Naturally, it takes an Australian director and a cast led by mostly non-American actors to hold a mirror to a part of recent U.S. history that has alarming ties to the present day.
Based on a true story set in the 1980s, The Order tells parallel narratives that meet violently by the film's conclusion. One concerns a series of bold, daylight bank robberies and armored car heists throughout the Pacific Northwest, which become increasingly violent as time goes on. It turns out, the robberies are the work of a domestic terrorist gang (a.k.a. white supremacists) called The Order, who are using the stolen cash to fund an eventual armed uprising against the U.S. government.
The group is run by Bob Matthews (Nicholas Hoult), who has taken the teachings of the local white supremacist culture in the area and twisted it even further to include actual acts of violence, including the assassination of Jewish radio talk show host Alan Berg (Marc Maron). Even the local racist preacher (Victor Slezak) thinks Matthews has gone too far and put too much of a spotlight on their lifestyle. The screenplay by Zach Baylin (based on the 1989 nonfiction book The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt) also chooses to give us insight into Matthews’ family life, which includes wife Debbie (Alison Oliver) and side piece Zillah Craig (Odessa Young), with whom he also has a child.
The film’s other story concerns FBI Agent Terry Husk (Jude Law), who is the first to suspect that these armed robberies are being used to finance The Order, which has built a war chest of more than $4 million. Their two paths eventually do cross, once in an unexpected and more civil exchange, and then again in a standoff that turns bloody and becomes somewhat notorious in certain circles. With his partner Joanne (Journee Smollett) and a local sheriff (Tye Sheridan), Husk seems to be the only one who understands that The Order could seriously threaten the foundation of American society in multiple ways, and he seems particularly eager to cut them off at the knees before they get a foothold into their compound with ammunition and other supplies.
Directed by Justin Kurzel (Assassin’s Creed, True History of the Kelly Gang), The Order is a solid crime procedural that doesn’t feel the need to amp up its tension artificially. There is certainly enough drama generated by just using the facts. Law and especially Hoult bring enough weight to their characters by underplaying them and letting the sometimes horrifying words they’re speaking do the heavy lifting.
But I’m guessing that audiences watching this will wonder if this film was made about events taking place 40 years ago or last week. It seems shockingly prescient to current events, and that’s bound to make a great many people quite uncomfortable, which I think is a good thing. I’m also guessing that some will reject the film because it might give ideas to contemporary groups like The Order, which is somewhat laughable because I think the ground that The Order broke in terms of illegal money gathering has been made irrelevant since these groups are working increasingly out of the shadows these days.
The Order is a terrific crime drama and a chilling reminder of where we might be headed as a nation. I’m not sure people are going to turn out to see it in droves around the holidays, but see it they should.
The film is now playing in theaters.
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