The Order
The Order
Starring Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett
Directed by Justin Kurzel
In 1983, FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) travels to the small town of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, to investigate a disappearance. Upon arriving he learns that the town is under siege by The Order - a white supremacist group that is actively robbing banks, recruiting new members, and committing murder and fear to get their message across. Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult) is a younger member of the group who uses his charisma to create a revolution within The Order, leading others to do more than just talk about wanting change to happen and makes it happen - by force. Together with local officer Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan) and fellow FBI agent Joanne Carney (Jurnee Smollett), Terry sets out to find Bob and stop him and his cult from their ultimate goal - mass terrorism.
What makes "The Order" work so well is its ability to tell a story that feels real, which doesn't hurt the fact that this is a fictional version of something that really happened. I've said it before, I don't go into these true life movies expecting 100% accuracy, and I'm sure there's moments in the film thrown in for dramatic effect, but you feel that this is a "real" film due to the outstanding work of the director of photography Adam Arkapaw. He uses natural light and landscape to craft the background of a gritty realism that doesn't give off a Hollywood gloss, but is gritty, dark, and natural. It's visually a beautiful film in its simplicity, further pulling you into the story.
The story itself is intense and dramatic, as it's essentially a cat-and-mouse game between two men who are both incredibly similar and polar opposite, both performed with gusto by Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult. Law's Terry is a man weathered by his job, where he's essentially lost everything that's mattered to him and has become a husk of the man he once was. He looks rough, he acts rough, and you can sense the deep pain he's harboring on the inside just waiting to explode. Law plays this really well, where you're constantly wondering what's going through his mind, and feeling a deep sense of pity for him. He knows he'll die alone, and he has wholly surrendered himself to his work and finding The Order before they commit mass murder.
On the other end there's Nicholas Hoult's Bob Mathews, a young man disillusioned by the ways of his elders and wants to create real change through brute force. He's tired of the sermons and people talking about change, and sets out to make it happen no matter the cost. Whereas Terry is alone and beaten down, Bob is surrounded by his followers, his wife, and his mistress, and is emboldened by his charisma and strength to do something more. However, like Terry, there's a sense that Bob knows he'll eventually die alone, either at the hands of the law or his own martyrdom. Hoult is known for playing more heroic roles, and seeing him as a stone cold villain was something refreshing and proves that he hasn't typecast himself into one particular style.
The film offers some truly shocking moments as well, including a few moments I never saw coming, mixed in with the dramatic performances and action sequences. It's tense in a way where you don't feel it until you're deeply involved, and where you find yourself surprised by the final outcome and how it really affected you.
The Score: A-
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