White supremacy finds fertile ground in Venetian film ‘The Order’

“The Order,” a film about a violent white supremacist movement in America in the 1980s, is disturbingly relevant today and shows how important it is to constantly be on guard against bigotry, Jude Law, the film’s lead actor, said Saturday.

The film, which will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, is based on true events and centers on the charismatic, far-right leader Bob Mathews, who wanted to create a homeland for whites by terrorizing the United States.

Law plays a veteran FBI agent who moves to the Pacific Northwest in hopes of finding some peace after a troubled past fighting the mob, only to stumble upon Mathews’ gang, who rob banks to raise money.

“Unfortunately, its relevance speaks for itself. It felt like a work of art that needed to be made now,” said Law, a prolific British actor who also serves as a producer on the film, which was directed by Australian Justin Kurzel.

“The film is about an ideology that is incredibly dangerous and how it can quickly grow from a seed,” Kurzel told a news conference. “What was shocking to me, and I think to all of us, was that there were so many comparisons (to today).”

The ideology that motivated Mathews was similar to that of the extremist group Proud Boys, who stormed Congress on January 6, 2021 in an attempt to overturn former US President Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat.

Mathews, played by British actor Nicholas Hoult, attracted misfits and school dropouts and created a devoted family of followers who embraced his vision of racial division and hatred.

Hoult said it was concerning that when he was preparing for the role, he couldn’t find a specific trigger for Mathews’ bigotry, such as a violent childhood.

“The scary thing about him was that he could be quite disarming and could probably cast a spell on you.”

In preparation for the film, director Kurzel asked Law to follow Hoult for a day, as his FBI character would have done. Hoult said he never noticed he was being followed and that he didn’t find out until he was in Venice.

“I didn’t find out until I got on the boat,” he said, adding that he hadn’t spoken to or met Law for the first four weeks of filming, which only deepened the division and tension between them.

Black actor Jurnee Smollett, who plays one of the FBI team members tracking Mathews, said it’s important for filmmakers to continue to draw attention to the deep-rooted racism in the US.

“We get the chance to explore the complexities of humanity, the ugliness, the darkness, so that we can learn from it and hopefully not have to do it again,” she said.

“The Order” is one of 21 films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, which will be awarded on September 7.

Cast members Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult pose during a photocall for the film “The Order”, in competition, at the 81st Venice Film Festival, Venice, Italy, August 31, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi