Jude Law and the dashing ’80s. A new crime thriller based on real events

( Silent Brotherhood , The Order, 2024, USA )

Let’s face it: after what Justin Kurzel did 5 years ago based on real events – The True Story of the Kelly Gang – there was no desire to go near his further work. Not by a shot, not by a light-year.\nSomehow, that’s just the way it happened.

But the synopsis of the new Kurzelov movie inspired some reassurance: the 1980s, the American Northwest, rampant crime, the confrontation between the experienced FBI agent Husk and the famous white ultra-radical Matthews. Who was definitely not seen in the obscenity that Justin made famous Australian criminal Ned Kelly.\nIn short, it was definitely worth it to poke the Silent Brotherhood with a stick.

…And for once, Justin didn’t disappoint. And for once, Justin didn’t disappoint.\nPerhaps he would have been more pleased if the story had been fictionalized and more offbeat. However, it is based on The Silent Brotherhood (1989) by Flynn and Gerhardt, and the events described in it don’t seem to be full of twists and turns. Except that the final fight between Mathews and the FBI was embellished by Kurzel and shortened in time. But even so, the uncomplicated denouement is unlikely to induce you to revisit the movie. In addition, there is no spark between the antagonist protagonists, including at the end. Which, of course, is pretty damn vital, but from a dramaturgical point of view it’s rather dull.

However, the characters Husk and Matthews are interesting in themselves because Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult, who play them, found themselves in atypical images.\nIn the mustachioed and cynical Husk with his unkempt hair and unhealthy red face (the character after the disease) Lowe is almost unrecognizable. Long-haired Holt, of course, to confuse with anyone is difficult. However, he, an actor whose heroes always had irony, here turned into an absolutely serious, ideological fighter. For everything white with everything not white. At the same time, we must give Kurzel credit, to saw out of Matthews plywood villain, he did not; as well as from Husk impeccable lawman. What drives both of them and spurs them on is shown thoroughly and understandably. Only, I repeat, there are no truly dramatic situations in the movie, where these characters could reveal themselves to the end.

The time period of the story is 1983-84. That’s when 30-year-old Robert Matthews created and launched his nationalist armed group Silent Brotherhood, aka The Order. The Order immediately rushed to earn money for new weapons and other things, and also, of course, with the help of weapons. Shoplifting was quickly dismissed by Matthews as an unprofitable venture. He and Co. then turned their attention to armored car collection and printing counterfeit dollars. Although the Brotherhood had little luck with the latter, it even set a record in the former discipline. It took from the collectors the largest sum of 3,800,000 dollars at the time.

FBI agent Husk, a special agent in the fight against organized crime, comes on the scene when it was suspected: a series of these robberies and murders is the work of not different gangs, but one. And since The Order didn’t stop there, this theory soon received iron (or rather, lead) proof.\nAnd how could he lay low, if Mathews was going to establish the whole state of his dream – the White American Bastion – in the north-west of the States? For which, of course, no one would give him a loan or a license. So we had to go by the principle of five armored cars, two more carloads of weapons for our little army.

Such an ambitious and restless opponent got Husk this time. It’s just a pity that they won’t fight too intricately. That’s why it seems that the plot in Silent Brotherhood is not trampled on, but will you remember this picture at least a month later? And even more so, will you want to revisit it?\nHowever, if you answer yes and yes, I can only be happy for you.

***

In general, it is well filmed, and the story is curious in its own way, and Lowe and Holt are good, but all this does not stick together into a bright, exciting picture.\nIn this respect, Silent Brotherhood reminds Black Mass with Johnny Depp (even the rating on Kinopoisk is almost similar: 6,7/6,6). Where too, it would seem, there were all the components of a great movie – and they didn’t work as a whole either. They lacked some kind of incendiary driving force. Although it would seem that even there the real events were worthy of being screened.\nOn the other hand, for a one-time pleasure for all fans of forensic science, this Kurzel film is quite good – and about his other works, I remember, I did not even say that.

Movie trailer (age rating 18+):

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