*Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Order on Amazon Prime*
A new film on Amazon Prime, The Order, is actually based on a chilling true story, with characters portrayed by Jude Law and Nicholas Hoult inspired by real-life individuals.
The Order is now available to stream for subscribers on the platform after it received a limited cinematic release in the US late last year.
Following that initial run, it was hailed as one of the best films of the year, with performances from Hoult and Law in particular being singled out for praise.
In the film, a series of violent robberies leads seasoned FBI agent Terry Husk, played by Law, to a white supremacist group.
Nicholas Hoult plays Bob Mathews, real life leader of The Order (Image: Amazon)
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Husk, who has relocated to a new position in Idaho, hopes for a lighter case load after working on investigations into the Ku Klux Klan and the Mafia. Instead, he discovers a new dangerous enemy lurking near his front door.
This new militia-inspired group, led by a man named Bob Mathews, played by Hoult, aims to overthrow the federal government. This narrative is actually based on real-life events.
While some parts are fictionalised, they still hold some truth to them. Here’s the real story behind the film and the real people used as the basis for its characters.
The Order was a genuine neo-Nazi group, also known as The Silent Brotherhood. Run by white supremacist Robert Mathews, it was active between 1983 and 1984 and much like in the film, funded themselves through proceeds from armed robberies and also declared war on the US government, .
The Turner Diaries, a novel integral to the real-life and film’s plot, was authored by William Luther Pierce, head of the white supremacist National Alliance, under the alias Andrew Macdonald. These diaries are pivotal in forming the profile for Jude Law’s on-screen persona, although his character is crafted upon Wayne Manis, an actual FBI lead investigator who tailed The Order and penned his experiences in The Street Agent.
The Order funded themselves via armed robberies (Image: Amazon)
Manis, now retired since 1994, still resides locally. Jude Law stated that the choice of a fictional agent was to probe deeper into his character’s personal life and interactions, particularly with Hoult’s role, “without upsetting or embarrassing anyone.”
Wayne Manis relayed to a nearby TV station the extent of The Order’s actual criminal activities: “They assassinated, they bombed a synagogue, they did armoured car robberies, multiple armoured car robberies, bank robberies, they did counterfeit. Robert Matthews formed a group of would-be terrorists and these people had decided there was too much talk, too much rhetoric and not enough action.”
The Amazon film, however, is based on a different book. Kevin Flynn, author of The Order: Inside America’s Racist Underground, reveals that the group’s ultimate aim was to establish “five Northwestern states-Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming- as a whites-only nation.”
The film depicts their most infamous robbery, where they surrounded an armoured vehicle and made off with $3.6 million in cash. They also targeted adult book stores, which they deemed immoral, and bombed an adult cinema.
Their downfall began with the murder of Jewish radio host Alan Berg, portrayed by comedian Marc Maron in the film, who was a vocal critic of white nationalist groups. According to Time, one member even phoned into the show before the killing to deliver an anti-Semitic tirade.
The Order met its end following a stand-off with the FBI, resulting in the death of leader Mathews. As officers demanded his surrender, Mathews refused and a flare reportedly accidentally ignited a house fire. Mathews perished in the flames.
Manis recalled that night: “I stand there in the darkness all night and watch the house until there’s nothing left but just smouldering ashes.”
Other members of The Order were eventually apprehended, with over a dozen convicted for crimes including racketeering. Many key members, including Bruce Pierce, would ultimately die in prison.
The Order is streaming on Amazon Prime