Greetings again from the darkness. We are probably fortunate that there are people who research, investigate, and write about the reprehensible world of white supremacists. While most of us would prefer to imagine that such folks don't exist, or at least have little impact, the 1989 book "The Silent Brotherhood" by Gary Gerhardt and Kevin Flynn detail why ignoring is not a feasible option. Zach Baylin (KING RICHARD, 2021) has now adapted the book into a screenplay directed by Aussie Justin Kurzel (THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG, 2019, and the excellent NITRAM, 2021). The book and the film are based on the facts of the case that is now 40 years old, yet still relevant today.
Jude Law stars as Terry Husk, a weathered FBI Agent assigned to a long-forgotten field office in Idaho. Husk is described as "slowing down" and it becomes clear he has had some health issues and is estranged from his wife and daughter. It's 1983 and we are in the studio as Denver radio DJ Alan Berg (Marc Maron, TO LESLIE, 2022). Berg was Jewish and liberal and we hear his verbal sparring with call-in white supremacists. If you recognize Berg's name, you likely know his story, and his inclusion reinforces the courage required to confront such hate.
After a violent bank robbery, Agent Husk is drawn into the spectrum of radical Bob Mathews (Nicholas Hoult continues his big year, NOSFERATU, JUROR #2), a white supremacist cult leader whose faction has broken off from the Aryan Nation run by a local pastor. As Mathews recruits, and teaches youngsters to shoot, he proclaims the group is "at war" and it's a race war against the government (as a reminder, Ronald Reagan was President at the time). Husk partners with a sharp youngster from the local Sheriff's office named Jamie Bowen (Tye Sheridan, THE TENDER BAR, 2021). The game of chase exposes Husk's preternatural instincts that sometimes go against the case lead, Agent Joanne Carney (the talented Jurnee Smollett, THE BURIAL, 2023).
The entire story takes place from 1983 to 1984 and includes robberies, murder, counterfeiting, and the understanding that leaders like Mathews believe what they read in "The Turner Diaries", and that they are somehow the chosen ones. Jude Law is especially good in this role and his scenes with Hoult are standouts. Although I'm not a fan of the climactic standoff, it seems to follow the history pretty closely ... taking place in Whidbey Island in Washington State. On the other hand, the buildup is especially well done, and the film looks spot on for the era.
Opened in theaters on December 6, 2024.
