jonathancanucklevine

I'm a student of the subject matter, having read a lot of books on it and seen the movies made to date - plus, I live where this one was shot, which is within the footprint of the area the Aryan Nation(s?) used to claim as their own. I think this is a solid entry with a rather "True Detective" feel to it.

Be wary of the other reviews, such as that from @cinemapersonified claiming "exposes the unknown history of "The Order" in the 1980s" (it's actually quite well-known) and "a very good job showcasing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest through its cinematography" (it wasn't shot there, it was shot in southern Alberta - on the other side of the Canadian border). People should get their facts straight *before* they start writing reviews. This is also useful in pointing out a probable-goof in the form of a grain auger in the yard of the house in Whidbey Island where Mathews was killed. As far as I can tell, there is no grain farming on that island, and there's a *lot* in southern Alberta.

Among the previous films that have tilled this ground are Oliver Stone's "Talk Radio", which focused on Alan Berg, played by Eric Bogosian. I thought that the choice of Marc Maron this time around was excellent, and the resemblance was stunning, but it was (unfortunately) a fairly minor turn and I would have like to have seen much more of him here. Other movies that were less literal/historical are Frankenheimer's "Dead Bang" (with Don Johnson), which was - interestingly - also filmed in and around Calgary, and Costa-Gavras' "Betrayed".

So what we have here is a cleanly-directed and emotionally-damped procedural without much actual procedure, and together with Maron's resemblance to Berg and Nicholas Hoult's similarly strong resemblance to Mathews the result is something that almost teeters more toward documentary than drama. As I said, I knew how it ended, so there wasn't much tension or surprise, but I think it's a good addition to the canon on those native-born terrorists and should be educational for those unfamiliar with the story.

Only to be left with ambivalence - at best. Perhaps it's a product of male perversions. Despite a few Name Talents, this is undergrad neo-feminist twaddle, low budget in every respect: The staging (though there are some interesting elements to some of the sets), the tortured emotions, the music, and most of all the symbolism. Honestly, I do try to appreciate Tilda Swinton's work - and I certainly did enjoy her performance in "Michael Clayton" (as a corrupt lawyer - does she have a problem with typecasting?), but even with long hair (a definite improvement), I still find her a little repellent. I suppose if I'm to be fair I'll give it a B+ for nudity, but beyond that there really isn't anything to recommend it. Go watch "Tommy" instead if you need tales of damaged children, and at least you'll be entertained.