The Order

• Directed by Sheldon Lettich
• December 13, 2001 (Germany) / March 12, 2002 (US)

When a playboy criminal’s father goes missing in Israel his son heads there and finds his father’s disappearance may be connected to a religious sect called The Order.

A Jean-Claude Van Damme action movie about an antiquities loving thief with a little support from Chuck Heston in a glorified cameo? Sure. Sounds like fun. And it really is. In execution The Order is 25% Indiana Jones and 75% Jean-Claude Van Damme. It involves an ancient map and a secretive religious sect in a story that intersects with real world politics that are still going on today where our hero engages in parkour and leaping kicks.

Jean-Claude Van Damage is first seen in a flashback as Flemish knight Charles Le Vaillant who was a Crusader that became disillusioned and started the titular group. I really expected some connection between THAT character and Rudy Cafmeyer whom Van Damme plays in the majority of the story. I found that not happening, well, disappointing because I began to expect some kind of fantasy element and was upset that it was lacking.

Rudy Cafmeyer is an international antiquities thief who is a loving son even if not an honest one. And he seems to show up at his father’s (Vernon Dobtcheff) place to look for places to steal from. And then leaves. Maybe he is not so loving. Rudy sounds like a real parasite. Anywho…

The action is of the fun variety one would expect of this phase of Van Damme’s career. Very kinetic with a touch of comedy that entertains but never undercuts the movie. Watching Jean-Claude Van Damme do his kicks and spins dressed like a Hasidic Jew makes this worth watching alone. The Order is certainly a different feel for action films for the era in which Jean-Claude Van Damme came up. Mostly because it takes place predominantly in Jerusalem. The city itself gives it an almost exotic field. The action is well choreographed and definitely ranks up there with Van Damme’s other action efforts.

The Order of the title sounds very insular like the Zoroastrians and perhaps even opposed to new members/outsiders yet appears international too. Van Damme’s Rudy during the film slips into a meeting/service as an overseas member. Given that he was getting assistance from a former member who left such a thing would be caught if it was a lie but clearly it was a possibility.

The idea behind the movie is that The Order member Second/then First Disciple Cyrus Jacob (Brian Thompson) along with the help of corrupt Israeli cop Ben Nur (Ben Cross) plans to start a religious war by setting off a bomb at the Temple Mount during Ramadan. Anyway that is what Cyrus wants. Officer Nur is just after some treasure that a map will lead him to but goes along with the plot because that’s the easiest way to find the aforementioned treasure.

Cross gives enough menace, but Thompson has a touch too much swagger to play an individual that has made it into the upper echelons of a staid religious group. I’ve never seen him not walk with a level of swagger in any role. As the second in command and eventual leader of a religious group swagger is not something you should have much of. 

Not that it hurts things. This is an actioner not meant to be taken too seriously but is aware enough that it needs to follow a logic. Yes the token eye candy of Lt. Dalia Barr (Sofia Milos) was there to help out when needed to expedite the plot but they do enough to make it feel more than simply convenient. The Order is a nice reminder of how good action movies were. It’s done in a style that is no longer in fashion yet when you watch the classics it is one that worked so very well and is a formula that can still work.

For action fans The Order may satisfy. No classic but it is worth watching Jean-Claude Van Damme still in his physical prime.