If you’ve seen The Order movie trailer, you already know it feels different. It’s not your typical flashy Hollywood explosion-fest. Instead, it’s got this grainy, 1980s Pacific Northwest gloom that sticks to your ribs. Jude Law shows up looking completely wrecked—mustache, thinning hair, and a vibe that screams "I haven’t slept since the Carter administration." Honestly, it’s one of the most intense things he’s done in years.
The movie is a crime thriller, but it’s actually based on a terrifying true story. We’re talking about a white supremacist group called The Silent Brotherhood (aka The Order) that went on a massive crime spree in the early '80s. They weren’t just small-time thugs; they were robbing armored cars and plotting to overthrow the government.
What the The Order Movie Trailer Actually Reveals
The trailer starts off slow. You see Law’s character, FBI agent Terry Husk, moving to a quiet town in Idaho. He’s looking for a break from the heavy stuff he saw in New York, but he stumbles into something way worse. There's this shot of him looking at a "White Power" flyer, and you can just see the "here we go again" look in his eyes.
Nicholas Hoult plays the antagonist, Bob Mathews. He looks like a clean-cut, blue-eyed farmer’s son, which makes him ten times scarier. He’s charismatic. He’s holding barbecues. He’s reading bedtime stories to his kids. But then the trailer cuts to him mask-on, holding a submachine gun during a $3.6 million heist. The contrast is jarring.
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Why This Isn't Just Another Cop Movie
- The Direction: Justin Kurzel, the guy who did Snowtown and Macbeth, is behind this. He likes the "dark stuff." He doesn't make pretty movies; he makes movies that feel like a punch to the gut.
- The Cast: You’ve got Tye Sheridan as a local cop and Jurnee Smollett as an FBI agent. They aren't just background noise; they represent the different ways this radicalization affects a community.
- The Tension: The music in the trailer is thumping and claustrophobic. It’s composed by Jed Kurzel, and it sounds like a panic attack put to tape.
Is The Order Movie Based on a True Story?
Yeah, and the real-life details are actually wilder than the movie. Robert Jay Mathews really was this charismatic leader who believed a fictional book called The Turner Diaries was a blueprint for a race war. He started with small robberies—like hitting an adult bookstore for $369—before moving up to multimillion-dollar armored car heists.
One of the most chilling parts of the real story, which the movie highlights, is the assassination of Alan Berg. He was a Jewish radio talk-show host in Denver who used to argue with white supremacists on air. Members of The Order ambushed him at his home and shot him dozens of times. Marc Maron plays Berg in the film, and even in the brief trailer snippets, you can hear his voice cutting through the noise. It adds a layer of reality that's hard to shake.
The Manhunt for Bob Mathews
The film builds toward a massive standoff on Whidbey Island. In real life, the FBI tracked Mathews there in December 1984. It wasn't a quick arrest. It was a 30-hour siege involving submachine gun fire and flares that eventually set the house on fire. Mathews died in the blaze. The movie trailer hints at this fiery climax, and it looks absolutely haunting.
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Why Everyone Is Talking About Jude Law’s Performance
Jude Law is in his "character actor" era, and we should all be grateful for it. Gone is the Alfie swagger. In its place is Terry Husk—a man who is physically and emotionally falling apart. There’s a scene in the trailer where he’s talking about how fanatics need someone to blame for their lives. Law delivers it with such a tired, cynical weight.
He reportedly spent time with actual FBI agents who worked in the '80s to get the body language right. He and Hoult also didn't hang out on set. Kurzel wanted them to feel like strangers, like hunters and prey. That distance shows. Even in the two-minute trailer, the chemistry between them is pure friction.
Where and When Can You Watch It?
The rollout for The Order has been a bit unique. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival back in August 2024 and got a standing ovation. People were calling it "riveting" and "ominously prescient."
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If you're in the U.S., it hit select theaters on December 6, 2024, through Vertical. But for most of us, the big news is the streaming release. It’s scheduled to land on Hulu on April 18, 2025. For international viewers, Amazon Prime Video is the main hub, having started its rollout in the UK and Canada late in 2024.
Actionable Insights: What to Do Before Watching
Before you dive into the film, there are a few things that will make the experience way deeper.
- Read up on the Pacific Northwest in the 80s: This area was a hotbed for these groups. Understanding the "Aryan Nations" context makes the film feel much more grounded.
- Look into Alan Berg: Knowing he was a real person makes his scenes with Marc Maron hit differently.
- Check out "The Silent Brotherhood": This is the non-fiction book the movie is based on. It’s written by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, and it’s arguably the definitive account of these events.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Jed Kurzel's score is already out on platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. It’s moody as hell and sets the perfect tone for a late-night watch.
The film isn't just a history lesson. As the director Justin Kurzel has mentioned in interviews, the events of January 6, 2021, were a big inspiration for him to finally tell this story. It’s about how these ideologies don't really go away; they just hibernate and wait for the right moment to come back. Watching the trailer now, it feels less like a period piece and more like a warning.