This was my first time seeing The Outfit, after reading about it in Cinema Speculation. It is by far the best Parker movie and I have seen most of those. Named Macklin (Robert Duvall), he follows the reluctant hero archetype of if they’d just left him alone, he wouldn’t have taken The Outfit down. But, he got out of prison and found out they killed his brother, so he’s going to take what he owes.
With ally Jack Cody (Joe Don Baker) and gal Brett (Karen Black) in tow, taking down The Outfit in 1973 still has that air of danger modern movies sand off. You don’t quite know who’s safe, there are random sexual assault accusations when a rendezvous could have otherwise gone smoothly, and it’s still rated PG!
The new Arrow Blu-ray showcases the bright blue sky in outdoor scenes. But, at night outside the motel, it still captures the pitch black sky and darkened motel room. Maybe that’s my 4K TV upscaling it but it holds up.
Bonus features include Westlake historians and film scholars. All of these put The Outfit in the context of other Hollywood adaptations, and their struggle to get Westlake right. By all accounts, the author had a healthy perspective on adaptations.
Walter Hill actually knew director John Flynn so he could speak from personal experience. Jedediah Ayres and Mike White’s (no, not that Mike White) commentary connects The Outfit to other Parker adaptations too.