Justin Kurzel's new neo-Nazi crime drama has arrived at an eerily relevant time, as real-world extremist incidents echo its historical narrative.
Starring Jude Law as FBI agent Terry Husk, "The Order" follows the hunt for a white supremacist terror cell in 1980s America. The film, based on true events, tracks how neo-Nazi leader Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult) used armed robberies to fund a violent revolution.
"I was reading a period piece that speaks directly to today's climate," Kurzel told Entertainment Weekly. His words proved prescient – the film's Venice premiere coincided with disturbing incidents including neo-Nazi disruptions at an Anne Frank play in Michigan and street violence in Columbus.
The film draws from "The Silent Brotherhood," documenting how Mathews' followers terrorized the Pacific Northwest, inspired by "The Turner Diaries," a white supremacist novel that later influenced numerous domestic terror attacks.
Venice audiences responded with a seven-minute standing ovation, recognizing the film's urgent message about extremism's persistent threat.
*"We didn't expect current events to make this historical story so relevant,"* Law noted in recent interviews.
