The Order

Somewhere in the woods of the Pacific Northwest, the older, more pragmatic and 'wise' leader of a hate-group fraction pays a visit to the young lion who leads the more extremist splinter of it in a more militant way. Reverend Richard Butler (Victor Slezak) warns Bob Matthews (Nicholas Hoult) that it is not the right time to take drastic action and start the war with the government, since it would be wiser to wait and do things at a more moderate pace, like getting their supporters in the Congress and in the Senate. That conversation between actual 'minor historical figures' took place in the early Eighties and now, 40 years later, it seems that Butler was more than right, since the hate groups think they even elected the president that supports them, but it still sounds like a sour joke.

Although it is not a downright masterpiece, there is nothing sour about Justin Kurzel’s The Order. Based on actual events and on the non-fiction book The Secret Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, it tells the story of the FBI's efforts to bring down a domestic terrorist cell/militia that made havoc on the West Coast in the Eighties. Genre-wise, it falls into the ranks of typical procedural thrillers, filled with archetypal characters, but the airtight script by Zach Baylin and the interesting casting, along with Kurzel’s methodical directing, make the best out of it.

The rules of the craft dictate that we need to swallow the hook early on in order to get and stay involved, so the creative team serves us with just that: an elimination of the weak link in the gang by a couple stronger (if not smarter) ones, followed by the introduction of our faulty hero, special agent Terry Husk (Jude Law), as well as the main villain, Matthews, and his goons “at work” while robbing a local bank. Husk is a veteran in his job, specialised in breaking terrorist cells, Klan chapters and organised crime syndicates, but he decided to “take it easy,” or at least easier, in the Idaho office. Restless as he is, he follows the lead from the robbery to rural Washington state where he enlists the help of local deputy Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan), since neither the local sheriff’s office nor the Spokane FBI office are willing to explore the unlikely scenario that the Nazi militants would do bank robberies to finance their further operations. However, it is exactly the case, so the battle of wits between the agent and the charismatic (albeit psychopathic) leader begins.

There might be no false leads or red herrings in the course of the investigation, but both Baylin and Kurzel know how to stretch time and keep the viewers occupied for two hours. The way they do it is through functional digressions in which we get to know how the terrorist community operates both in action and on a daily level. There is a fine line not to be crossed here between exposing the baddies and letting them state their point of view, no matter how insane it is, but not making them appear like victims. They might be poor misguided fools, but they are also firm believers in an inhuman ideology.

Justin Kurzel has specialised in 'based on true events' thrillers, especially those about cases that shook his native Australia. In his feature début Snowtown (2011), he dealt with the Snowtown serial killings of the Nineties. After his first spell abroad with the highly visceral Macbeth (2015) and the unfortunate Assassin’s Creed (2016), his comeback film True History Of The Kelly Gang dealt with the life and times of the most notorious Australian outlaw. Finally, in Nitram (2021) he painted a portrait of spree killer Martin Bryant, who committed the Port Arthur Massacre. This time, he brings his expertise to the US, taking cues from Seventies and Eighties genre classics in the process, executing set pieces like car chases and shootouts to perfection, making The Order a gripping experience.

The most inventive part of the film is its casting. Nicholas Hoult seems like a perfect choice for a charismatic psychopath, and he nails his character’s empty gaze. For the first time, the one-time promising child actor Tye Sheridan has a mature, complex role worthy of his talent and technique. However, it is Jude Law who takes the spotlight here. With his mustachioed appearance, he channels the energy of iconic movie coppers with a self-destructive streak as played by Burt Reynolds, Tom Seleck and even Charles Bronson in the Seventies and Eighties.

The Order might not be too original, both in the plot and the character department, but it is very effective, functional movie fun. It brings the proper movies of old back to memory and it is already a lot in times like these.