A straightforward yet harrowing cop thriller set in the 1980s Pacific Northwest
Movie
United Kingdom, United States of America
English
Crime, Drama, Thriller
2024
JUSTIN KURZEL
Alison Oliver, Bradley Stryker, Daniel Doheny
116 min
TLDR
Is there anyone more booked and busy this year than Nicholas Hoult?
What it's about
Based on true events, The Order follows an FBI Agent tasked to capture the mastermind behind a White supremacist terror group planning to overthrow the government.
The take
The Order is set in the 1980s, but it may as well have taken place in the present; the terror of white supremacists and the desire to storm the Capitol are eerily relevant. However, as political as The Order is, it works better as a cop drama. Director Justin Kurzel has the thrill of the chase down to a pat. As FBI Agent Terry Husk, Jude Law is equal parts talented and tormented (as any good onscreen detective seems to be). And matching his tense energy is Nicholas Hoult, who plays a neo-Nazi terrorist set to overthrow the government. His character could’ve been oversized or cartoonish in less deft hands, but Hoult plays his role with just the exact amount of evil charm to make him a believable cult leader.
What stands out
Car chases and shootouts—believable, organic, non-CGI ones—are an increasingly lost art in film. The Order is a reminder they can still be done well.