--- title: "The Order: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-order/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-order" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Order (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 12 reviews: 9 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like The Order, and they like it for the same reasons. The praise clusters around the two leads: Jude Law’s rumpled, world-weary FBI agent draws mention in nearly every review, and Nicholas Hoult’s charismatic, unsettling kingpin is close behind. Kurzel’s direction is the other constant, credited with a grimy, near-documentary feel and with chases and shootouts that keep the film taut. The reservations are about familiarity. Several reviews find it hits well-worn cop-thriller beats and prefers squealing tyres to deeper thought about extremism, and The Guardian notes underdeveloped female characters. The Playlist finds the ending a disjointed whimper that undoes some of the tension. IndieWire faults Kurzel for returning yet again to the male criminal psyche. The spread is fairly narrow, most reviews landing between good and very good; the one clear dissenter is The Times, which finds the formula leaden and the clichés too many, though even there Law’s performance is spared. ## Los Angeles Times — Joshua Rothkopf Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. The fact-based story is told with chilling clarity and pared-down tension as a near-metaphysical showdown between taciturn men. Kurzel finds a magnifying glass for his gifts in this timely, unblinking portrait of hate. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-12-06/the-order-review-nicholas-hoult-jude-law-justin-kurzel) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Rating Critics Pick. 31 August 2024. Festival review. The film is a riveting and explosive docudrama that is supremely intelligent about the rise of the white-supremacist movement and a gripping crime story. It is rigorously authentic and suspenseful while showing how white supremacy can be two sides of the same coin. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/the-order-review-jude-law-nicholas-hoult-venice-film-festival-1236125318/) ## Empire — Laura Venning Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2025. The critic praises the film as a tense, grown-up thriller with strong lead performances from Nicholas Hoult and Jude Law as matched adversaries. It highlights the gripping script and Kurzel's visceral direction in bleak landscapes without lecturing on its timely subject matter. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-order/) ## Little White Lies — Rafa Sales Ross Rating 1/4/3. 22 December 2024. The critic finds it a competently realised old-school policier and captivating cat-and-mouse chronicle of 1980s white supremacist ideology, powered by strong lead performances from Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult. They single out the director's tamer approach here, which prioritises ethical questionings over the violent minutiae seen in his earlier work. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-order) ## Radio Times — Terry Staunton Rating 4/5. The critic deems it a hugely satisfying crime drama with a grimy, near-documentary feel that follows high-quality police procedural conventions. They single out the two stellar central performances, with Jude Law at the top of his game as the cynical fed and Nicholas Hoult unsettling and charismatic as the white-power kingpin. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ru5x0x/the-order/) ## RogerEbert.com — Robert Daniels Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2024. The film is a bracing investigative thriller that holds a strict tone and pacing to slowly unravel the viewer. It focuses on the real and present danger of the white supremacist group through strong performances, especially by Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-order-jude-law-film-review) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the real-life crime-thriller lean and efficient, with a level of craft that keeps proceedings reliably taut, especially in chase sequences and shootouts. They single out Jude Law's impressive work as the lead lawman pursuing the dangerous white supremacist group. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-order-venice-review/5196722.article) ## The New York Times — Ben Kenigsberg Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2024. The thriller hits familiar genre beats as a grim, involving cop story about an FBI agent pursuing a white supremacist group and real-life crimes. It is more effective as a cop thriller than as a statement on contemporary reverberations. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/05/movies/the-order-review.html) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 3/5. 31 August 2024. Festival review. The critic calls it a brooding, muscular FBI procedural that occasionally explodes into action but ultimately opts for squealing tyres and shootouts over deeper exploration. They single out Jude Law's rumpled, lived-in performance as the dogged federal agent for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-order-review-2024) ## IndieWire — Ryan Lattanzio 31 August 2024. Festival review. The review faults Kurzel for repeating his focus on the male criminal psyche and urges him to explore new topics. It acknowledges skillful filmmaking and a strong Jude Law performance but finds the material overly familiar. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-order-review-justin-kurzel-1235042526/) ## Slant Magazine — Marshall Shaffer 2 September 2024. Festival review. The review describes a sturdy crime thriller that confronts white nationalist terror through parallel stories of lawman and fanatic. It singles out the fervent fanaticism of the villains and Hoult's magnetic performance while noting it lacks the punch of Kurzel's earlier work. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-order-review-jude-law-nicholas-hoult/) ## The Guardian 31 August 2024. Festival review. The film is a brisk, compelling true-crime detective thriller about the 1980s hunt for a neo-Nazi militia, with strong performances from Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult and propulsive action sequences. It affirms Kurzel as a formidable auteur of dark material but has some fuzzier patches and underdeveloped female characters. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/aug/31/the-order-review-jude-law-leads-neo-nazi-hunting-thriller-with-confident-authority) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jordan Mintzer 31 August 2024. Festival review. The critic calls it a gripping, superbly made historical thriller and a tense reflection on American violence that Hollywood rarely produces. Kurzel's intense, verisimilar direction of violence and Law's world-weary lead performance stand out. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-order-review-jude-law-justin-kurzel-1235988678/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★☆☆☆. 20 December 2024. Even a sympathetic Jude Law performance and propulsive robbery sequences cannot overcome the leaden formula and cop-movie clichés in this true-life tale of far-right extremism. Kurzel falls victim to easy stereotypes here. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-order-review-even-jude-law-cant-save-this-cliched-tale-of-extremism-5cccdk0xg) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri 6 December 2024. The critic deems it an absorbing, beautifully shot and impressively acted crime thriller, unforgettable and disturbing. Law and Hoult's contrasting performances as pursuer and prey create a gripping, discomfiting duality like Heat with white supremacists. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-jude-law-hunts-neo-nazis-in-the-order.html) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 5 December 2024. The film is a solid, haunting crime drama that hits too close to home with its portrayal of domestic terrorism. Kurzel delivers a Mann-esque thriller with standout performances from Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-order-2024-review/) ## Eye for Film — Marko Stojiljkovic Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 December 2024. Though not a masterpiece and somewhat unoriginal in plot and characters, the film is very effective procedural thriller fun thanks to an airtight script, strong casting, and Kurzel's methodical direction and set pieces. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-order-2024-film-review-by-marko-stojiljkovic) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating C+. 31 August 2024. Festival review. The stylish thriller compellingly depicts forgotten true events with fine performances and riveting action, but ends with a disjointed whimper that undermines the preceding tension and emotional impact. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-order-review-jude-law-nicholas-hoult-a-white-nationalism-history-lesson-venice-20240831/) ## Deadline — Stephanie Bunbury 31 August 2024. Festival review. The critic calls the film a brilliantly-shot sweeping slice of political Americana and praises Jude Law's nuanced, fully human performance as the grizzled FBI agent. They single out the urgent, brilliantly composed action sequences for particular praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/08/the-order-review-justin-kurzel-jude-law-venice-film-festival-1236074907/) ## Film Stories — Ryan Lambie 23 December 2024. Kurzel's direction is electrifying in this procedural thriller and unsettling drama about extremism, with impeccably constructed pacing and strong performances from Law as a jaded FBI agent and Hoult as a charismatic antagonist. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/news/the-order-review-intense-jude-law-and-nicholas-hoult-thriller-shouldnt-be-missed/) ## Paste — Jason Gorber Rating 8.3. 11 September 2024. Festival review. The taut thriller finds chilling reflections of the present in past extremists, with great performances and a focused script. Kurzel's most mature work exposes the insidiousness of hate groups through truthful, compelling storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/justin-kurzel/the-order-review) ## The Wrap 31 August 2024. Festival review. The critic hails Kurzel’s most accomplished work to date for offsetting broody fatalism against natural splendor and creating a haunting, unique mood. They single out Jude Law’s dominating, paunchy performance as the washed-up FBI agent for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-order-review-jude-law-neo-nazi-drama/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-order.md