The Order Movie Review

This movie has a stunning cast, and the visual effects are just as magnificent. It was filmed in the Pacific Northwest, with expansive views of the land these people have, followed by tight shots of frightened individuals.

The cinematography is not all lost to the indifference that sometimes accompanies a true story. You’re genuinely immersed in the goings-on because, for one thing, the events weren’t all that long ago. Also, they seem to have risen again too recently for comfort.

“The Order” is based on a true story and the book The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and contributor Gary Gerhardt. The two work together to help you fully appreciate the work of the other, and you will. Almost immediately, you’ll find the narrative exhilarating. It’s a horrifying look into one of the worst hate groups, extremists, in this country since the Ku Klux Klan emerged 100 years ago.

In the film, Bob, played marvelously by Nicholas Hoult, who has been getting a lot of work lately, wanted his own militia. He feels as if the country is slipping away from the white man and that, within every revolution, someone has to fire the first shot to get things back to where they should be. He wants that role and thinks he can take it with ease. He’s given a book, “The Turner Diaries,” written by the head of one of the most effective tyrannical groups in the United States. The encasement in which the book is housed is blood red with a sketch on the cover, giving the would-be reader an idea of what’s inside.

Peace is not what it’s about. Its message, among other things, is loyalty to a race war and killing certain people, such as Henry Kissinger. Poisoning the water people drank was also an exceptionally frightening idea they had. The people reading the book must scream how much they love the country and its people. That’s how they’re accepted into The Order or the cult. If they believe the same way, they have proven they are okay with being controlled and will hate equally as those in command. They don’t see it this way, of course, but on they charge.

Their ideas spring from religion and that white power rules all… as God intended. Bob challenges the leader of the National Alliance Convention, telling him that they preach change but that Bob and his followers “live it.” Bob begins a chant, “Defeat Never; Victory Forever!” These groups love their Swastikas… but what neo-Nazis, skinheads, Klansman, and Aryan Nation member doesn’t? It’s hard to see them indoctrinating the children, who are learning to shoot a gun before they even know what it truly is.

Alan Berg (Marc Maron), a popular radio talk show host in Denver at the time (who happened to be Jewish), was an outspoken liberal and, hold onto your hat, atheist. White Supremacist groups, The Order, in particular, despised every word he spoke. He couldn’t be allowed to continue to spread his messages on the airwaves. The Order ended his life as they believed they had the right to take it.

Jude Law is an effective veteran FBI agent who vows to stop this organization from continuing its crime spree of theft and murder, as they don’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Law is great, as is Tye Sheridan and Jurnee Smollett. They both play opposite him, their characters trying to control him. The scenes where they pair up with Law give them many opportunities to shine.

The pacing is tremendous, and the emotional relationships go deep, allowing you to buy into the entire story while feeling for the characters and their dilemmas. The score brings on tension, working well with what’s playing out on the screen. It’s beautiful.

The ending is fantastic. You learn more about what Bob plans to do, are shocked at what you hear, are shaken at finding out what people in this country are capable of, and almost got away with. You must add this to your list of films to watch, as it’s easily one of the year’s best movies.

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