On July 17, the cinema began to release the crime thriller «The Order», which is based primarily on real events related to the neo-Nazi terrorist organization The Order, and only then — on the 1989 documentary book «The Silent Brotherhood» by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. The film had its world premiere at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the main award — «Golden Lion». Find out what and who the story is about, as well as how interesting it is in the review below.
Pluses:
a good tandem of characters of Jude Law and Tye Sheridan, for whom you sincerely root; full of tension, the most realistic and down-to-earth action scenes; continuous gloom is appropriate in stories of this kind;
Minuses:
the very slow pace of the story will not appeal to everyone; the antagonist played by Nicholas Hoult does not make a good impression; some may lack action, and some may lack dramatic depth;
«The Order»
Genre crime thriller
Director Justin Kurzel
Starring Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, Jerney Smollett, Alison Oliver, Mark Maron, Odesa Young, Philip Levitsky, Sebastian Pidgeon
Premiere movie theaters
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb, official website
In 1983, Terry Husk, an FBI agent who is clearly beaten down by life, arrives in the town of Coeur d’Alene, located in the picturesque mountains of Idaho, in search of at least a little peace. There, he comes across leaflets proclaiming white supremacy, and later on, the dead body of a member of the far-right organization led by Robert J. Mathews, buried in the woods.
These determined young men have been systematically staging terrorist attacks and bank robberies, apparently preparing to do something bigger and more sinister. Enlisting the support of his colleague Joanne Carney, as well as local deputy sheriff Jamie Bowen, Husk tries his best to track down the criminals and put an end to their atrocities.
In many ways, the new film by the director «Assassin’s Creed» (2016) by Justin Kurzel resembles its protagonist. She is as gloomy and old-fashioned as the flared pants the protagonist wears, a little clumsy and slow, but still hasn’t lost a certain charm.
Jude Law takes an example from the recent Liam Neeson and grows a lush mustache, and for good reason — everything about him screams of the archetypal image of an experienced and infinitely tired law enforcement officer who has seen a lot in his life. This is perfectly understandable without any hints of a sad background related to the hero’s personal life, without an unsuccessful deer hunt, without showing scars on his body, and without a story about tracking down the mafia that had a tragic ending.
In every sense, the opposite of Jude Law’s character is Mathews, played by Nicholas Hoult, who again appears in a villainous role alongside a crazy performance in «Superman». At first glance, he seems to be an exemplary family man, except for the fact that he lives in a two-family home, teaches his son to shoot a gun during a family barbecue, and reads the youngster «The Turner’s Diaries» by William Luther Pierce at night. This red book was described by the FBI as the «Bible of right-wing racists», and the end credits tell the viewer that the participants in the storming of the Capitol in January 2021 were also inspired by this reading.
Despite the fact that wading through Kurzel’s slow narrative is no easy task, any scene of a collection truck robbery is much more tense and exciting than the whole thing «Armor», which is devoted entirely to the same thing. Unfortunately, there aren’t as many action scenes as I would have liked, but they are all perfectly executed, with more than enough tension.
The on-screen interaction between Jude Law and Tye Sheridan is also very nice. While during the first armed clash with neo-Nazi supporters, the young policeman literally numb with fear, which could have cost his senior partner his life, later he was unstoppable, which is what one of the most dramatic scenes of the film is about.
The only people who are probably completely indifferent to the local dramas are the majestic mountains that stretch over the town of Cor d’Alene. In general, the film is filled with shots of picturesque landscapes that contrast sharply with the gloom and dreariness of the situation, which is provoked by a conflict that is more fundamental than ever.
It would be hard to call «The Order» a purely entertaining film, but at the same time, the topic, which is painful, especially for the United States, is not revealed here with the proper depth. Genre elements coexist with a simple but difficult to understand narrative, the essence of which lies on the surface. This is why the film will make you bored at many points.
At the same time, it is impossible to characterize this crime thriller as something bad or a failure. The central conflict makes you root for the good guys, the message is still relevant, and the good actors feel confident in their roles.
But most importantly, this story reminds us once again that any bloody leader will sooner or later face a deserved, disappointing end — a truth written not by screenwriters but by life itself. Although, of course, the sooner the better.
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