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It's been over seven years since Graham Moore won an Oscar for his screenplay adaptation of 2014's "The Imitation Game," and now he has followed up, with his directorial debut "The Outfit." Moore shares screenwriting credit here with Johnathan McClain, but the film works best in showing Moore's promise as a filmmaker.

"The Outfit" stars Mark Rylance ("Don't Look Up"), who plays Leonard, an expert tailor who runs his own shop in 1956 Chicago. Leonard takes great pride in his work and meticulously cuts and crafts each suit like it might be the last one he ever produces. He has one employee, Mable (Zoey Deutch, "Buffaloed"), who dreams of living a much bigger life outside of Chicago. She's dating Richie (Dylan O'Brien), who is a member of the Boyle crime family, and constantly parades in-and-out of Leonard's shop with his cohort Francis (Johnny Flynn). When things go sideways one night for Richie and Francis they seek refuge at Leonard's shop, and he is suddenly forced into their world.

Moore keeps the entirety of the film's action within Leonard's shop and is successful in making the snowy night atmosphere tense and suspenseful for his viewers. We don't see much outside of the shop's walls, but the screenplay builds a world where it's believable that all of the characters that enter the shop know each other and everyone's business. The majority of "The Outfit" is underscored with a subtle unease, which is an impressive feat from a first time filmmaker.

Rylance's even-handed performance guides the whole film, and the actor delivers his best performance since winning the Oscar for 2015's "Bridge of Spies." Like his winning role, Rylance is a master here of creating powerful moments with silence. Leonard is at peace working on his latest suit, but Rylance plays him with a constant look of calculation in his eyes, which clues us into Leonard's layers. Leonard doesn't speak much but Rylance lets us know he's constantly thinking of his next move.

It's a cliche to say it, but "The Outfit" gets by on its old-fashioned prestige aesthetic, playing out like the kind of movie that is rapidly going extinct. The final act lets a lot of the tension out of the picture because Moore and McClain's screenplay makes the unfortunate decision at that point to spell out what the whole movie means and how everything has unfolded. The writers were skillful in keeping the film's action ambiguous for so long that the final moments feel shoehorned in as an explanation. It's a big misstep, but enough of the rest of "The Outfit" works as a strong thriller for the mid-budget adult audience.