The Order

The Order was a pretty average film that didn't quite live up to the weight of its subject matter. With such a serious and intense real-life inspiration, I expected a much more gripping, emotional, and thought-provoking story. Unfortunately, what we got was something that felt rushed in places and drawn out in others, with pacing that struggled to find consistency. The characters were underdeveloped and lacked emotional depth, making it hard to feel invested in their journey or motivations. Even the antagonist felt flat, which took away from the tension the film tried to build.

There were a few well-executed scenes-moments where the direction and cinematography showed real promise-but they were too few and far between. The tone also seemed confused at times, shifting awkwardly between thriller and drama without fully committing to either. It's the kind of movie that had all the pieces but couldn't quite put them together in a compelling way. Not terrible by any means, just very forgettable. I wouldn't warn people against watching it, but I wouldn't recommend it either.

Jerry Kurzel's solid, gripping, well executed fact-based crime thriller about domestic terrorism perpetrated by a white supremist group known as the Order. In 1983 in the Pacific Northwest a veteran federal agent named Terry Husk, marvelously played by Jude Law, believes that a series of violent bank robberies, counterfeiting, and armored car rip-offs are being done by a new dangerous group of young separatist white supremists that are led by an icy radical leader, Bob Mathews, brilliantly played by Nicholas Hoult in an impressive performance, who is amassing vast monies from these robberies to build an army to attack the U. S. government. What follows is a suspenseful and deadly game of cat and mouse between Husk's FBI team and Mathews' lethal group. Astute direction by Kurzel, with superlative supporting performances by Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron, Jurnee Smollett, George Tchortov, and Danny Yip. Outstanding cinematography by Adam Arkapaw, and an effective score by Jed Kurzel.

Another dark piece of history. I never knew of this story, so i was fascinated the whole time. I'd love to do a deeper dive into it. The feel to this movie was great! I felt like i was in a time machine. The actors were absolutely amazing, especially Jude Law! His character was absolutely intense and something you love to see on the big screen. It was him alone that made this movie as enjoyable as it was. The tense feelings this movie gave you as the plot slowly shows itself. It honestly feels like this same thing could happen today but you'd hope we would be better at recognizing it. I highly suggest this for everyone to see!

Saw in AMC theater 12-14-2024.

The Order is a mostly paint-by-numbers crime drama with some solid execution.

I don't have too much to say about this film since it's actually not really stand-out in any way. It's at its best when focused on the life and times of members in The Order and fleshing out this world of the rural pacific northwest. Nicholas Hoult is having a hell of a year and this is another great performance to add to the resume for the year. Everyone is was just okay performance-wise but there has to be some blame on the writers for leaning so deeply into the hard-boiled detective tropes. Sometimes the FBI officers just act way too-cool-for-school and it shows some laziness on the writers' part. A nice foil to that is Jamie (Tye Sheridan) who does a fantastically accurate impression of a small town cop. I'll be a defector and say that I actually enjoyed the action sequences, and I like that details within action plot points have actual effect later in the story. I'm getting a lot of No Country For Old Men influence, and that's a good thing.

The film has a really good handle on itself with a steady mix of tension building and discovery until the third act in which themes muddy significantly. There was some kind of two-sides-of-the-same-coin subtheme being attempted in the end between Terry and Bob that didn't really work for me, and cops suddenly lose all the discipline they had earlier in the film to do action hero things. There is a whole lot of world building in the film that adds to the whole rural aesthetic but I wonder if it contributed to its slow pacing. The film certainly felt long for a less than 2 hour movie.

Enjoyable crime thriller with some salient themes of racism and uprising to think about.

Midway through the movie, I suddenly remembered Jude Law is British-he's so convincing in this role. His performance, along with the rest of the cast, was excellent. Nicholas Hoult, in particular, was a standout. I couldn't have imagined him as a cult leader, having mostly seen him in quirky or sci-fi roles, but this film showcased his range brilliantly. Tye Sheridan was fantastic as always, and it was great to see him in a bigger project again. I really liked when he was upset with the FBI's incompetence. Jurnee Smollett also delivered a strong performance.

One scene that really stuck with me was the discovery of the body. I think it's my "favorite" one; it felt disturbingly real and visceral, especially with the character using his hands to dig up the grave instead of a shovel. That detail made it feel grounded, almost like you were right there, literally watching dirty work.

The pacing is slow, but it builds towards a more gripping third act. The motel shootout was shock, and it's in the final act where everything comes together. I think you usually have it in the back of your head, absentmindedly even, that the main characters will make it so the theatre gasped. The film touches on themes of hate , and it's always ironic and unsettling to hear people using the guise of faith to spread such. It was pretty interesting to me that the book referenced in the story is connected to real-world events like January 6 as well.

While I wasn't blown away, the movie met my expectations-which were sorta high. It's well-made and believable, even if it leans on familiar archetypes and tropes: the hate-filled ideology, the cult dynamics, the people working to dismantle it. So while nothing in the movie really surprises or blows you away, it's that familiarity makes the story feel real because characters like these do exist.

In the end, while it didn't resonate with me on a deeper level or stick with me after the credits rolled, it's a solid film with strong performances and a compelling, relevant narrative.