The Outfit (1973)

Before he embarked on a roaring rampage of revenge with 1977's Rolling Thunder, director John Flynn made The Outfit, a hard-boiled thriller par excellence, based on a novel by Richard Stark (aka Donald E. Westlake), one of the greatest crime writers who ever lived. Earl Macklin (Robert Duvall) is a professional thief. Once upon a time, he and his brother Eddie robbed a bank together. Unfortunately, that bank was owned by criminal syndicate "The Outfit".

Now, Eddie is dead, and it looks like Earl is next. But "The Outfit" hasn't counted on Earl's iron will. Released from a 27-month stretch in prison, Earl wants to get even and, with girlfriend Bett (Karen Black) and best friend Cody (Joe Don Baker), he begins a private war to avenge the death of his brother. The entire criminal underworld is about to learn an unforgettable lesson: never mess with Earl Macklin.