The Outfit is one of those films that rewards your lowered expectations, which probably doesn’t make it sound too good. What I’m trying to say is that, in its old-fashioned, low-key way, The Outfit, currently playing in theaters, is better than you might expect for a modest film that’s not exactly being hyped to the sky. It has sequences that work well, certain odd interludes of effective tension broken by pleasantly unexpected humor, and an overall tonal quality that’s satisfying if you’re in the right mood. There are problems — the film drags badly in the middle, and there are some implausible plot developments among the many twists and turns, as well as some weaker performances among the strong ones.

But it reminded me of how, in the old days, when people still had leisure time, this would’ve been an enjoyable movie to stumble upon when you had a few hours to kill and went to the theater to see what might catch your interest. Or it would’ve been a pleasure to discover on television late one night, when you’d be flipping channels in a desultory way, looking for something with compelling facets to tide you over in an insomniac interlude. Good times, though we didn’t realize it then.

Mark Rylance is the obvious reason to see the film — he’s an actor you could watch for ten hours straight. He’s so brilliant at building a character detail by detail, making you believe in the existence of the person he’s creating by the way he wears his slightly bent gold-rimmed eyeglasses halfway down his nose, or smokes a calming cigarette, or runs his hand gravely over his thinning, neatly combed-back hair.