Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (February 9, 2025)
Given the current political situation in the US, stories of violent, insurrectionist racists feel depressingly relevant. For a film based on historical events in that realm, we go to 2024's The Order, a story set in the 1980s.
After a busy career filled with difficult cases, long-time FBI Agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) takes a position in rural Idaho. However, he soon learns that he might find more work than expected.
When he investigates, Husk begins to suspect that a local White Supremacist sect called "The Order" might be involved in a variety of crimes. This leads him down a dangerous path, especially since Order leader Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult) plans to execute his mission via deadly means.
After a few well-regarded dramas, director Justin Kurzel got a shot at a Big Hollywood Blockbuster via 2016’s Assassins Creed. However, it received poor reviews and mediocre box office.
Apparently this sent Kurzel back to his native Australia to lick his wounds. Order represents his first non-Aussie flick since Creed.
I suspect Creed faltered because it simply didn’t deliver a good movie. Perhaps the subject matter didn’t reside in Kurzel’s wheelhouse, as he showed greater skill via his 2015 adaptation of MacBeth.
The Order supports my belief that the issues with Creed didn’t stem from Kurzel’s lack of talent. With this 2024 film, Kurzel shows again that he can create a taut cinematic experience.
Not that anyone should expect Order to reinvent the wheel. While I don’t know if I’d regard the movie as predictable, it follows fairly standard “cop thriller” territory.
Albeit with the benefit of a basis in real events, and that gives the movie added charge. Many viewers will already enjoy some familiarity with aspects of Order, primarily because members of the Order murdered radio personality Alan Berg in 1984.
Berg’s story inspired 1988’s Oliver Stone flick Talk Radio as well as some other projects. While Berg features as part of Order, the film focuses more on the sect itself and law enforcement attempts to stop them.
Which means a lot of fairly traditional thriller elements here. As implied, Order doesn’t stretch the genre’s boundaries in an particular way.
That said, “traditional” doesn’t mean “bad”. Films of this sort tend to follow a particular path for a good reason: it works.
And that becomes the case with Order. As told by Kurzel, we get an involving crime drama that keeps us with it the whole way.
A good cast helps, and the sight of Hoult as he plays against type becomes particularly positive. After a career during which he mainly took on “nice guy” roles, Mathews offers a twist.
But Bob brings a twist that capitalizes on our pre-existing view of Hoult. The film shows Mathews as a relentlessly “normal” guy in most ways and not some obvious nutbag.
This makes the truth of his fanaticism more impactful. If someone as “typical” as Mathews can become a racist terrorist, then the problem seems more relatable – and scary.
In the end, The Order brings a largely satisfying crime drama. While it fails to truly excel, it still offers an involving narrative.
