I really enjoy this type of movie where dark times, full of conspiracy in a way reminds me of Judas and the Black Messiah and I have to admin director Justin Kurzel gave us a great piece of cinema that will make you think about it for hours after its over, in my case specially is how we human get to that point of power just through our words, yeah now days you can tell that is what politics is about but back in the 80s was different, there was no social media, no internet as today, my point is that it was way stronger the power this individuals get over groups like Bob during the movie. This piece of history I knew nothing about take us back to 1983 Idaho and I got fascinated by this part of history that took us back to a world that feels uncomfortably close to our present reality, again the power of word. Terry Husk one of the main character is an FBI agent, is played by an intense Jude Law, and he is investigating a series of bank robberies and bombings in the Pacific Northwest that will prove them all to be linked to a white supremacist group known as The Order.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26625693/
- Platform: AppleTV+
Rottentomatoes Rating
Straight from the start this movie sucked me in with its authentic 80s feel and I loved how Kurzel managed to make everything feel and look as if we were transported right into that time period. The environment is amazing showing off these beautiful but isolating landscapes of the Pacific Northwest as the backdrop of a story that is both thrilling and incredibly unsettling. The camera moves and angles in a way that makes you feel like you are almost in the middle of the action while still giving it all that gritty, feel of this era that makes everything seem more real and immersive, its all about camera angels, distance and lighting, enjoy every part of it. This movie never feels like a crime thriller and yet it is also about hate and extremism, literally feels like the FBI going to war against a ideologist group, even the quiet scenes have that constant tension keeping you on high alert and you can feel something terrible building below just pumping up about to happen. The movie does a great job at keeping everything on the entertaining side of things instead of trying to become a sensationalize media content, it might also have to do sticking to facts as close as possible instead of telling the story from an specific point of view, yes we have bad guys on the story but mostly misguided to certain extend psychologically abuse by others.
Terry Husk arrives in a small Idaho town supposedly to find a place to live, a place to be quiet, but soon is pulled into the investigation of the local Aryan Nations compound. Helped by local cop Jamie Bowen played by Tye Sheridan and FBI agent Joanne Carney played by Jurnee Smollett, as he digs deeper he and the group discover another splinter group led by Bob Matthews played by Nicholas Hoult, who are using contraband and counterfeiting to fund their white supremacist revolution plans.
The story remains familiar and interesting since it keeps unfolding like a classic crime thriller but never letting you forget what the ugly reality is at its core. This is where the bank robberies and armored car heists get staged expertly and create real excitement and tension but always kept in mind that these are not just ordinary criminals, these are domestic terrorists with a frighteningly narrow worldview. The way the movie is able to keep together the investigation with the sneak peak into Matthews organization allows us to see both sides without it making either seem sympathetic.
Jude Law nail it during the the entire movie and absolutely owns every scene he is in as Terry Husk, this intense but kinda worn down energy he brings to the character is someone who has been chasing down the worst kinds of criminals for years and at times look aged and tired from this job where all he wants to is a calm place to be. All of his performance is about the little things, the slight shaking of his hands when he is stressed, honestly some of his best work in years even though this is not a blockbuster movie, to put it perspective I might compare his performance to the back in the day Enemy at the Gates (2001).
Nicholas Hoult is equally as powerful playing the role of Bob Matthews, there is this creepy combination of charm and cold calculation, he totally shines during the movie. He makes you see how Matthews could persuade people to follow him without hiding the monster underneath. Law and Hoult butt heads at every scene they are together, especially when their paths meet at the lake, where there is this unspoken connection between two obsessed men on the opposite sides of the law.
Tye Sheridan also brings this kind of naive determination to Jamie Bowen character, fate that makes his ultimate fate even more tragic and the supporting cast don’t hold back either with others like Jurnee Smollett who play a very cooperative character as Agent Carney, but I wish we had seen more of her character development over the course of the story, gave her more participation and screen time, but its always like this when you got a compelling story and so much talent across the cast.
I really liked the ending of the movie, the cat and mouse game between these two finally ends with Terry running in after Bob even as the building burns around them in that final confrontation at the safe house. This fascinating aspect in their relationship is that none of the two can bring themselves to shoot the other in their previous encounters, like they know something about each other, even though they are on opposite sides of this ideological war, almost like they have a certain respect either not to kill each other or want to grab the other and almost like over power showing who is the final boss. The ending is so powerful as the rest of the story, as it turns out The Turner Diaries the book that inspired Matthews and his group, also went on to inspire other acts of domestic terrorism latter down the line. This falls again into the power and control that some words and men could have over a certain group of people during specific circumstance, most of the time happens with those who are looking for something to grab to in live, want a purpose and feel supported, a reason to keep moving forward, the sad and bad part is how things are misinterpreted falling into misleading.
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