Here come the White Supremacists. Really.
“The Order” takes its name from the ‘80s hate group that killed radio star Alan Berg and robbed banks to fund its tortured plans. It’s perfect fodder for storytellers to push the “Trump Is Hitler” card, or at least uncork a few story-stopping lectures.
Instead, “The Order” keeps to the facts. Mostly. It’s a smart, absorbing detective thriller powered by Jude Law.
There’s only one indirect Trump reference, and the film fumbles it.
FBI agent Terry Husk (Law) is no stranger to KKK-infused violence. He suspects a string of bombings in the Pacific Northwest may be tied to other Neo Nazis. Terry finds a kindred spirt in Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan), a young, clear-thinking cop who senses Terry is on to something.
Yes, it’ll mean interrogating some of Jamie’s network, but he’s the kind of lawman who pushes that aside.
Terry pushes everything to the side, from his interrogation decorum to a medical condition that finds his nose dripping blood under duress. It’s a cliched character but Law brings him to robust life.
Sheridan’s cop is the opposite, and he all but fades into the backdrop. Jamie’s wife Kimmy (Morgan Holmstrom) cuts to the heart of a matter in one powerful sequence. If only Jamie did the same.
The Order’s tentacles stretch across states, including the murder of Denver-based talker Alan Berg (Marc Maron). The group has bigger, more nefarious plans, and if Terry and Jamie can’t crack the case more people may die.
The Order’s ringleader is Bob Matthews (Nicholas Hoult), a charismatic ghoul whose fealty to the cause knows no bounds. Hoult captures that rage without sacrificing reality. Even monsters can be sweet, kind and loyal.
That’s what’s so wise about “The Order.”
It paints some of the White Nationalists as human despite their hateful ways. Hoult’s character is seen cradling his baby and sharing warm moments with his bride.
Their wickedness is more alarming when a flicker of decency shines through. In other scenes, the Neo Nazis are as dark and twisted as you expect.
Good.
“Surely the job of the film is to understand.”
Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult & Justin Kurzel on THE ORDER, which uses the framing of an investigative crime thriller to explore the seductive, corrosive power of hate in America.https://t.co/OJo4m28Vcy
— Mark Olsen (@IndieFocus) November 27, 2024
A Neo-Nazi preacher implores Bob to renounce violence on pragmatic grounds. Their battle to win back the country can’t break the law. It’s another shrewd element to a story brimming with moral questions.
“The Order,” written by Zach Baylin and directed by Justin Kurzel, still feels rote at times. A pivotal death later in the film is telegraphed so baldly even a toddler could sniff it out. Jurnee Smollett’s character, a hard-driving FBI agent, plays like a 2024 creation even if the actress’s commitment isn’t in doubt.
There’s little extraordinary about “The Order.” It’s a smart, resourceful thriller with impeccable production design and first-rate performances. Oh, and the post-film text makes that Trump connection … and gets it wrong.
HiT or Miss: “The Order” tells a compelling, true-life horror story well thanks to Jude Law’s committed performance and an ideological sense of restraint.
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