Jude Law & Nicholas Hoult Dive into America’s Dark Heart – You Won’t Believe How Deep They Go!

“The Order” serves as an intersection of crime drama and an often overlooked segment of hate group history in America. It stands as a thrilling and eerie portrayal, featuring two top-tier actors delivering standout performances.

Directed by Justin Kurzel and penned by Zach Baylin, the film is based on the 1989 novel “The Silent Brotherhood” by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. The narrative follows seasoned FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) who is deployed to the Pacific Northwest for what he anticipates to be a routine mission. This mission leads him to a burgeoning white supremacist group and its ominously charming leader, Robert Jay Matthews (Nicholas Hoult).

Both Law and Hoult offer emotionally intricate performances that defy typecasting, and the unflinching depiction of the allure and destructive force of hatred sets the film apart from the average police thriller.

The real-life group that Matthews led, known as the Order, escalated from bank and armored-car heists to the infamous 1984 assassination of Denver talk-radio host Alan Berg.

“The relevance of this largely untold story to current events was both terrifying and important to bring to light,” says Law, who also produced the film. “The opportunity to portray a past narrative that echoes the present, within the framework of a crowd-pleasing genre reminiscent of the ’70s and ’80s was particularly appealing.”

“The Order” made its debut at the Venice Film Festival in August before moving on to the Toronto International Film Festival. The film, premiering in theaters Dec. 6, features a strong ensemble cast including Jurnee Smollett, Tye Sheridan, Odessa Young, and Marc Maron as radio host Berg. This is the first U.S.-based project for Australian native Kurzel, known for his unsettling depictions of his country’s history in films like “Snowtown,” “True History of the Kelly Gang,” and “Nitram.”

“I find it intriguing to revisit incidents from the past that have been hastily categorized and uncover their multifaceted aspects or different perspectives, especially when they pertain to darker periods in history,” says Kurzel.

“This film reminded me of my first film, ‘Snowtown,’” Kurzel adds, referring to his 2011 murder mystery. “It explores the concept of how a person can exploit a community and build a powerful base around themselves.”

Before filming commences, Kurzel makes it a point to provide his actors with what he terms “little manifestos” — guidelines for various actions and activities that encourage the actor to delve deeper into the character’s mindset and lifestyle.

When Hoult joined the set, he had just wrapped up shooting for Robert Eggers’ upcoming “Nosferatu.” Soon after completing “The Order,” he auditioned for Lex Luthor in the forthcoming “Superman” reboot and then began filming Clint Eastwood’s “Juror #2.”

In between his packed schedule, Hoult recalls using his downtime on the set of “Nosferatu” to send Kurzel voice notes in character, switching accents and reflecting on Matthews’ gun collection and his feelings about America.

Law was tasked with shadowing Hoult for a day without being noticed and compiling a dossier on his activities.

“The task was challenging,” admits Law. As a two-time Academy Award nominee, he had never worked with a director who demanded such extensive pre-production work from their actors. However, he appreciated the rationale behind it.

“I found it extremely rewarding,” says Law. “It’s indicative of Kurzel’s directorial style, his relationship with actors, and his understanding of the characters, which he leverages on the set. By the time filming commenced, we had a mutual understanding of who Husk was.”

Law and Hoult only share a few brief scenes, the primary one being when Matthews unknowingly confronts Husk while he is hunting during his leisure time. The scene is both captivating and unnerving, filled with unpredictable tension. Kurzel intentionally planned the shooting schedule to keep the two actors apart until this scene, adding an extra layer of tension as their characters size each other up.

“After the scene, they embraced and caught up with each other,” recalls Kurzel. “There was a discernible tension, not only from the characters they were playing but also from their lack of interaction. It posed a host of intriguing questions about the characters’ feelings towards one another.”

While Hoult’s character is a faithful representation of the real Robert Matthews, Law’s character is fictional, an amalgamation of several FBI agents involved in the case, with a touch of dramatic liberty.

Law portrays Husk as a man estranged from his family and consumed by his work. Husk appears to be a man lost in a haze of alcohol and self-pity, but his professionalism shines through when the situation demands it.

In a scene where Husk angrily reprimands a junior agent following a violent encounter with Matthews’ gang, Law spontaneously punched the windshield from inside a car, causing it to crack.

“It was a stroke of luck,” Law says with a modest grin.

“Working with Jude was magical,” says Hoult, who remembers watching Law in 2001’s “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” when he was around 12.

“His transformation into the character was so complete that I didn’t see Jude at all. Seeing him take on this role and make such a surprising and different turn increased my admiration for him. If people had read the script, they wouldn’t have imagined Jude taking on this character.”

One of the most unsettling scenes in the film is when Matthews electrifies a white nationalist rally with a speech that concludes with the crowd chanting, “Defeat never, victory forever.” This scene was particularly challenging for Hoult, who had to convincingly deliver a speech embodying an ideology he personally finds repugnant.

“I distinctly remember that scene because it was the first time it felt genuinely frightening,” says Hoult. “The intensity of it felt quite real. It was a moment where we all felt shaken because we hadn’t experienced anything like that during filming. Everyone in that room, all the actors, were fully committed and brought a lot of energy. It felt like it had taken on a life of its own.”

Kurzel was also taken aback by the unsettling energy conjured on set during that scene.

“It was quite confronting on the day,” he says. “Nick had to step into a space where he had to be convincing and really connect with the crowd. And you could feel it in the room. It was dynamic and felt incredibly dangerous.

“Nick’s portrayal was so convincing and powerful that you could see people were engaged,” Kurzel adds. “We all looked at each other, and you get a small insight into how people can be influenced by this kind of speech.”

Matthews was killed in a 1984 law enforcement siege at a Washington state farmhouse, and the remaining members of the Order were eventually incarcerated. The film draws a clear link between Matthews and his gang’s actions and the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City, as well as the insurrection on January 6, 2021.

The team behind “The Order” was aware they were dealing with particularly sensitive material, given the polarizing hatefulness of the ideology being examined. They navigated the dynamics between two individuals on opposite sides of the law, reminiscent of Michael Mann’s “Heat.”

“What drew me was exploring why people are attracted to figures like Bob Matthews,” says Kurzel. “What is it about their own lives that leads them to seek answers in such dangerous minds? Much of it has to do with feelings of being unheard and invisible.”

“The Order” seeks to provide an understanding of how a person like Matthews can rise to prominence, while being careful not to appear sympathetic to his heinous cause.

“It was a delicate territory to navigate, and Nick was particularly brave to undertake it,” says Law. “When portraying a character like Bob Matthews, one must tread carefully. This is not a celebration by any means.”

“He was a harmful individual,” Law continues, “but the purpose of the film is to understand him in order to prevent similar events in the future.”