The deranged loner in “Nitram” or the murders in “Snowtown,” the eerily disturbing debut film from Australian director Justin Kurzel, are hardly the people you would want to hang out with. Kurzel’s latest work, “The Order,” centers on American neo-Nazis and their hunters. None of the characters in the film are very likable, and Jude Law plays an FBI agent who has suffered considerable emotional trauma. One of the most dynamic films seen at the Venice Film Festival in its early days, Kurzel’s true-crime thriller “The Order” made its competitive premiere and cemented his reputation as a potent director, particularly when handling dark topics.
Writing by Zach Baylin, “The Order” is based on the book “The Silent Brotherhood” by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. It chronicles the search for a neo-Nazi militia group in the early 1980s, which was a splinter group from an extreme-right church run by zealots who wanted to use violence to further their agenda of white supremacists. Jude Law, who also served as the film’s producer, plays FBI agent Terry Husk, a wounded warrior from his time combating organized crime and the Klan who comes to the Pacific Northwest to investigate this faction. His acquaintance is a local police officer, played by Tye Sheridan.
Nicholas Hoult, who portrayed the director’s “True History of the Kelly Gang” in a terrifyingly serpentine way, plays the most eerily Kurzel-like role here. Hoult portrays Bob Mathews, a blue-eyed, angelic-looking rural boy with a cruel plan to create an all-white nation, a charming smile, and a heart of stone. He plans several bank robberies to raise money for his militia to do this. “The Turner Diaries,” a genuine 1978 novel that served as a model for American extreme-right actions until the 2021 attack on the Capitol, as shown by the film’s final credits, is the bible for his endeavor. Long before the movie ends, it becomes abundantly evident how timely “The Order” is as a critique of both the past and present of American fascism.
“The Order” works incredibly well as a docudrama but is also a very engaging detective thriller, especially during the action scenes. Editor Nick Fenton has given the robbery sequences, particularly the road assault on a Brink’s truck, a crisp, dynamic intensity that pays homage to the great thriller masters of the past, such as Sidney Lumet, William Friedkin, and Michael Mann. When the movie gets serious, it gets truly serious, like in a scene by a river where Mathews is aiming for Husk and Husk has a stag in his sights.
However, “The Order” has certain unclear elements. Kurzel sacrifices plausibility for an apocalyptic ending in the face of a raging fire during the film’s climactic face-off. Other scenes, such as the standard scene in which two lawmen discuss their case at one of their homes while children play merrily in the background, feel a little rote. In another unnecessarily dramatic scene, Mathews interrupts a racist minister’s sermon to spread his violent action gospel. Along with these underdeveloped female characters, the movie also stars Jurnee Smollett as Husk’s longtime FBI associate and Alison Oliver and Odessa Young as the two mistreated women in Mathews’ life. On the other hand, comedian and popular podcaster Marc Maron has a juicy role as a real-life radio DJ who confronts bigots and anti-Semites in America, furthering the theme of the movie.
Nonetheless, the film has a strong visual presence. The desaturated, nearly shredded color scheme of Adam Arkapaw contrasts with the beautifully textured northwest forests, rivers, and rock faces of the film, evoking a weary 1980s America. With a bristling mustache and a few extra pounds to represent Husk’s exhaustion, Law provides a performance that alternates from being warm and authoritatively irascible, demonstrating an actor stepping into mid-career authority with confidence. Together, he and Hoult’s icy-eyed foe provide a slightly legendary resonance, with the demon fight perfectly fitting the political setting.
“The Order” will be released in the United States on December 6 after having its premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
