In 1983, talk radio host Ellen Berg (Marc Maron) hilariously berates racists on a Colorado radio station, while elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, a series of armed robberies The focus is even more concerning than usual because of possible white supremacist connections. This is the background orderJustin Kurzel’s highly engaging (albeit politically light) police story in which fictional FBI officer Terry Husk (Jude Law) sets out to pull real-world clues and… has disturbing modern implications.
The film was written by Zach Baylin and is based on the late 1980s non-fiction book by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt silent brotherhoodIt tells the story of an actual white supremacist splinter group known as “The Order” (or “The Brotherhood of Silence”) whose concerns about maintaining white supremacy led them to engage in meticulous acts of terror. First of all, it’s a very funny movie, although “fun” doesn’t seem like the right approach for such shaky material.
This is partly because Kurzel has finally abandoned his perpetually gloomy movie mentality, replacing it with the thrills and trappings of a Hollywood action movie. However, the film’s success is also due to Law’s performance as a lonely, no-nonsense cop for whom work comes first, even if it gets him into trouble and leaves him constantly on the verge of exploding.
what is order about?
Image source: Vertical Entertainment
Within minutes of the opening, order The showdown between the dangers and absurdities of white supremacy is depicted, thanks to Malone’s distinctly Malone-esque version of Berg, a Jewish radio personality who takes calls from frustrated bigots looking for a way out. His sharp and witty barbs can be heard even before the first image appears, although once they appear, they stand in stark contrast to the lively soundtrack. In the dead of night, two neo-Nazis shot one of their own for talking too much about their plans.
Berg appears only a handful of times on screen, but his performance serves as the film’s de facto narrator, and he appears occasionally to remind us of the everyday forms anti-Semitism and white supremacy can take. While this brings necessary comic relief, it’s also an important contrast. Much of the film depicts the broader extremes of white supremacy through fringe militia members who are ready and willing to commit violent acts, but the recurring presence of Berg’s voice keeps the Overton window from changing much; he reminds us that he easily The rejected callers and the film’s armed factions bloomed from the same seed.
Those familiar with Berg’s life will know how his story eventually intersects with that of the Order—a confusing example of narrator and narrative coming into contact—but beyond this moment, the film is primarily about two People’s stories. The first is Husker, aptly named because of his new life after the transfer. The moody agent sits in the FBI’s sparse branch office in Idaho, waiting for his wife and children to join him, though they too may be ghosts. He is empty and has nothing but work.
The second main character in the movie is Robert Jay Matthews (played by Nicholas Hoult), nicknamed Bob. He led the Phoenix in planning and carrying out armed robberies to fund weapons stockpiles. Unlike Husk, Bob is charismatic, popular, and always surrounded. The neo-Nazis he recruited considered him a brother. He had a wife and son at home, and even a pregnant mistress. Starting from its basic premise, order Established the appeal of his cult: community and unity.
After discovering suspicious “White Pride” flyers in town, Husk inquires with the local Sheriff’s Office, but no one seems concerned except for rookie cop Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan), who is more concerned Willing to spot these red flags because he has biracial children and is married to a woman of color (Morgan Holmstrom, an Aboriginal and Filipino actress). With Bowen’s help, Hasker begins investigating around town in hopes of identifying the gang’s leader, but Bob is always one step ahead, leading to an exciting game of cat and mouse that includes… Enjoyable heists and shootouts, albeit at the cost of examining the more challenging corners of its theme.
Popular stories that can be mixed and matched
order Take a practical approach to white supremacy.
Image source: Vertical Entertainment
As a period film about a white supremacist cult, order Looks a lot like Spike Lee black klansman Viewed from a distance, they use shifting comedic and dramatic tones to urge viewers to take seriously the most ridiculous aspects of white supremacy. What separates them, of course, is the fact that Lee’s film is about osmosis from within, while Kurzel’s is more about the chase – in fact, the black experience and perspective are at the core black klansman.
order It doesn’t necessarily follow the same path – a black FBI agent, played by Jurnee Smollett, delivers punchy dialogue but it’s mostly perfunctory – although it often leaves some material behind. black klansman This is by no means an exposé of white supremacy in policing (Lee has always critical But its haunting conclusion suggests that even the heroic actions of black police detectives were not effective in the long run in stemming the rise of neo-Nazism in America. order Issues of race within the police are completely avoided—a concept that seems to barely exist outside the confines of the cult—but these shortcomings also serve to simplify ordermaking it a valuable pulp program.
The film’s attitude toward white supremacy is best labeled “utilitarian.” There’s little to discover through actions or dialogue—neo-Nazi figures discuss America no longer being “our country” and suggest the recession might push them into Bob’s arms—but order There is an intense, unrelenting focus on the white supremacist playbook. That is to say: order Outstanding features turner diaryWilliam Luther Pierce’s 1978 neo-Nazi novel, lays out a detailed plan to overthrow the U.S. government, culminating in “Day of the Rope,” the hanging of traitors at the U.S. Capitol.
If this novel is eerily reminiscent of Uprising on January 6, 2021this is no coincidence. turner diary White supremacist rhetoric and conspiracy theories like “QAnon” have long been permeated in the United States. The book and its pages appear throughout the film, both as Bob’s blueprint and as a not-so-subtle clue for Husk and Bowen, who use the book’s pages to convince the FBI to divert resources to destroy the Order. By locating the center of the book to this extent, the film becomes a premonition, a warning that recent events – and the likelihood of them happening again in the near future – do not exist in a vacuum.
order is Kurzel’s most accomplished filmmaking work.
Image source: Vertical Entertainment
There is an argument to be made order It is a B-level movie based on the famous “problem” drama. An equally valid argument is that this is Kurzel’s best film, akin to the metamorphosis of the last decade of M. Night Shyamalan’s career – which included films like access, Glass, oldand trap —Both filmmakers eventually broke free of their own ways and embraced cinematic “trash.”
Most of Kurzel’s films are filled with sadness and death. This has led to some interesting experiments, such as his 2015 macbeth The plot of Lady Macbeth was born out of mourning for the loss of a child (the film, while enjoyable to watch, is too long). On the other hand, it also leads to weird things like 2016. Assassin’s Creeda video game movie that forgets to have fun. and orderKurzel remembers that even within the confines of the horrific, fun is still possible, and he embodies this dynamic paradox by shouldering the weight of the law.
Law plays Husker, a sad character on the verge of madness. His “bad cop” routine is his baseline, even though he’s not jumping off the walls like Nicolas Cage. Bad Lieutenant: New Orleans Port of Callhe belongs to the same conversation. His nose would bleed regularly (he claimed it was from medication), although on one occasion, when he was particularly eager to “lean on” a suspect, he did just that, going into freak mode during an impromptu interrogation, Bleeding all over. It’s just plain silly, but thank God Law refused to have his hairline artificially restored; the actor’s widow’s peak makes Husker not only more realistic but also more menacing.
In contrast, Hoult portrays Bob as a charming, cautious, and superficially “normal” man. He would be perfectly affable if it weren’t for the Nazi swastika in his garage. Although Husk and Bob rarely meet on screen, their dichotomy is unsettling. Holt – plays Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s just-finished film Superman: Legacy – plays his neo-Nazi persona as if he were a Boy Scout, just like Superman. At the same time, Law’s attitude toward the selfless, dogged enforcer can be strangely terrifying, as if joining the group would provide more immediate results and rewards than trying to take them down. You can see why people join.
However, this inverted approach to heroes and villains also planted the seeds for a typical Kurzel transformation. In the final scene of the film, the relentless fatalism of his films, e.g. nitram, The True History of the Kelly Gangand snowtown murders Returning with a vengeance, as if unable to resist delayed gratification. Only this time, this belated melancholy tone doesn’t just add texture, but feels earned, as if it’s an extension of these characters’ lives. This reminds me of Michael Mann hotbecause Husk and Bob are people who are so driven and obsessed with their goals that they push everyone away in the process.
order Rarely slowing down, each new action crescendo is deftly built with the help of Jed Kurzel’s rumbling and energetic score. It may not have anything new to say about race in America—then or now—but its broad reminders of the mechanics of neo-Nazi terror feel justified in the film’s brisk, deftly calibrated pace. It should feel insulting that this is an action movie with more “prestige” or weighty content, but in reality it has been key to Kurzel’s necessary transformation.
order The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival. The film will be released in select theaters on December 6.
