The Order (2024) Dir. Justin Kurzel

Coming off movies about Ned Kelly and mass murderer Martin Bryant (our review of Nitram here), director Justin Kurzel shifts his focus from Australian history to a dark topic in America’s past with his new crime film exploring racism and violence.

Based on non-fiction book The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, The Order sees a group of white supremacists undertake robberies and crime to forward their twisted goals.

Their leader Bob Matthews (Nicholas Hoult) feels the local Ayran Nation group isn’t doing enough to achieve change and recruits a number of equally twisted men with similar extreme views to his own.

Hot on his trail is FBI Agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) who’s looking for a more relaxed life, but whose hot-head rough style continues to bubble to the surface as he’s thrust into the chase.

The film’s heists are brief versions of those in Michael Mann’s Heat and they add intense and exciting sequences, whilst also being sandwiched between Hoult’s speeches to his “soldiers” and scenes of his fractured and complicated home life.

Law’s aggressive behaviour is amplified when paired with Tyler Sheridan’s reserved local officer in a nice character contrast of the two different approaches to these criminal investigations. And Jurnee Smollett as a senior FBI agent enlivens proceedings every time she’s on screen. Which, to be fair, is all too brief.

But in addition to the well structured narrative, an intriguing story and the cat-and-mouse antics of the criminals and coppers, the real highlight is the simple pleasure of two fantastic leads.

Off the back of his turn as Henry VIII in Firebrand, Law is entering a fascinating renaissance, dropping his admittedly pretty boy-ish charm to delve into more complex, rugged and tortured characters with much success. Here he’s a glorious trouble-maker but one with ultimately honourable intentions, yet it's these fiery ambitions which lead to eventual tragic consequences.

Hoult meanwhile is on his own impressive run. Just this month with have him in this and Nosferatu as well as a home release of his strong role in Clint Eastwood's Juror #2 - and even a welcome appearance in the latest Superman trailer. Boy is busy!

In the end, Law’s law-man and Hoult’s bigoted blow-hard show that both actors are the real standouts here. They provide the necessary depth - plus impressively flawless American accents - to a story whose important themes and subject matter sadly still resonate in today’s America.

★★★★

4 / 5

Michael Sales

X @midlandsmovies