Is the movie The Order based on a true story? Explained

The Order is a historical crime thriller film slated to release in Canada on December 6, 2024. It is directed by Justin Kurzel and based on a screenplay by Zach Baylin. The film is produced by Bryan Haas, Stuart Ford, Justin Kurzel, and Jude Law.

The Order is based on the true story from the 1989 non-fiction book The Silent Brotherhood, written by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, reporters of the Denver Post.

The film's official synopsis, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"For over a year, a series of bold daylight bank robberies and armored car heists leaves law enforcement baffled and the public panicked throughout the Pacific Northwest. As the attacks become increasingly violent, FBI agent Terry Husk (Jude Law) becomes convinced that the robberies are the work of a domestic terrorist gang that plan to use the loot to finance an armed uprising against the U.S. government."

It continues:

"Based on a true story, The Order follows Husk and his team into the tangled world of white supremacists to try to head off a violent uprising that could shatter the nation. As the militia builds a war chest of over $4 million, Husk pursues the malevolent racist Bob Mathews to a final bloody standoff that will go down in U.S. history."

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What was the inspiration behind The Order?

Nicholas Hoult seen as Bob Matthews in the movie (Image via Instagram/@arcanastudio)

The film is based on the true story of the eponymous Neo-Nazi militia group, led by Bob Matthews, which committed acts of domestic terror and was hunted down by the FBI in the 1980s.

The film's screenwriter, Zach Baylin, spoke to IndieWire in December 2024, days before the film's release, to talk about the film's story and the research that went into it. He credited one particular book as his source material for everything related to The Order and their downfall.

"The Silent Brotherhood, it’s this incredibly well-researched, kind of totemic piece that followed the creation of The Order and the entire investigation afterwards, so I really based the movie on that book."

Zach also mentioned reading the 1978 novel The Turner Diaries, published by the white supremacist William Luther Pierce, who also founded the white nationalist group National Alliance. The novel was instrumental in shaping Bob Matthews' ideology and his plans to overthrow the US government.

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Plot summary

After a series of bank robberies and car heists threaten the safety of communities in the Pacific Northwest, veteran FBI agent Terry Husk tracks down the source of these criminal activities to a Neo-Nazi terrorist group named The Order.

Led by Bob Matthews, the eponymous group comprises white supremacists who carry out a range of criminal activities, such as car heists and bank robberies in the early 1980s. They also plot to overthrow the US government in a bid to rid the country of non-whites and Jews.

Based on the real-life agent Wayne Manis, Husk is helped by the local police officer Jamie Bowen and fellow FBI agent Joanne Carney in his dangerous mission. By the film's end, he succeeds in taking down the notorious gang leader in a deadly shootout.

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Cast and characters

A still of Jude Law from the 2024 crime thriller film (Image via Instagram/@arcanastudio)

The film's cast and characters are given below:

• Jude Law as Terry Husk
• Nicholas Hoult as Bob Mathews
• Tye Sheridan as Jamie Bowen
• Jurnee Smollett as Joanne Carney
• Alison Oliver as Debbie Mathews
• Marc Maron as Alan Berg
• Odessa Young as Zillah Craig
• Huxley Fisher as Clinton Mathews
• Sebastian Pigott as Bruce Pierce
• Phillip Forest Lewitski as David Lane
• Randy Fisher as Bonnie Sue's Father
• George Tchortov as Gary Yarbrough
• Victor Slezak as Richard Butler
• Philip Granger as Sheriff Loftlin
• Daniel Doheny as Walter West
• Daniel Yip as Engineer
• Bryan J. McHale as Bank Manager
• Carter Morrison as Spokane Cop
• Ryan Chandoul Wesley as Willie Bowen
• Morgan Holmstrom as Kimmy Bowen
• Bradley Stryker as Sam Stinson
• Geena Meszaros as Bonnie Sue West
• Sean Tyler Foley as Tony Bentley
• Matias Lucas as Tony Torres
• Sarah Haggeman as Connie Pierce
• Paul Wood as the Nazi Speaker
• Judith Buchan as Birdie Lane
• David LeReaney as Donald Lane
• Chantal Perron as Jean Craig

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Stay tuned for more news about The Order and other similar movies and television shows.