Based on true events, in 1983, FBI Agent Terry Husk relocates to the north west of America, where he discovers that there have been a series of bank robberies.
Eager young deputy Jamie Bowen believes they might be orchestrated by a member of the local Aryan nation, Bob Matthews, who has severed ties with the church to form his own militia group, The Order.
Direction
Solid direction from Justin Kurzel, who I have previously reviewed his Nitram (check out my review, and the movie itself). He does some fun use of camera, especially on the outside of cars while they are driving.
I loved the cinematography, and the wide open landscapes of the north west of America, which was simply stunning. The beauty of the backdrop is in stark contrast to the characters who live in the area.
Cast/Characters
Stellar performances from all involved, especially the leads.
Jude Law plays Husk, and while his American accent faltered at times, it is miles better than his Australian accent in Contagion. His ‘aged’ personality is played well by the now similar aged Law.
Nicholas Hoult plays Matthews, and is the star of the show. I found his accent faulted a little. He is not an over the top villain, but conveys his messages through great use of body language and even non verbal communication in the way he stares down those he is speaking to. It’s all in they eyes.
Tye Sherridan plays Bowen, and has a cliched type role (no spoilers).
There is some great performances from some of the female cast too, including Jurnee Smollet as Jo (Husk’s supervisor), Alison Oliver as Matthews wife Debbie, and Odessa Young as Matthews mistress Zillah.
Marc Maron plays the real life personification of Radio host Alan Berg, whose murder is depicted on screen, is the driving factor in bringing Matthews group down.
Screenplay/Setting/Themes
As this is “based on” true events, some of the characters are real life people;
- Bob Matthews, played by Hoult was the real life leader of The Order, and this depicts his life and early (spoiler) death.
- Alan Berg, played by Maron, was also a real life person – and Jewish radio host, who was murdered by Matthews neo nazi group.
Law’s Husk is ‘based on’ real life people, and here I found a fault in the film. They tried to bring too much of a backstory for him, most of which was cliched tropes like being of ill health (taking pills, scar on his chest), and having troubled relationship (marriage in trouble, away from his children).
Sheridan’s Bowen even gets ample screen time, however this does add to the cliche character trope of the ‘young cop’ who gets… well, the same as the new father/soon to be retired.
The intense themes are paired well with plenty of solid action sets, including the intense bank robbery early on, and two armored truck robberies, all with brilliant backing score. There is also a brutal motel shootout near the end of the film.
I loved how progressive the film was, especially with three of the four female characters;
- Jo, who is Husk’s no nonsense colleague/supervisor – who takes charge in many of the discussions, and strikes on The Order.
- Alison Oliver, who plays Bob’s complicit wife Debbie – who glosses over his indoctrination of their son with his beliefs including their ‘bible’ the Turner diaries, and teaching him how to shoot a gun.
- Morgan Holmstrong as Jamie’s wife Kimmy, who is wary of Terry, and refuses to speak to him after Jamie is killed in action.
Even Odessa Young as Bob’s mistress Zillah, who is petrified of telling him that she has given birth to a daughter, instead of a son. This gives Bob his moment of humanity, and showing he is not a ‘monster’ when he gushes over his new daughter.
Score/Soundtrack
From Jett Kurzel (brother of director) the score is sensational. There are several moments which stand out especially, such as when Bob meets with Reverent Butler in the field, the bombing of the cinema, when Terry is at the lake (and Bob is watching him) and the armoured truck robberies.
There are also great moments of diegetic sound, one in particular that stood out to me was when Husk and Bowen are searching the woods, and find the body of a missing towns-person.
Overall
While far from a perfect film, this is a tense thriller – which is only complemented by a tidy script – with well established characters, a breathtaking setting, and stellar score.
A strong recommend.
4/5
Ryan's Movie Reviews 