The hard boiled detective trope is one that’s existed in Hollywood for decades. A man on the edge, barely holding his life together, who knows deep down that if he can just crack the case then maybe his life will all fall into line. Films like ‘Se7en’ or ‘The Fugitive’ come to mind when viewing Justin Kurzel’s latest film ‘The Order’. Given the Pacific Northwest setting it at times feels like it’s evoking ‘Twin Peaks’, particularly when you realize everyone in this small town knows everyone else.

And much like ‘Twin Peaks’ own Dale Cooper, Jude Law’s performance of Terry Husk is a spotlight in this piece. Beyond grizzled, Husk is haggard. An FBI agent new to Cour d’Leane, ID, he says he’s looking to slow down. He unconvincingly suggest that maybe his family will come by to a barbecue when they get in. But when a series of bombings and robberies seem to be connected he can’t help but start tugging at the strings. The plot of ‘The Order’ is a familiar one to be sure, but with the help of Law the film is elevated beyond it’s paint by colors motifs.

It also helps that it’s historical, the white supremacist cult leader Bob Matthews (Nicholas Hoult) really did try to lead an armed insurrection against the United States in the early 80s. The film doesn’t pull itself out of time to explain much until a title card at the end. Even so, it feels very poignant for this movie to come out in modern times, after all it was not so long ago that there was a neonazi march on Charlottesville, a plot to kidnap a sitting governor, and an attempted coup on our nations capitol. To draw a line from the works of Bob Matthews to these events is fairly straight, and the piece of history that has been a huge proponent of it all is at the center of this film.

If you’ve done any research into the motivations of the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, it usually comes up that he had photocopied sheets of a book called ‘The Turner Diary’ on his person when he was arrested. This book is what inspired him, and many other white supremacists like him, to attempt the acts of domestic terrorism that we see today, and in this film. The book is shown off throughout the film, perhaps a little too heavy handedly, but still ‘The Order one of the few pieces of media I’ve seen even talk about this fascist work of fiction.

When Terry Husk and the intrepid young deputy Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan) go out to question the leader of the Aryan Nation, that man suggests the two of them take a look into it, so they can educate themselves. As they dive into the literature they get a better idea of what kind of criminal they’re dealing with and what their next plans might be. They also start to get paranoid about their own lives and the people the live and work around. Husk in particular starts to become loose, and Jude Law’s portrayal as Agent Husk unravels is the capstone of the film. Rarely do we see Law this uncorked, and the film is worth seeing for that alone.

Alongside that there’s a lack of style here that’s a little refreshing. The film feels very matter of fact, in such a way that the truth it’s telling you is harrowing. Even as the movie focuses on the cult that Bob Matthews has created they aren’t just standing around yelling slurs all the time. The ability to see the humanity between the evil is a reminder that these are friends, neighbors, bartenders, and cops, and just how terrifying that is when you see them with a swastika in the background.

4/5