he insists.) in Chicago circa 1956. His shop window states it all: “L. Burling. Bespoke.” In a nod to his British roots, Leonard is nicknamed London by mobsters for whom he custom tailors suits.

Things are fastidious, efficient and stylish on Leonard Burling’s shop. His assistant, Mabel (Zoey Deutch), is ever eager to assist. The suit orders, fittings and fashioning sew right along.

When the mob boss’s son Ritchie (Dylan O’Brien) and sidekick henchman Francis (Johnny Flynn) arrive, Burling’s carefully-stitched world unravels. That’s when the story kicks in.

When crime boss Roy (Simon Russell Beale) and his enforcer show up, things get really interesting.

When rival gangland leader (Nikki Amuka-Bird) appears, things get even more interesting.

That this takes place within the confines of three rooms in the tailor’s shop makes “The Outfit,” with the title’s double meaning connoting Al Capone’s crime syndicate, even more scintillating. There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The clothes make the man. Leonard becomes a made man, much to his chagrin.

“The Outfit” is a contemporary miniaturist masterpiece that recalls the great films of Alfred Hitchcock.

The screenplay references “Rope” (1948) and the tart low-key heroism of Humphrey Bogart and the fetching femme fatale of Dorothy Malone in “The Big Sleep” (1946).

“The Outfit” is the film that director Guillermo del Toro’s overwrought “Nightmare Alley” (2020) remake of the 1947 noir-thriller wanted to be.

“The Outfit” reaches the heights of heist-thrillers with an economy of style.

The screenplay co-written by Johnathan McClain (feature screenplay debut) and the film’s director Graham Moore (Oscar, adapted screenplay, “The Imitation Game,” 2014) snaps, crackles and pops with the rat-tat-tat of gangster rap (No, not the music genre, but the dialogue.).

Director Graham Moore is masterful in his feature film directorial debut.

Moore, working with Director of Photography Dick Pope (Oscar nominee, “Mr. Turner,” 2014; “The Illusionist,” 2006) keeps the cinematography crisp and up close, augmented with Film Editing by William Goldenberg (Oscar recipient, editing, “Argo,” 2012), Production Design by Gemma Jackson (Oscar nomination, art direction, “Finding Neverland,” 2004) and Music by Alexandre Desplat (Oscar recipient, original score, “The Shape of water,” 2017; “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” 2014).

At the center of the action, calm as the eye of a hurricane, is Rylance, whose face, deep-set eyes, rueful lips and calm British voice never betray the film’s emotive arc, ever propelling the storyline forward and deeper.

There are breakout performances by Dylan O’Brien (“The Maze Runner,” 2014) and Johnny Flynn (“Emma,” 2020), intense and scary as the young mobsters, a John Travolta and James Woods style duo up to no good, and Zoey Deutch (“Zombieland: Double Tap,” 2019), captivating as the young moll (as young women were once called) with the charm of a shill.

“The Outfit” has a double-twist of fate that will keep you guessing right up until its conclusion (think “Fatal Attraction,” 1987). Try on “The Outfit.” It’s a good fit for fans of film-noir crime dramas.

“The Outfit,”

MPAA rated R (Restricted Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Contains some adult material. Parents are urged to learn more about the film before taking their young children with them.) for some bloody violence and language throughout; Genre: Crime, Drama; Run time: 1 hour, 45 minutes. Distributed by Focus Features.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

During the closing scene and the start of the closing credits of “The Outfit,” my ears heard the score by Alexandre Desplat quote the four-note bass line from the opening bars of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” (1964). “The Outfit” was filmed in London, England.

At The Movies:

“The Outfit” was seen at a matinee at AMC Center Valley 16 at The Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

Oscar contest:

Jimmy Orsag correctly picked winners in the seven categories of The Press “Readers Pick the Oscar Winners” contest. Two entrants, Michael Nonnemacher and Gary Demyan, picked six of seven categories. Several, including myself (I didn’t enter the contest, of course.), picked four of seven categories.

Theatrical Movie Box Office,

March 25 - 27: “The Lost City” found Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum and Brad Pitt back at No. 1, opening with a nifty $31 million, in 4,253 theaters, as they sent “The Batman” packing after a three-peat No. 1 run, with $20.5 million, in 3,967 theaters, $331.9 million, four weeks.

It’s Bullock’s first theatrical motion picture since “Ocean’s Eight” (2018).

3. “RRR,” opening, $9.5 million, in 1,200 theaters. 4. “Uncharted,” starring Tom Holland, dropped one place, $5 million, in 3,416 theaters, $133.5 million, six weeks. 5. Jujutsu Kaisen 0: The Movie” dropped three places, $4.5 million, in 2,418 theaters, two weeks. 6. “X” dropped two places, $2.2 million, in 2,920 theaters, $8.2 million, two weeks. 7. “Dog,” starring Channing Tatum, dropped two places, $2.1 million, in 2,839 theaters, $57.8 million, six weeks. 8. “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” starring Tom Holland, dropped two places, $2 million, in 2,003 theaters, $800.5 million, 15 weeks.

“Spider-man: No Way Home” is the third movie to gross more than $800 million in domestic box office, after “Avengers: Endgame,” $858.4 million, and “Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens,” $936.7 million.

9. “Sing 2” moved up one places, $1.2 million, in 2,626 theaters, $160.2 million, 14 weeks. 10. “Infinite Storm,” opening, $751,296, in 1,525 theaters.

12. “The Outfit” dropped four places, $560,000, in 1,328 theaters, $2.7 million, two weeks.

Box office information from Box Office Mojo as of March 27 is subject to change

Unreel,

April 1: Nothing opening (April Fools!)

“Morbius,”

PG-13: Daniel Espinosa directs Jared Leto, Michael Keaton, Adria Arjona and Jared Harris in the Action Horror Science-Fiction film. A biochemist, Michael Morbius, trying to cure himself of a blood disease, instead infects himself as a vampire.

“The Contractor,”

R: Tarik Saleh directs Chris Pine, Gillian Jacobs, Kiefer Sutherland and Ben Foster in the Action Thriller. A discharged U.S. Special Forces sergeant joins a private contracting organization.

“Barbarians,”

No MPAA rating: Charles Dorfman directs Catalina Sandino Moreno, Tom Cullen, Iwan Rheon and Will Kemp in the Thriller. A birthday dinner party in a country house has an unexpected outcome.

“Nitram,”

No MPAA rating: Justin Kurzel directs Caleb Landry Jones, Judy Davis, Anthony LaPaglia and Phoebe Taylor in the Drama Thriller. The 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in retold.

“You Won’t Be Alone,”

R: Goran Stolevski directs Noomi Rapace, Alice Englert, Anamaria Marinca and Sara Klimoska in the Drama Horror. In a mountain village in 19th century Macedonia, a young girl is kidnapped and transformed into a witch.

Movie opening dates from Internet Movie Database as of March 27 are subject to change.

Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes