In the Eyes of the Law

Jude Law is unrecognizable as an FBI agent on the trail of aneo-Naziterrorist group in real-crime drama The Order

- BILLIE SCHWAB DUNN

JUDE LAW HAS CEMENTED HIMself as a versatile character actor in his latest film, The Order, which saw him immerse himself so much in his role that he hunted co-star Nicholas Hoult off-camera.

The true-crime drama, which premiered to a nearly 10-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, is based on the book The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. It chronicles the chilling story of a neo-Nazi militia's rise in early 1980s America and the FBI's desperate efforts to stop them.

Law plays Terry Husk, a damaged FBI agent doggedly investigating a string of violent bank robberies and armored car heists in the Pacific Northwest. Convinced that these crimes are the work of domestic terrorists fundb a violent uprising, Husk and his team plunge into the dark underworld of white supremacist extremism. Based on a true story, Husk faces off against Bob Mathews, a ruthless white supremacist played by Hoult.

Directed by Justin Kurzel (Nitram, Snowtown and Assassin's Creed), Law explained to Newsweek the various directions Kurzel gave to the actors so that they could get into the minds of their characters.

"One of them was, when I got to Calgary to make this, we were there for a few weeks. He suggested that I just feel what it would be like to kill someone, to follow Nick, and he wanted me to build this obsession with Nick and an understanding of who it was that I was hunting," the actor said.

"So I don't know that it helped, it was a challenge, it's very hard to do. I went training, it's very tricky." That wasn't the full extent of Law engrossing himself in the role. At one point, both he and fellow British star Hoult started leaving voicemail messages for Kurzel while in character.