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Jude Law plays an FBI agent tracking a racist group
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Film based on true events of the 1980s
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Law says thriller should be made now
By Crispian Balmer
VENICE (AP) — Movie star Jude Law said Saturday that “The Order,” a film about a violent, white supremacist movement in 1980s America, is worryingly relevant today and shows the need to remain constantly vigilant against radicalism.
The film, which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, is based on true events and features charismatic, far-right leader Bob Matthews, who sought to create a homeland for white people by unleashing terror in the United States.
Law plays a veteran FBI agent who moves to America’s Pacific Northwest in hopes of finding some peace and stability after battling the Mafia, but suddenly falls in the crosshairs of Matthews’ gang, who stage a bank robbery to raise their war fund.
“Sadly its relevance is self-evident … it felt like it was something that should have been made,” said Law, a successful British actor who also produced the film. The film is directed by Australian Justin Kurzel.
“This film is about an ideology that is extremely dangerous and how it can spread quickly,” Kurzel said at a press conference. “What was surprising to me, and I think to all of us, was that there were so many comparisons.”
The ideology that motivated Matthews was similar to that of the extremist Proud Boys group, which stormed Congress on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn former US President Donald Trump’s 2020 election defeat.
Matthews, played by British actor Nicholas Hoult, attracted dissidents and school dropouts to his cause, and built a devoted family of followers who embraced his vision of racial division and hatred.
Hoult said what he found worrying while studying for the role was that he could not find any specific reason for Matthews’s radicalism, such as exposure to violence in his childhood.
“The scary thing about him was he could be very unarmed and probably subdue you.”
To prepare for the film, director Kurzel asked Law to follow Holt around for a day, as his FBI character would have done. Holt said he never knew he was being followed and only found out about it in Venice.
“I found out about it here on the boat,” he said, adding that he did not speak to or meet Law for the first four weeks of filming, leading to differences and tension between them.
Jurnee Smollett, a black actress who plays one of the FBI team tracking Matthews, said it was important that filmmakers continue to shine a light on the deep-rooted racism in America.
“We get an opportunity to explore the complex aspects of humanity, the ugliness, the darkness, so that we can learn from it and hopefully not repeat it again,” he said.
“The Order” is one of 21 films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, which will be awarded on September 7.
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