Forty years ago, on Dec. 8, 1984, one of the largest manhunts in FBI history came to an explosive end on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. The person they were after was Robert Jay Mathews, the leader of a committing armed robberies to finance plans to overthrow the government. The standoff lasted more than 30 hours.
It鈥檚 a dramatic episode in history that鈥檚 chronicled in the new film in theaters Friday, a 1970s-styled thriller starring as an FBI agent who connects the dots of the violent crimes arising in the Pacific Northwest and as the enigmatic Mathews. The group, responsible for the , and that infamous showdown, also continues to , who make pilgrimages to Whidbey Island this time of year for 鈥淢artyr鈥檚 Day.鈥�
Neither the English stars nor the Australian director Justin Kurzel were familiar with the history of the group when they first read Zach Baylin鈥檚 script, based on Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt鈥檚 nonfiction book 鈥淭he Silent Brotherhood.鈥� But it felt full of potential for an entertaining, complex movie, with car chases, bank heists, shootouts and pathos.
鈥淚t just reminded me of the great old heist films from the '70s, with a Sidney Lumet, kind of feel about it,鈥� Kurzel said. 鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 a period film, it鈥檚 so incredibly present and sort of dangerously still relevant.鈥�
That relevance would soon become even clearer. Three months after Kurzel got the script, he watched the on Jan. 6, 2020, and spotted someone holding a copy of 鈥淭he Turner Diaries,鈥� one of Mathews' major inspirations. And yet it would be an uphill battle to get the film both made and into theaters, now a semi-miracle for an independent production.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always been a battle to get this kind of film made. You really need to find champions for it,鈥� said Law, who also signed on to produce with his company Riff Raff. 鈥淭he historical story is all wrapped up in this film in a genre. It鈥檚 got a very crowd-pleasing energy to it. It鈥檚 edge of your seat, cat and mouse. It harkens back to those incredibly successful films in the 鈥�70s and 鈥�80s that people would go to and be seen as kind of blockbusters 鈥� it鈥檚 funny that those films don鈥檛 always necessarily get the budget they should nowadays.鈥�
One of Law鈥檚 favorite qualities of the script was that it was written with neither empathy for nor judgement of Mathews or his followers. But that鈥檚 not to say that bringing him to life was straightforward. For Hoult, it was a daunting task.
鈥淭o play a character like that, you have to try and understand them as best as possible,鈥� Hoult said. 鈥淭o do that, you have to figure out their way of living and also what made them the way they are. That means taking in a lot of the information that they would have taken in that shaped their ideology and beliefs, which is a horrible place to go to because it鈥檚 not stuff that you necessarily want filling your every day and to have those thoughts flowing through your head.鈥�
But Hoult felt safe with Kurzel, a director he鈥檇 worked with on 鈥淭he True History of the Kelly Gang.鈥� He was also looking forward to collaborating with Law, though they weren鈥檛 exactly hanging out during the shoot. Kurzel asked Law and Hoult to stay away from one another until their characters meet in the film to add a dynamism to that scene.
鈥淚t was an adrenaline that you can鈥檛 fake,鈥� Hoult said.
Unbeknownst to Hoult, Kurzel also told Law to follow him around one day in Calgary 鈥� a tactile assignment that he knows sounds a little crazy but that sometimes unlocks real things for actors.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 hugely eventful,鈥� Law laughed, but he saw its benefits. 鈥淛ustin writes up for his actors manifestos and sets them tasks. He鈥檚 not precious about it. He says, do it or don鈥檛 do it. I think we both found them really interesting and really helpful ways in to just kind of embodying these people that you鈥檝e got to become.鈥�
As with all independently made films, they didn鈥檛 always have the time or money they would have liked, but they made it work.
鈥淓ach bank heist or armored truck robbery was basically done in a day,鈥� Hoult said. 鈥淭he speed you鈥檙e going and the frantic energy of that is helpful for creating what ends up on the screen, the chaos of that.鈥�
And up until the last minute, they were even contemplating rewriting the famous final showdown. There was a total , but it lifted just in time.
鈥淲e were very lucky,鈥� Kurzel said of the showstopper moment.
The film premiered earlier this year at the and has since played at several others, which has allowed everyone the rare privilege of seeing many responses to what they鈥檝e made. And it's been overwhelmingly positive.
鈥淭his has happened before, that you make something you believe in, you love it and it just disappears or no one gets it. And you realize so much of it has to do with timing and impact,鈥� Law said. 鈥淏ut it feels like people really appreciate what we鈥檝e tried to do, and they really get it.鈥�
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
