The Order

Directed by Justin Kurzel, The Order follows a grizzled detective (Jude Law’s Husk) as he and his green partner (Tye Sheridan’s Jamie) attempt to take down a violent white supremicist group (led by Nicholas Hoult’s charming Robert Jay Mathews). It’s familiar subject matter that is, for the most part, employed to riveting and periodically electrifying effect by Kurzel, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Zach Baylin, delivers a briskly-paced thriller that’s been suffused with a host of compelling, attention-grabbing attributes and elements – including Adam Arkapaw’s striking visuals, Jed Kurzel’s moody score, and several top-notch performances. (Law and Hoult offer up, in terms of the latter, absolutely enthralling work that remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings.) And while the narrative admittedly does contain some almost egregiously run-of-the-mill tropes (eg the grim fate of one character couldn’t possibly be more obvious), The Order, which is bolstered by a few seriously spellbinding action sequences, primarily comes off as a top-notch endeavor that only falters a little bit towards the end (ie the climax isn’t quite as scorching as one might’ve hoped) – thus confirming the film’s place as another first-class effort from Kurzel.

***1/2 out of ****