Directed By Justin Kurzel
Starring – Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan
The Plot – In 1983, a series of increasingly violent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations and armored car heists frightened communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. As baffled law enforcement agents scrambled for answers, a lone FBI agent (Law), stationed in the sleepy, picturesque town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, came to believe the crimes were not the work of traditional, financially motivated criminals but a group of dangerous domestic terrorists, inspired by a radical, charismatic leader (Hoult), plotting a devastating war against the federal government of the United States.
Rated R for some strong violence, and adult language throughout.
POSITIVES
Art has a funny way of imitating life that forces us as a society to confront our own inept abilities to learn from the past, and in the case of this gripping true life story, the parallels between The Order and a particular political group currently rising to power are quite remarkable, especially in the way this script outlines the similarities between each, which makes the film feel like a cautionary tale of sorts that is still playing out in our own world currently divided by fear. This uncomfortable notion carries over to the depths of Kurzel’s brilliantly breathtaking direction, which is unapologetically moody in ways that very few films even attempt any more, with nothing in the way of caustic humor or even temporary levity to ease pressure off of this very terrifying issue. Kurzel’s depiction of racism and these characters never feels artificial or sensationalized for the sake of compelling cinema, and though it’s effortless to understand the moral divide between the two sides depicted in this movie, I love that he not only takes time to properly flesh out the tragic humanity that constantly hangs overhead in this terrorist group acting irresponsibly, but also in articulating the monumental mistakes from the acting law enforcement in the film, which inadvertently feel like they’re inscribing insight into how these monsters are created in the first place. On top of this, Kurzel and cinematographer Adam Arkapaw pitch a stimulating siesta within the decorated imagery of their film, with all sorts of unorthodoxly immersive camera angles and intoxicating imagery of the Idaho country sides that provided artistic ambition to a film and genre that I least expected it from. What’s most important is that the places Kurzel chooses to put the camera never feel distracting or hindering to what’s effortlessly captured, instead driving the aforementioned uncomfortable factors in atmosphere with unconventional uncertainty that feels like it has the audience looking one way, when the action surprises us emphatically from another. This leads to some of the most grippingly intense action sequences that I have seen this year, featuring impeccable editing and absorbing sound designs that had me feeling riveted by each unloaded round of ammunition capturing the danger and ferocity of these continuously elevated stakes. It’s important to know that the movie is a bit of a slow-burn in consistency, but when these confrontations materialize naturally after being built with increasing tension and psychological anxieties, it pays these acts off seamlessly in ways that not only ratchet up the devastation of this growing white supremacy, but also increases vulnerabilities in ways that unfortunately prove that every character is expendable in the persecution complex of racists who have no reservations about watching the world burn. Speaking of flames, the production also goes daring with a third act climax of a set piece that surprisingly involves legitimate fire to the crumbling ruins of one established setting, attaining a bit of a rogue style of creative filmmaking that is rarely explored in a business responsibly concerned with safety first. When the film isn’t aided by these highly endearing action sequences or enveloped practicality, it relies on the gloomily ominousness of Jed Kurzel (Justin’s brother) tones and compositions to appraise a dreaded thickness in the foreboding atmosphere, bringing back feelings of Johann Johannsson’s iconic score for ‘Sicario’, but never in ways that feel derivative or exploitative. Instead, Kurzel’s subtle repetition of what can only be described as groaning instrumentals elicits an unnerving ambiance to the interpretation that grows all the more alarming with the visual developments accompanying them. But all of this would mean nothing if the performances from this stacked ensemble didn’t conjure consciousness to the portrayal, and thankfully both Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult are up to the task of completely transforming themselves for their respective roles, with each of them surveying unexplored waters that were a blast to experience. It goes without saying, but this is truly the darkest role that Hoult has ever attempted, and as a result the false sense of security supplanted by those baby blue eyes and soft spoken deliveries are used against us in the coldly chilling stares that he unloads on his opposition, garnering an uneasy screen presence that fuels the fires of his character’s unmistakable influence in every scene, all the while evolving Hoult’s capabilities once more to successfully disappear into any role that he attempts. Despite the remarkable work from Hoult, it’s ultimately Law who steals the show for me, as this war-torn veteran of the FBI who occasionally unloads when the details become too overwhelming for his character. This brings forth an unbridled intensity and stoicism to Jude that bordered instability during some tense interactions with other characters, and while he has always been someone who commits himself to the psychology and personalities of his various portrayals, there’s something here that feels commanding without compromising the naturalism to how these scenes play out, affording Law free reign to tap into a moral trepidation of his own that forces his character to get just as gritty as Hoult’s.
NEGATIVES
This is a very good film that borders greatness, but it doesn’t quite reach that feat as a result of a couple of key hinderances to script detail that had me wishing the exploration to this true story dug a little deeper. This is particularly the case with the characterization, which offers very little development aside from subtle nuances within the investigation. I can certainly commend the film’s desire to make this more about the case than the characters, especially in its thorough dissection of the six part plan associated with this novel within the film that constantly inspires white supremacy, but because I gained so little knowledge about Law’s disheveled family life, or Hoult’s multiple partner relationship, it never granted me the kind of firm grip on these characters that I desired with the balance of such prominent performances, leaving much to be desired about a nearly two hour run time that definitely could’ve used some of that allowance to zoom out even temporarily from the confines of the case. Beyond this, my other significant issue with the script comes from its documenting framing device that spans this story multiple years, but isn’t exactly structured in ways that maintains the attained momentum between each abrupt cut. Every time the story shifts forward, we’re given visual text that conveys such, and though the establishing is vital to understanding the length of this turbulent war, it happens so often that it makes the conflicts that follow feel nearly episodic in the way they’re clumsily structured, with little in the way of natural progression to these shifts that become overwhelming by the film’s midway point.
OVERALL
‘The Order’ occasionally stumbles in deeper character studies, but has the kind of unyielding tension and gripping technique that makes it impossible to look away for a single minute, especially with urgent social commentary so reflective of the current societal divide that we currently find ourselves in. Law and Hoult dig to the deepest and darkest depths of their committed capabilities, breeding two dominantly mesmerizing performances on varying sides of the moral coin, and Kurzel leaves ‘Assassin’s Creed’ rightfully in the past where it belongs, with another hard-hitting and impactful true story that proves real life is much more terrifying than fiction.
My Grade: 8/10 or B+