I really wish films like “The Order” weren’t so relevant in today’s society, yet here we are.
Director Justin Kurzel’s film (based on the nonfiction bestseller “The Silent Brotherhood”) is a chilling historical thriller that chronicles one of the largest manhunts in FBI history. It’s a disturbing look into the dangerous world of radicalized white supremacy in 1980s America, but the story could just as easily be happening in the country today.
Based on a true story, the film centers around FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law), a man who has become convinced that a series of bank robberies and armored heists throughout the Pacific Northwest is the word of a domestic terrorist gang intent on funding an armed uprising against the U.S. government. As the militia builds a multi-million dollar war chest, Husk pursues the racist cult leader and figurehead Bob Matthews (Nicholas Hoult) in an attempt to stop these white supremacists before it’s too late.
It’s disturbing to draw parallels between this violent hate group from the 1980s and more modern organizations, but comparisons are inevitably (and fully warranted). The film succeeds in creating an atmosphere of dread and intrigue, but it is Law’s performance that elevates the material. His depiction of a man consumed by both his mission and personal demons is utterly compelling, and he gives a gripping lead performance that’s boiling over with a haunting intensity.
Hoult’s performance, though chilling, feels somewhat familiar, bordering on a caricature of the typical white power villain often seen in films. This lack of nuance in his character detracts from the complexity the film strives for.
The story remains painfully relevant, reflecting the ease with which marginalized and angry individuals can be radicalized, and how hate groups prey on them. This is difficult material that translates well to the screen.
Where the film stumbles is in its pacing and structure. The storytelling becomes long-winded, with extraneous subplots and scenes that drag the narrative out unnecessarily. The story feels better suited to a serialized TV format (or even as a season of ”True Detective”), which could have given the story the breathing room needed to explore its many threads without becoming so unwieldy.
Despite its flaws, “The Order” is an engrossing thriller that draws disturbing parallels between the radicalism of the past and the hate that still simmers today.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 