Product Details

• Actors: Robert Duvall, Karen Black, Joe Don Baker, Robert Ryan, Timothy Carey
• Directors: John Flynn
• Writers: John Flynn, Donald E. Westlake
• Producers: Carter DeHaven
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: November 6, 1996
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304286848
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,324 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic 70s thriller, one of the decade's best, October 17, 2003

By 

Harley Rider "qwahu" (CASTLE ROCK, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Outfit [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This movie is yet another of the untold examples for why I'd like to pound the heads of the movie production execs. When is this going to be released on DVD? Okay enough ranting, I'll get to the specifics.

A small time hood Macklin (Robert Duvall) is released from prison just in time to find out a couple of killers shot his brother. The bank they robbed was run by the syndicate. Its the classic crime deal gone wrong scenario. When a killer comes after him also, he ruthlessly sets out for revenge with the aid of his friend Cody (Joe Don Baker.)

This thriller moves with contiguous action. There aren't any unnecessary scenes. I credit the fast paced direction of John Flynn (who also co-wrote the excellent script.) This was only his third movie as a director, and believe me, this doesn't contain any of the corny stuff found in "Out To Justice."

Duvall makes a convincing ruthless thug. Its a scary portrayal. There are solid performances all around from an excellent supporting cast, consisting not only of the aforementioned Joe Don Baker, a gorgeous Sheree North (cameo), in addition to three of Hollywood's late great legendary icons of the classic film noir days: Elisha Cook, Jr. (Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, The Gangster, et al); Jane Greer (Out of the Past, The Big Steal); and in his last film appearance, the great Robert Ryan (The Set Up, The Racket, et al).

Now if the production companies would stop putting out retarded remakes 60s/70s shows (hello!!!) and give us restored classics like this one our Saturday nite's would always be fly. Criterion, please save us!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars POINT BLANK Sequel Still Shines, March 6, 2011

By 

John J. Pocsik "Simon Revelstroke" (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Outfit [Remaster] (DVD)

One of my favorite authors is Richard Stark (the wonderful Donald Westlake on a "bad" day).
He created perhaps the greatest anti-hero in hardboiled crime fiction: Parker - no first or last name. His first book was THE HUNTER, wherein Stark set Parker against "The Outfit", seeking
loot money he felt was owed him. Parker was implacable, unstoppable -and it took him three books - rising through the criminal food chain - to finally get what he felt was unjustly his. Lee Marvin made the perfect "Parker" - "Walker", actually: Westlake would not allow them to use Parker's name, as I understand it. And director John Boorman captured the essence of Parker in the strange, time-fragmented version of THE HUNTER: POINT BLANK.

A few years later, John Flynn decided to film THE OUTFIT, the third volume of the series. He did it in a very straight-forward, non-"arty" manner which captured the drive of Stark's prose. Robert Duvall plays "Macklin", still out to get his dough; Joe Don Baker is his buddy Handy. It's not a classic by any means; but, oddly, it does carry you along, wondering if Macklin will be able to bring The Outfit to its knees and its head, Robert Ryan, into a permanently comatose state of non-being.

This is a Warner DVD-R. Image is dark and bit soft; but - hey! - it put me back into that shoebox multi-cinema of beloved memeory. I had a blast. Stark fans: buy it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard Boiled and Hard to Find, October 4, 2008

By 

C. C. Clark III "amateur historian" (Hampden, Maine) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Outfit [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of those great seventies crime melodramas, lean and mean, thrilling and amoral. It's got two of the most important elements of these films: pump shotguns and .45s. Duvall and Baker are ruthless and professional pursuing their vendetta. The supporting cast is tremendous, down to the small parts played by many veterans of similar films. Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook, Henry Jones, among others. Felice Orlandi plays a creep named Orlandi, and the great John Milius regular Roy Jensen has a nice moment or two. Best of all, Richard Jaeckel as a retired wheel man waxing about the VW Beetle he wants to hot rod. Look for the luscious Sheree North as a classic moll, and the great Robert Ryan in his last role. One of my faves, Joanna Cassidy, has an early part as Ryan's squeeze. Nothing profound here, just slam bang action. Where the heck is the DVD?????