| The Order | |
|---|---|
 American theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Justin Kurzel |
| Screenplay by | Zach Baylin |
| Based on | The Silent Brotherhood by
|
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Adam Arkapaw |
| Edited by | Nick Fenton |
| Music by | Jed Kurzel |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Amazon MGM Studios (underPrime Video) |
Release date |
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Running time | 116 minutes[2] |
| Country | Canada[3][4] |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2.3 million[5][6] |
The Order is a 2024 Canadiancrime thriller film directed byJustin Kurzel and written byZach Baylin, based on the 1989 non-fiction bookThe Silent Brotherhood: The Chilling Inside Story of America's Violent, Anti-Government Militia Movement by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. The film revolves around an FBI agent who goes after awhite supremacist terrorist group known asthe Order that was active in theUnited States in the1980s. It starsJude Law asFBI agent Terry Husk andNicholas Hoult as Robert Jay Mathews, leader ofThe Order.Tye Sheridan,Jurnee Smollett,Alison Oliver, andMarc Maron appear in supporting roles.
The film had its world premiere at the81st Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2024, where it competed for theGolden Lion.
In 1983, Bruce Pierce and Gary Yarbrough lure Walter West out into the woods at night under the ruse of a hunting trip, and murder him.
VeteranFBI agent Terry Husk reopens the long-vacant field office inCoeur d'Alene, Idaho, looking for an easier caseload after working on investigations of theKu Klux Klan andCosa Nostra, and hoping he can persuade his estranged wife and daughter to reconnect with him.
InSpokane, Washington,Bob Mathews, Pierce, Yarbrough, andDavid Lanerob aWashington Mutual branch. Mathews then visits his pregnant mistress and later his wife, giving each bags of cash from the robbery.
After reviewing a case file onAryan Nations and its founderRichard Butler, Husk introduces himself to the local sheriff's department and meets Deputy Jamie Bowen, who offers to show him to Butler'scompound inHayden Lake, Idaho. Bowen, who has a mixed-race family, tells Husk that West, now missing for several weeks, is a childhood friend and member of Aryan Nations who told him the group iscounterfeiting money. Bowen suspects that the group is also responsible for a recentsynagogue bombing, as well as a string of robberies, including the one in Spokane. Husk meets with fellow FBI agent Joanne Carney, who tells him that a failed bomb was found in apornography shop in Spokane around the same time as the robbery. West's wife points Husk and Bowen to where Pierce and Yarbrough took him hunting, and they discover his body in a shallow grave.
Husk and Bowen visit Butler at his compound, who tells them that he ejected Pierce and Yarbrough from Aryan Nations for using the group's printing press to counterfeit, and denies knowledge of their subsequent activities. As they leave, Husk notices a book on display in the compound's church, of which a copy was also present at the scene of West's murder. Butler identifies it as thewhite supremacist novelThe Turner Diaries. Afterwards, Butler confronts Mathews about his splinter group's activities. While Butler seeks to work within the law and elect white supremacists to public office, Mathews aims to promotewhite separatism throughdomestic terrorism. Butler has his assistant deliver a copy ofThe Turner Diaries to Bowen's home, hoping to tip off police to Mathews' plan.
Yarbrough bombs apornographic theater as a distraction for Mathews to lead the robbery of anarmored truck. Refusing to wait for backup, Husk attempts to stop the robbery but is outnumbered, while Bowen freezes and does not engage, angering Husk.
While elk hunting, Husk realizes he's being watched by Mathews, who he does not yet recognize. They speak, and Mathews subtly threatens him before leaving.
Bowen studiesThe Turner Diaries, and explains to Husk that he believes the splinter group, now calling itselfThe Order, is using the novel as a blueprint for overthrowing thefederal government and igniting arace war. Mathews sends Pierce toDenver to assassinateAlan Berg, aJewishtalk radio host who frequently spars on-air withantisemites that call into his show. Mathews leads another armored truck robbery inUkiah, California. A gun dropped at the crime scene leads police to Tony Torres, a new recruit whostraw purchased guns for Mathews. Torres turnsinformant and leads police to a meeting with Mathews. Husk once again does not wait for backup and attempts to arrest Mathews, triggering a shootout; this time Bowen springs into action and providescovering fire. Yarbrough is apprehended, while Mathews shoots Bowen as he makes his escape. Husk abandons the chase to try to save Bowen, but he quickly succumbs to his injuries.
Mathews retreats with Pierce and Lane to hissafe house onWhidbey Island, Washington, planning to "declare war" on the federal government and stage a major terrorist attack. Husk and Carney lead an FBIraid on the house. Pierce and Lane try to escape and are immediately apprehended, while Mathews makes a stand, repelling the FBI as they attempt to storm the house. The FBI tactical team orders the house to be burned to force Mathews out despite Husk's warning that Matthews would not leave under any circumstances. When Matthews fails to emerge, Husk enters alone, hoping to persuade Mathews to surrender. He aims his gun at Mathews, who had already been aiming at Husk; both slowly take down their weapons, before it is revealed that they were only looking at each other through a mirror. Mathews lays down in a bathtub, and Husk is forced to retreat when the fire detonates a large cache of ammunition.
After the raid, Husk goes hunting. As he trains his rifle on the same elk from earlier, the film ends. A postscript explains that the real-life Mathews perished in the fire and his associates were imprisoned, and thatThe Turner Diaries has inspired numerous other acts of domestic terror, including theOklahoma City bombing.
In February 2023, it was announced thatJude Law andNicholas Hoult would star inThe Order, directed byJustin Kurzel from a screenplay byZach Baylin based onThe Silent Brotherhood, a 1989 non-fiction book by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. Law would also produce with Kurzel, while Baylin would executive produce.[7] In May 2023,Tye Sheridan,Jurnee Smollett,Odessa Young,Alison Oliver andMarc Maron joined the cast.[8][9]
Filming began in May 2023, inAlberta, Canada.[8][10]
The Order had its world premiere at the81st Venice International Film Festival on August 31, 2024, where it competed for theGolden Lion.[11]
In May 2024,Vertical acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, and released it on December 6, 2024 in a limited theatrical release[12][13] in 600-700 theaters.[14]
Distributors were nervous about streaming the film in the US because of the political context, in the lead-up to the2024 US elections.[14]Amazon Prime Video acquired the rights to stream in multiple international territories excluding the United States,[15] and it premiered on Amazon in the UK on December 27, 2024.[14]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 92% of 155 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "A stoic Jude Law and diabolically good Nicholas Hoult turn the tides of history in this grippingly intense thrill ride."[16]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[17]
Tim Grierson ofScreen International wrote that the film was "always skillfully choreographed but never showy".[18] Stephanie Bunbury ofDeadline Hollywood characterized the film as a "sweeping slice of politicalAmericana".[19] Jordan Mintzer ofThe Hollywood Reporter described the film as "a gripping true story of American violence".[20]
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