Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Not always does the biggest dog win. Nor does a pack of wild dogs always win against two loyal junkyard dogs as portrayed in The Outfit by seven (7 X 2) time nominated Best/Supporting actor Robert Duvall who plays Earl Macklin, a recently released from prison bank robber, and his good old bank robbing buddy Joe Don Baker who plays Jack Cody. The film opens up with a cold blooded assassination executed by two professional hit men on a man who we only know is a gardener and who has a love for dogs. Eventually we discover that the murdered victim is Robert Duvall's brother who also led a life of crime in robbing banks but was trying to hide and live out his remaining days with his wife on a remote farm toiling in the soil.Earl Macklin and Jack Cody also fall victims to the hit men but both of these two junkyard dogs survive a number of failed attempts of murder by the hit men. Gradually Earl and Jack discover that the reason they are being targeted for death is they previously robbed a bank whose cash belonged to the mob who were laundering their cash through that bank.Vengeance is a dish best served cold and these two junkyard dogs are two cold sons of b(r)itches that don't take lightly when Earl's brother is executed gangland style, and then the mob tries and tries again to take them out even after Earl thinks he has made a deal with mob leader Mailer, played by the veteran actor Robert Ryan. Of course I cannot forget about the strong performances of two of the leading ladies in this action/crime film. Karen Black who plays Bett Harrow initially picks Earl up at the prison immediately after his release and theirs is a love/hate relationship. Bett truly loves Earl and Earl also loves Bett, but the hate aspect is emphasized around the guns. Bett wants Earl to give up his guns as she hates that Earl won't give them up. Earl meanwhile has made it very clear to Bett that he hates when ever she attempts to even touch one of his guns. Thus the love/hate in their intense romantic relationship. The other supporting actress in this action/crime film is Sheree North who plays a temptress hottie who tries to first manipulate Jack into her bed so she can falsely claim she was raped but only to ignite her husband into a fit of rage where he would be killed at the hands of Jack and/or Earl. These two junkyard dogs don't fall for this felines in heat plan to have her husband killed, but the subsequent action scenes are great. I really enjoyed the interaction between Earl, Jack and Bett, and in my humble opinion, their performances were stronger as a whole than the more acclaimed actors/actresses who starred in the Academy Award winning film the 1967 Bonnie & Clyde.I give The Outfit a strong 8 out of 10 rating. This film holds up very well over the past 44 years. It is well worth a watch and I will be watching it again sometime.

Don't start with a crime syndicate which controls the bank you have robbed. This is the theme of this film.Robert Duvall gets out of jail and his brother, his accomplice, who participated in this robbery which would be his last job, is shot to death by the syndicate.The film is devoted to Duvall's revenge along with his pal Joe Don Baker.Karen Black shines as Duvall's girlfriend, longing to go home, only to take a fatal bullet while sitting in back of the car.Robert Ryan, the head of the syndicate, is given relatively little to do here. His usual sinister persona is not made use here.The ending is contrived.

Compact and minimalist in its execution, all the style here is in the dilapidated decor that permeates the proceedings. It has the look of things fallen and past their prime, inhabited by trapped melancholic Men and Women that also have seen better days. This is a showcase of 1970's grit and the then trend of unfettered realism.There is no aggrandizement or formulated Film stuff here. What you see is exactly what it is and what you get. John Flynn, a very underrated Director is on hand to deliver a pantheon of Noir icons and sensibilities. The Movie is deliciously drab.The bits of Action come fast and furious and there are virtually no set ups. It is a rapid-fire display of excessive restraint, but it all works as inglorious Genre bending to fit the new aesthetic. There is a post-censorship edge in the bursts of violence, but the Dialog is straight out of Film-Noir that was straight out of the Paperbacks and Pulps. This one also belongs in the stable of the Hard-Boiled Richard Stark novels featuring his Parker Character. Only Jim Thompson seems to have a bigger Cult following among the post War Crime Novelists.

The movie starts with a contract killing. Why this occurred is as of yet unknown. Then the movie switches to a guy getting out of prison (Robert Duvall). You soon learn that the murdered man was his brother and the two unknowingly got on the wrong side of organized crime when they pulled a bank robbery years earlier--and the bank turned out to be owned by mob! Now that he's out on the streets, the plan is to kill him next. However, Duvall has a crazy idea--instead of running, he and his friend (Joe Don Baker) will go on the offensive! It's them against the whole freaking mob! Naturally, they ruffle a few feathers along the way!! Can these two maniacs get away with it? It's a bit surreal watching this film, as Robert Duvall doesn't exactly look like the action hero (or anti-hero) type. But I think that makes the film more exciting--seeing a bald middle-aged man behaving this way. While not a great film, it is better than it could have been thanks to decent direction and performances. So is it a must-see? No. But it's better than just a simple time-passer--and well worth a look if you like crime films or just want to see Duvall and Baker kick come butt! By the way, fans of Robert Ryan (like myself) take note--he is in this film and plays a real unlikeable old jerk. I liked this--nothing particularly redeeming about this elderly man--old and mean through and through. No one could play nasty quite like Ryan!