Poorly made gangster movie about the supposed feud between "Dutch" Schultz and "Legs" Diamond. Silly script, Dreadful dialogue, amateur acting. The production values are not too bad, but it's flat and trite with every imaginable cliche.
8 Reviews
And All That Jazz
bemyfriend-401849 November 2021
The only other movie I've seen which uses slow downbeat jazz in ALL of the scenes is Bloodmatch 1991. And like this movie, there was slow jazz even in the fight scenes. This movies had more corn than the then illegal whiskey; and went on way... too... long.
I just wanted to see Lance Henriksen
Bananeyfish13 August 2022
Waaaaay too much sex and fighting, considering the plot. Feels like the main actor just wanted to have more sex scenes. I just watched this because I like Lance Henriksen, but he's wildly underutilized, and it sounds like they had him shouting himself hoarse with how ill he sounds in some scenes. Also the version available on Tubi is almost TWO HOURS long, which is way too long for so much nothing to be happening. Don't waste your time.
The Casting Isn't Great, But...
broadfoot18 November 2010
THE OUTFIT will never be considered a gangster classic worthy of standing alongside THE GODFATHER or THE UNTOUCHABLES, but it's worth watching just for fun.
If anyone has seen the 1992 made-for-video Dutch Schultz biopic HIT THE DUTCHMAN, you might recall that Legs Diamond spoke with an Irish accent, but in real-life Diamond was an American who never spoke with an accent. Josh Mosby plays Diamond just right. Also, the real-life Dutch Schultz looked more like the character that James Remar played in THE COTTON CLUB, rather than Lance Henriksen's portrayal. Finally, while Billy Drago was good as Frank Nitti in THE UNTOUCHABLES, he's not as well cast here as Lucky Luciano. While some people may have thought that Billy was Italian in real life, he's actually a Kentucky-born Native American, which explains his slightly darker skin. While the cover of the video shows Billy holding a Thompson submachine gun, he never actually uses a gun in this movie. Also, while the cover of the video lists him as one of the main stars, he actually has a very minor role limited to a few appearances.
I'm just a sucker for gangster movies, so that's why I own it.
If anyone has seen the 1992 made-for-video Dutch Schultz biopic HIT THE DUTCHMAN, you might recall that Legs Diamond spoke with an Irish accent, but in real-life Diamond was an American who never spoke with an accent. Josh Mosby plays Diamond just right. Also, the real-life Dutch Schultz looked more like the character that James Remar played in THE COTTON CLUB, rather than Lance Henriksen's portrayal. Finally, while Billy Drago was good as Frank Nitti in THE UNTOUCHABLES, he's not as well cast here as Lucky Luciano. While some people may have thought that Billy was Italian in real life, he's actually a Kentucky-born Native American, which explains his slightly darker skin. While the cover of the video shows Billy holding a Thompson submachine gun, he never actually uses a gun in this movie. Also, while the cover of the video lists him as one of the main stars, he actually has a very minor role limited to a few appearances.
I'm just a sucker for gangster movies, so that's why I own it.
Don't touch this with a ten foot pole...
Paul M14 August 2001
Awful screenplay and the music was beyond bad. You have to feel really sorry for Lance Henriksen who is a great actor(did a marvelous job as Abraham Lincoln in THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT). The main guy tried too hard to be Clint Eastwood
Better than you might expect ........
merklekranz15 January 2014
I'll give this movie credit. For being a direct to video affair, it comes across like a far more important film. The acting is all over the place. John Mosby is the ladies man, "Legs Diamond", Lance Henriksen the explosive "Dutch Schultz", and Billy Drago plays "Lucky Luciano". The constant battles between "Legs" and "Dutch" are gradually wearing thin with "Lucky". Meanwhile, Martin Kove, is an F.B.I. Agent who infiltrates Diamond's organization. Basically the movie is not much more than one machine gun battle after another, as the two waring factions fight for whiskey running territory. There are a couple trollops thrown into the mix simply to add nudity. Not great, but better than you might expect. - MERK
Lance & Billy
refinedsugar17 July 2023
I saw 'The Outfit' a long time ago in my quest to see anything with Lance Henriksen in it, but it didn't leave much of an impression at that time. So now I've gone back to rewatch it and give it another chance. Let's just say it's not great and it isn't able to fully capture what it was going for. They just didn't have the money, above average story or skill to pull it off.
Two mobsters at the top of their game - Dutch Schultz (Henriksen) & Legs Diamond (Josh Mosby) - battle each other for bootlegging control in 1930's American while the FBI use an undercover agent (John Christian) inside Diamond's organization to take the both of them down permanently.
They got the vintage cars, the right type of clothing and there is certainly no shortage of Tommy guns. However the movie is never able to overcome it's low budget origins in the sense that it can provide the feeling you're watching something of the time period. The musical score is horrible and the story has no real depth to sustain interest.
If you're a Lance Henriksen fan, you get a ton of him. This isn't one of those movies that splashes his name on the movie box and then he shows up for five minutes. Angry, firing off Tommy guns, yelling so much that his voice becomes coarse and in one particular scene, he barely has any left. However the other two predominant cast members Martin Kove as an FBI boss and Billy Drago as Lucky Luciano rank slightly above extended cameos. Billy appears in three scenes (none of them action oriented).
Trying for authenticity, but failing is 'The Outfit' main problem. The acting itself is pretty solid and unfortunately this is the only title we got with Lance Henriksen and the late Billy Drago together. Fans of these men might give this a go otherwise there's gangster flicks showcasing a more entertaining, better storied look at the mob than this tale can provide (92 min version).
Two mobsters at the top of their game - Dutch Schultz (Henriksen) & Legs Diamond (Josh Mosby) - battle each other for bootlegging control in 1930's American while the FBI use an undercover agent (John Christian) inside Diamond's organization to take the both of them down permanently.
They got the vintage cars, the right type of clothing and there is certainly no shortage of Tommy guns. However the movie is never able to overcome it's low budget origins in the sense that it can provide the feeling you're watching something of the time period. The musical score is horrible and the story has no real depth to sustain interest.
If you're a Lance Henriksen fan, you get a ton of him. This isn't one of those movies that splashes his name on the movie box and then he shows up for five minutes. Angry, firing off Tommy guns, yelling so much that his voice becomes coarse and in one particular scene, he barely has any left. However the other two predominant cast members Martin Kove as an FBI boss and Billy Drago as Lucky Luciano rank slightly above extended cameos. Billy appears in three scenes (none of them action oriented).
Trying for authenticity, but failing is 'The Outfit' main problem. The acting itself is pretty solid and unfortunately this is the only title we got with Lance Henriksen and the late Billy Drago together. Fans of these men might give this a go otherwise there's gangster flicks showcasing a more entertaining, better storied look at the mob than this tale can provide (92 min version).
16 years before Public Enemies!
tarbosh2200024 October 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Set in the 1930's, The Outfit is a tale of gangsters and prohibition. The notorious Legs Diamond (Mosby) is at odds with equally-infamous Dutch Schultz (Henriksen). Lucky Luciano (Drago) is trying to hold it all together so their bootlegging and other illegal activities can "become as big as U.S. Steel" (which is based on an actual quote). Sensing the brewing hostilities between the two "public enemies" and their camps, G-Man Bone Conn (Ingvordsen) infiltrates the operations and sets off a mob war. Conn's boss, Agent Baker (Kove) doesn't necessarily like his rogue ways, but he needs results to show J. Edgar Hoover. But will playing both ends against the middle get Bone in a whole heap o' trouble? It just may, because you don't want to get on the bad side of some of the most feared gangsters in history. Dare you try on THE OUTFIT? Ignore any negative things you may have heard about this movie (if you heard anything at all - it seems to be one of the lesser-seen movies in the canons of Henriksen, Drago and Kove). For a DTV item that clearly took its cues from Bugsy (1991), Mobsters (1991), and The Untouchables (1987), the latter of which also featured Billy Drago, but with a fraction of the budget of these Hollywood movies, The Outfit comes out an entertaining and worthwhile piece.
From the team of Ingvordsen and Kaman, the dudes behind Comrades In Arms, they've upped the ante and admirably attempted - and succeeded - making a period piece with a low budget for the Direct-To-Video market. Ingvordsen once again stars as the hero/badass named Bone (just like he did in Comrades), and Kaman, who shot the movie, does a nice job using some lenses and grain that help with the period feel. As long as Kaman isn't directing, he usually does a good job. Drago was a great choice for Lucky Luciano - Drago has made a career of being a professional villain, why not try him as a real life gangster? Plus there's the currency Ingvordsen and Kaman could leverage from Drago's turn as Frank Nitti in The Untouchables. Fan favorite Henriksen goes all-out in his portrayal of Schultz. It's great to see him get angry, yell and be tough and intimidating in that role. Kove is also winning in his relatively small role as the FBI boss. Together with Josh Mosby as Diamond and the aforementioned Ingvordsen as Bone, not to mention Rick Washburn and others, the strong cast helps a lot and puts this movie in the winner column.
There was obviously an attempt to get some authenticity and some real-life events in, and the writing shows that. But they also didn't skimp on the Tommy guns. It's really a nice mix of good writing and action violence, and if they had more money, they would have made Public Enemies (2009) 16 years before Public Enemies. Some minor negatives include: the film starts to lose focus at times, especially in the brief Punchfighting scene (yes, there is some quick Punchfighting - it did exist in the 30's), and some of the acting from a few of the non-principals and some staging got a bit wonky at times, as it is wont to happen in some DTV products. But really that's all we can say as to a down side to this movie. We applaud their ambition to make a historically-based period piece with the resources they had.
If you're seeking some different fare but with some familiar faces, do check out The Outfit.
For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com
From the team of Ingvordsen and Kaman, the dudes behind Comrades In Arms, they've upped the ante and admirably attempted - and succeeded - making a period piece with a low budget for the Direct-To-Video market. Ingvordsen once again stars as the hero/badass named Bone (just like he did in Comrades), and Kaman, who shot the movie, does a nice job using some lenses and grain that help with the period feel. As long as Kaman isn't directing, he usually does a good job. Drago was a great choice for Lucky Luciano - Drago has made a career of being a professional villain, why not try him as a real life gangster? Plus there's the currency Ingvordsen and Kaman could leverage from Drago's turn as Frank Nitti in The Untouchables. Fan favorite Henriksen goes all-out in his portrayal of Schultz. It's great to see him get angry, yell and be tough and intimidating in that role. Kove is also winning in his relatively small role as the FBI boss. Together with Josh Mosby as Diamond and the aforementioned Ingvordsen as Bone, not to mention Rick Washburn and others, the strong cast helps a lot and puts this movie in the winner column.
There was obviously an attempt to get some authenticity and some real-life events in, and the writing shows that. But they also didn't skimp on the Tommy guns. It's really a nice mix of good writing and action violence, and if they had more money, they would have made Public Enemies (2009) 16 years before Public Enemies. Some minor negatives include: the film starts to lose focus at times, especially in the brief Punchfighting scene (yes, there is some quick Punchfighting - it did exist in the 30's), and some of the acting from a few of the non-principals and some staging got a bit wonky at times, as it is wont to happen in some DTV products. But really that's all we can say as to a down side to this movie. We applaud their ambition to make a historically-based period piece with the resources they had.
If you're seeking some different fare but with some familiar faces, do check out The Outfit.
For more action insanity, drop by: www.comeuppancereviews.com
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