During the pandemic lockdown and in the frigid months of more recent years, many home viewers became hooked on “true crime” stories that were once the lifeblood of broadcast TV news “magazine” shows, but now have entire cable networks devoted to them. And the streaming apps are simply bursting with documentaries and “limited” series that are comprised of recreations and “talking head” interviews. While motion pictures had been the showcase for non-fiction law enforcement tales, recently we’ve seen more of the “over the top” “stunt-heavy” action blockbusters. Now, in between the year-end family fantasies and the somber “Oscar bait”, here’s a nifty thriller that evokes the feel of those zippy “B pictures”. Ah, but there’s a twist in that much of the story still resonates today, several decades later (much like the upcoming SEPTEMBER 5, which you’ll be hearing about soon). Yes, on a cold day almost four years ago, the country was dealing with the legacy of THE ORDER.
A murder in a dark wooded area begins this fable set in the 1980s, just a couple of years into the Reagan presidency. Soon after, a veteran FBI agent named Terry Husk (Jude Law) takes on a new assignment in sleepy Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. After setting up in an empty office space, he checks in with the local police. A counterfeiting operation and bombs planted at synagogues and porno theatres may be linked to the local branch of the white supremacist group, the Aryan Nation. The sheriff is hestitant to help Husk, but young officer Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan) is eager to guide him. The film shifts focus to Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult), who is living a double life. He has a pregnant girlfriend, Zillah (Odessa Young) while maintaining a home with his wife Debbie (Alison Oliver), and young son Clinton. Or maybe it’s a “triple life” as Bob is the leader of a ‘splinter group” from the Nation called “The Order” which has been robbing banks and armored cars. As the crimes of the group become more violent, Husk brings in some FBI backup led by old partner Joanne Carney (Jurnee Smollett). But Bob is also getting more help as he enlists new recruits to his “crusade” as they plot their biggest score yet while also perpetrating the assassination of liberal radio talk show host Alan Berg (Marc Maron). He is aware of Husk and his crew as the men engage in a deadly game of “hide and seek” that finally explodes in a savage showdown.
Playing against his still dashing leading man looks, Law dives deep into the role of a lawman whose only real passion is for bringing the outlaws in, even at the cost of his health and all of his relationships. With his droopy Wyatt Earp-stache’, Husk seems to be living off nicotine paired with booze-infused caffeine despite his body’s distress signals (a long surgery scar in the middle of his chest and his gushing, ill-timed nose-bleeds). He’s truly a flawed hero, the grim dispenser of justice, though his loneliness seeps through (he reaches out to a family that has fled). But he’s the man for the job, the perfect pursuer of Bob Maxwell, played with wide-eyed zeal by Hoult. Unlike Husk, he remains a family man despite his split loyalties, though neither woman can tear him away from his goal of reshaping his homeland. Hoult goes into full “alpha dog” mode making us understand how he can lead his minions take on the “feds”. This makes Husk’s crew even more essential. Sheridan almost bursts with youthful energy as the small-town patrolman so eager to be “on the line” and stop the bigots tarnishing his “heartland”. And Smollett is all grit and steely determination as the agent who has a past with Husk and will call him on his “B.S.” without hesitation. But she has to temper her passion, especially as she “puts the hurt” on Mathews’ kin. Special kudos for the compelling Mr. Maron who puts a warm, human spin on this early casualty of the culture war.
Director Justin Kurzel doesn’t go for showy camera angles or flashy stunts and CGI bombast. He keeps the film moving at a crisp efficient pace, balancing the quirky character moments (Husk leans too hard on a witness and drenches him in nasal plasma) with suspenseful crime set pieces, bringing sweaty chaos to bank jobs and armored car shakedowns. But thanks in part to the screenplay by Zach Baylin (adapting ” The Silent Brotherhood” by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt), it’s the quiet moments that leave us with a chill down our spine. During a big picnic at the Mathews house, he lovingly lets his eight-year-old son pull the trigger of an automatic rifle. He later sends him off to bed with a story, a truly “grim’ fairy tale from “The Turner Diaries” a “how to” on rebellion (and we see an illustration of gallows in front of the White House). With the film’s eerie epilogue we’re reminded never to dismiss those “fringe” groups. And it makes us appreciate all those who would defend our country’s ideals. This is a gripping, well-acted thriller that may inspire others to take up the “reigns” from Husk and his aides when another challenge arises from the toxic seeds planted by THE ORDER.
3 out of 4
THE ORDER is now playing in select theatres
