These 7 moments from The Order will make you a fan of Nicholas Hoult as Bob Mathews

If anyone still doubts what Nicholas Hoult can do on screen, they need to see him in The Order. Hoult becomes Bob Mathews, who led a violent white supremacist gang during the early eighties. This version of Mathews does not feel like an overdone movie monster. Hoult plays him like a true believer who hides enough behind a calm face and clear eyes.

He carries himself like a quiet neighbor, yet every word he says holds danger that feels real. You can see that when he talks about his plan for the country, he means every word.

His scenes with Jude Law feel tense because both men look ready to break, but in different ways. Law shows the weight of years hunting men like Mathews, while Hoult shows the thrill of someone who wants to be hunted because it proves he matters. Nothing about Hoult’s Mathews feels flat.

He shifts from a soft father at home to a man who orders murders in the woods. This performance pulls you in and makes you uneasy when you realize you want to see what he will do next. These seven scenes prove exactly why Hoult stands out in The Order.

These 7 moments from The Order will make you a fan of Nicholas Hoult as Bob Mathews

1. The chilling forest execution

The Order (Image via Amazon MGM Studios)

Bruce Pierce and Gary Yarbrough take Walter West deep into the Idaho woods at night for what they tell him is a hunting trip.

Mathews does not show up, but Hoult makes you feel his control behind the trees. He chose this death without ever lifting the gun himself.

This hit tears West from Aryan Nations and proves that Mathews will clean house when loyalty wavers. The forest stays quiet after the shots. Hoult’s absence makes it worse because it shows Mathews stays safe while others do the dirty work.

This moment cuts away any chance of compromise with Butler’s cautious politics. It locks Mathews on a new path where he wants fear to speak louder than hidden hate. That forest sets up every violent step that follows him.

2. Returning home covered in dye

After the Spokane bank job, Mathews walks through his front door wearing a shirt soaked with dye pack ink that exploded during the getaway.

Hoult does not shout or panic. He strips off the ruined shirt while Debbie Mathews stands in the kitchen and sees the duffel bag stuffed with cash.

She does not flinch when she sees the red stain on his chest. This moment shows how normal crime becomes under Mathews’ roof. He does not need threats because she accepts his plan without question. Hoult plays him like a man who expects family loyalty no matter what mess he drags in.

This scene proves how Mathews brings violence home yet keeps the mask of an ordinary husband. Hoult’s calm shoulders and steady steps make Mathews feel real. This moment changes him from a radical leader to a man who can make blood and domestic life share the same table.

3. The Aryan nations' confrontation

Mathews stands inside the compound’s church facing Richard Butler, who wants the white cause to hide behind speeches and polite politics.

Hoult plants Mathews in the pew, staring at Butler like a quiet challenge nobody can ignore. He does not raise his voice, but makes it clear he will not bend.

This silent clash pushes Mathews out of Butler’s careful circle. Hoult’s steady eyes and stiff posture show a man ready to break from men who fear real conflict. This split plants the seeds for The Order to take shape. Mathews sees no point in waiting for votes. He wants blood to carry his message.

Hoult shows Mathews not as reckless but certain about what must come next. This scene flips the story toward open violence. It proves that Mathews has no plan to walk backward. Hoult makes that choice sharp without extra words or cheap anger.

4. Preaching his Gospel in a racist Church

Inside a small church, Mathews rises during a regular sermon to pitch his plan straight to people already nursing hate in their veins.

Hoult keeps his voice low enough to chill the whole room. He does not spit rage. He explains killing like it is the next step they should expect.

No raised fist or roar. Just words that push fear into action. This scene matters because it proves Mathews is done hiding. He hijacks the pulpit to say what Butler never dared. Hoult’s slow steps between pews show he wants every pair of eyes locked on him. This moment shifts him from secret schemer to open recruiter for bloodshed. The church crowd does not shout him down. They listen. That silence underlines the danger. Hoult gives Mathews the calm of a man certain his plan will find believers ready to pick up guns.

5. Holding up the armored truck

When Mathews sets his sights on an armored truck outside Spokane, he shows he can command chaos like a soldier.

Hoult stands in the middle of a shouting crew and scattered gunfire. He never breaks stride. He runs this heist like he planned it in his sleep.

This job does more than steal money. It gives Mathews fresh fuel for more bombs and bigger dreams. Hoult makes him look cold but not reckless. Every move shows the loyalty he pulls from men willing to shoot and die on the roadside. This hold-up breaks any illusion that The Order is harmless.

Hoult’s quiet focus makes Mathews the eye of the storm. When shots echo across the road, you see how he treats this crime as routine. The heist pulls the FBI closer and forces Husk to push harder. Hoult’s Mathews wants that heat because it proves he matters.

6. Deadly stand-off on Whidbey Island

When The Order falls apart, Mathews retreats to his safe house on Whidbey Island, knowing the FBI plans to surround him before dawn.

Hoult turns Mathews into a cornered wolf that still wants to look like he holds power. He paces around the house, touching guns and muttering quiet prayers.

This final hideout strips him of loyal men and shows his face alone with his mission. Hoult’s blank stare through the windows tells you he knows it will end in fire. He does not plan to escape. He wants a final fight that proves he will not bend. The FBI tries to storm the house, but Mathews digs in, and the fire rolls through walls packed with ammunition.

Hoult makes Mathews’ stillness more haunting than screams. This stand-off burns him into the story as a zealot who stays with his guns until the last spark snaps the floorboards under his boots.

7. Final face-off with Husk

Inside the burning house, Mathews and Husk stand inches apart while bullets and flames circle the room like snapping dogs.

Hoult fixes Mathews in place like a man waiting for judgment. He stares straight at Jude Law’s tired FBI agent and does not step back.

Husk begs him to surrender. Mathews stands his ground because dying inside the blaze feels better than chains and trial. Hoult makes this moment feel personal. He shows a man who wants Husk to see his bones turn to ash rather than see him locked in a cell. This final stare-down does not explode with shouting. It cuts quiet because both men know only one walks out.

Hoult’s dead-set eyes make it clear that Mathews wins by refusing to crawl. When the fire cracks the last beam, Hoult’s Mathews feels like a man who got exactly what he asked for under his own burning roof.