Bullet Points: The Outfit

For some reason the seventies was a time that was unapologetic when it came to revenge films and violence. I just so happen to be addicted to watching people get payback, and when I am in the mood for a good revenge film I look to seventies classics like The Outfit.

• The Premise: Robert Duvall plays a hood named Macklin.  When he gets released from jail he learns his brother was just murdered. His good buddy jack Cody (Played by Joe Don Baker) was pretty close to meeting his maker as well. What you learn pretty quick into this film is that the trio robbed a bank in Kansas a few years prior that turned out to be owned by the Mob.
• Always Finish the Job: After failed assassination attempts against Earl and Cody, they set out to rob and break up all they syndicates operations until they are paid a lump sum of $250,000 for their aggravation and troubles. Payback isn’t a bitch; it’s two badass actors that crush it in a film that doesn’t quite get the praise it deserves.                                               `
• It Feels Like: The Outfit carries a theme comparable to Lee Marvin’s Point Blank (1967) even though it’s a completely different story. Duvall and Baker are meant to be the good guys; but their characters are just violent thugs which truly are not too different from their adversaries.

• Killer Scene: Macklin robs a card game in the early part of the film and lets this gangster Menner know he means business by shooting Menner in the hand right in front of everyone. It’s a great depiction of how Macklin is in no way going to lay down.
• Revenge Fact: Joe Don Baker made the ultimate revenge film that same year with his role as Buford Pusser in Walking Tall. Shortly after Baker also starred in a great revenge film I highly recommend called Framed (1975). In regards to Duvall, he played Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part 2 (1974). The Outfit was released right in the middle of The Godfather films.
• Revenge Is In The Air: The film was directed by John Flynn who was at the helm of some of my favorite revenge classics such as Rolling Thunder (1977) and Out for Justice (1991). Need I say more?
• If A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Then video is worth a million and this fan video rules…