Time: 116 Minutes
Cast:
Jude Law as Terry Husk
Nicholas Hoult as Bob Mathews
Tye Sheridan as Jamie Bowen
Jurnee Smollett as Joanne Carney
Alison Oliver as Debbie Mathews
Marc Maron as Alan Berg
Director: Jed Kurzel

The Order (2024) interested me; it’s an upcoming crime thriller starring the likes of Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult and Tye Sheridan and it’s from the director of the 2015 Macbeth movie, so I was curious. It was very solid for what it is.

The Order is a riveting, intense and gripping crime procedural based on true events, it knows what it is and it’s very good at it. It’s compelling to watch and the pacing is just right, very deliberate but it never feels sluggish. Also considering the subject matters, it is effective as a bleak portrayal of white supremacy. While it could’ve gone further in some areas, it doesn’t sugarcoat the worst aspects of America. In fact, this movie is sort of timely now. As thrilling as the film can get, the deliberately clinical approach withholds any form of catharsis from the audience, which I think suits this story. While I respect how lean and mean this movie is at 2 hours long, I felt like it could’ve delved into these characters’ lives a little more, even though the characterisation of its three main leads is pretty good.

The performances are all fantastic. As the committed lead FBI agent, Jude Law is outstanding, grounded and intense. Nicholas Hoult delivers one of his best performances in his portrayal of a real-life white supremacist, delivering some compelling work here. Tye Sheridan is great, and Marc Maron, Jurnee Smollett, and Alison Oliver also deliver some good performances in their parts.

This is the best movie I’ve seen from director Justin Kurzel so far. The cinematography is great, beautifully shot and striking, and the editing is on point. Jed Kurzel’s score is excellent too, it sets the mood and is really effective in raising the tension, especially how it utilises sounds like a ticking clock. Between these elements, they pull off this real feeling of dread throughout the whole runtime. The chase and robbery sequences are also great, very tense and thrilling.

The Order is a familiar, but engaging and effectively bleak procedural crime thriller, strongly directed, and with excellent performances from Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult.