The Adelaide Film Festival presented the Australian Premiere of director Justin Kurzel’s movie The Order at the Piccadilly Theatre last Wednesday evening. Based on a true story, it stars Jude Law as world weary FBI agent Terry Husk, who is sent to investigate a series of armed robberies in the Pacific Northwest in 1983. Nicholas Hoult portrays the chillingly charismatic leader, Bob Mathews of the white supremacist group behind the crimes.
The movie is based on a screenplay by Zach Baylin, which itself is based on “The Silent Brotherhood”, a 1989 non-fiction book by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. The motivation behind the group’s actions is spurred from a fictional book called “The Turner Diaries”, which describe six steps to world domination, the final one being the “day of the rope”. The Turner Diaries have inspired numerous hate crimes and acts of terrorism, including the 1984 assassination of Alan Berg, portrayed here by Marc Maron, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and the 1999 London nail bombings. It is estimated to have influenced perpetrators in over 200 killings.
Over the course of the movie, we learn that Husk is facing demons of his own, yet his devotion to uncovering the truth behind the violence is his main driving factor. He finds the local sheriff’s office dismissive of the case, bar young policeman Jamie Bowen, played by Tye Sheriden. The two men forge an alliance that probes into the tightly held world of the supremacists.
Kurzel has effectively captured the essence of the era, adhering to a desaturated grading that highlights the depression of the times, as well as the score successfully raising the tension when needed. There is a beautiful contrast between the magnificent Rocky Mountain countryside and the gritty drama unfolding, furthered by the apparently wholesome family life of Matthews set against his cold-blooded crimes.
Despite the movie setting some forty years ago, echoes of the racial tensions depicted still resound to this day. The Order is a fascinating insight into what drives these ideologies and acts perhaps as a warning to what might be. It is quite relevant to current events as the Turner Diaries was found on one of the protagonists of the October 6th Capitol attack.
After the showing, AFF CEO Mat Kesting joined director Justin Kurzel and composer Jed Kurzel for an insightful Q&A session.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Order screened as part of this year’s Adelaide Film Festival, which ran between October 23rd and November 3rd, 2024.
The Order was also reviewed as part of our Toronto International Film Festival coverage.
