law hoult 2

Source: La Biennale di Venezia/Giorgio Zucchiatti

Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult

The world still has “a lot of work to do” to combat far-right ideologies of the kind shown in Venice title The Order, according to its lead actor Jude Law.

“You could’ve said 10 years ago that perhaps the world was in a slightly different state,” said Law. “In fact we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

In Justin Kurzel’s Venice Competition entry, Law stars as Terry Husk, an FBI agent in Idaho in 1983 who investigates a series of bombings and robberies, which he learns may be linked to a far-right uprising.

The film is written by Zach Baylin, based on Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt’s non-fiction book The Silent Brotherhood.

“Sadly the relevance speaks for itself,” said Law. “It felt like a piece of work that needed to be made now. It’s interesting looking back, but it’s always interesting finding a piece from the past that has some relationship to the present day.”

Law said his character, who has spent his career investigating far-right groups, “represents an awful lot of us” as regards our political outlook. “He felt that his hardest work was behind him, and suddenly he had his biggest task yet ahead.” 

It is a first US historical film for Australian director Kurzel, who has previously told real-life Australian stories in The Snowtown Murders, True History of the Kelly Gang and Nitram. “The film is very particular to an event and a point in time in the early 80s,” said Kurzel. “What was shocking to me was there were so many comparisons and things within the film with the seed and germination of today.

“We live in a time now that is reflected in the film where there is division and there’s a lot of conversation about the future and about ideologies,” continued the filmmaker. “The film is about an ideology that’s incredibly dangerous and how it can quickly take seed. That’s what we were focused on in the film, is how particular voices, definitely speaking to the disenfranchised or unheard, can dangerously start to exploit that vulnerability.”

Disenfranchised

Nicholas Hoult plays Bob Mathews, a real-life American neo-Nazi who led the eponymous white supremacist group. “Bob preys on the disenfranchised, and the unhappy and lonely,” said Hoult. “That’s a big part of how he assembles this group in the movie. Yes, he can be charismatic and charming and seem like a good leader, despite his terrible plans and ideology. [But] it’s who he goes after that cements that group – that’s something we can learn from the movie.”

Hoult said there was no particular key to unlocking the character. “With Bob there weren’t clear, definite things – it was based on a lot of fear, his core beliefs and hatred in all these terrible ideas and thoughts.”

“One of the beautiful things about art is we get to hold a mirror up to society – we get to explore the very complex side of humanity, the ugliness, the darkness, in order for us to learn from it, and not repeat it,” said cast member Jurnee Smollett, who plays FBI agent Joanne Carney. “The film could’ve been made at any moment and it would’ve been relevant – that’s the great privilege we have as artists, is to be able to fight injustice.”

Hoult revealed that Kurzel gave each actor “manifestos” for their characters, including tasks for them to complete. “I just found out on the boat here – one of Jude’s tasks was to follow me for a day!” exclaimed Hoult. “He was trailing me for a day when I landed in Calgary. We didn’t speak for the first four or five weeks of filming, we were kept separate.”

Kurzel said the film is inspired by the “fantastic dramatic thrillers” of the 1970s, including The French Connection, All The President’s Men and Mississippi Burning.

“Unfortunately it’s becoming harder to make those sort of films; this was an incredible opportunity,” said the director.

Vertical has US rights on The Order and will release it in December, while Amazon Prime Video will distribute in multiple international territories.

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