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The Order is set in the 1980s, but it may as well have taken place in the present; the terror of white supremacists and the desire to storm the Capitol are eerily relevant. However, as political as The Order is, it works better as a cop drama. Director Justin Kurzel has the thrill of the chase down to a pat. As FBI Agent Terry Husk, Jude Law is equal parts talented and tormented (as any good onscreen detective seems to be). And matching his tense energy is Nicholas Hoult, who plays a neo-Nazi terrorist set to overthrow the government. His character could’ve been oversized or cartoonish in less deft hands, but Hoult plays his role with just the exact amount of evil charm to make him a believable cult leader.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Actor: Alison Oliver, Bradley Stryker, Daniel Doheny, George Tchortov, Jude Law, Jurnee Smollett, Marc Maron, Matias Garrido, Morgan Holmstrom, Nicholas Hoult, Odessa Young, Philip Granger, Phillip Lewitski, Sebastian Pigott, Tye Sheridan, Victor Slezak

Director: Justin Kurzel

Rating: R

Real life serial killers are interesting to see on screen because the very crime they committed is so unusual, that you can’t help but wonder what the heck pushed them to do such a thing. However, doing so can be tricky because a bad depiction can seem to glorify their drama at the expense of the real life victims. Thankfully, Nitram doesn’t do that. Based on the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, it does depict the killer’s perspective, but director Justin Kurzel just depicts it as is, never dramatizing or sympathizing or blaming anyone else for the killer’s actions, keeping the camera solely on Nitram himself. And it works because Caleb Landry Jones captures the killer’s off-putting intensity, and resulting loneliness, through his excellent performance. It’s not an easy watch, but Nitram is an intriguing character study that doesn’t mine drama from tragedy.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Anthony LaPaglia, Caleb Landry Jones, Essie Davis, Judy Davis, Lucy-Rose Leonard, Sean Keenan

Director: Justin Kurzel