The Order (2003) User Reviews

Uncomfortable and thought-provoking....

[JanetDenise · 5/10 · 5 September 2003]

The Order is a fairly shadowy and brooding film. Heath Ledger stars as Alex, a tormented young Carolignian priest in search of The SinEater. (Which personally I feel should have been the title, instead of the current)

A very pale and thin Heath Ledger takes on the role of the conflicted in this film that pushes boundaries and will no doubt cause eyebrows to raise among several including the Catholic Church. (A few moviegoers left during the film when I viewed) The film is dark and uses shadows to set tones and create suspense. There are several storylines introduced and covered that do tie together eventually. The subject is an interesting one and this is certainly not the last movie to question the role of the Church. I feel Heath Ledger was brave in choosing to do this film and hopefully he will continue onward with his career. It was good to not see him in a period piece, as he has been doing of late.

Shannyn Sossamon adds to the film as the troubled Mara. And while some of the movie involving her becomes predictable the relationship between Alex and Mara does progress the movie in a certain direction. Certain lines delivered during the film that were perhaps written to create dramatic moments falter. The movie is on the cusp of potential. 8 out of 10 for shock value....a film that may not be very popular but worth seeing if you are a fan of movies of all types.

Dark thriller about a young priest who is sent to investigate when the head of the order dies

[ma-cortes · 5/10 · 3 February 2013]

Suspense, mystery , shocks and grisly horror is this average terror film about occultism . It deals with a young reverend named Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger) is a member of an arcane order of priests known as Carolingians , he is sent to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order . The body bears strange marks on the chest which may or may not be the sign of a Sin Eater named William Eden (Vincent Cassel had originally been cast but left the production after three weeks due to "creative differences" , as he has been replaced by Benno Fürmann), a renegade who offers absolution, last rites ; therefore a path to heaven outside the jurisdiction of the church and unleashing fantastic powers . Alex enlists the aid of his old comrade named Father Thomas (Mark Addy) . Meantime ,the father is attempting to find out the bottom of events and he soon finds himself plunged into a mystery only to find himself at the heart of it.

This is an average suspenseful and horrifying story , based on a screenplay by Brian Helgeland , also producer and filmmaker . The movie begins slowly and grows more and more until the twisted , creepy and eerie finale . Mediocre picture , thanks to passable acting , slow-moving pacing , middlingly mounted edition and skillful special effects . The film contains restless terror and usual poltergeists phenomenon . Passable acting by Heath Ledger as Alex , a priest sent to Rome to investigate mysterious circumstances surrounding a strange death and Sossamon as a troubled artist upon whom he once performed an exorcism . Enjoyable secondary cast as Mark Addy , Benno Furmann and special mention to Peter Weller , according to Brian Helgeland, did extensive research for his role by studying old religious rituals and histrionics. It is produced with little budget but well recreated with high grade special effects that are frightening and horrifying to spectator as when the sin eater carries out his abilities . It's actually halfway decent terror movie that failed at the box office and it will appeal to ghostly and eerie events fonds . Originally scheduled for January 17, 2002, the film's release date was postponed when the visual effects had to be redone because they were thought to be unintentionally funny , according to a anonymous source close to the production quoted by Variety magazine, the special effects depicting sins exiting the human body after death looked like "calamari".

The picture packs a colorful as well as dark cinematography by Nicola Pecorini and eerie musical score by David Torn . The motion picture was regularly written , produced and directed by Brian Helgeland . Brian is a prestigious screenwriter , he won both his Oscar and a Razzie award the same weekend in 1998: He took Best Screenplay for L.A. Confidential (1997) and Worst Screenplay for Kevin Costner's The Postman (1997). He wrote the draft of the screenplay for Bourne supremacy (2004) but is not credited in the final film. His directing mentor was Richard Donner when they worked together on Conspiratión (1997) and then when Brain started to direct Payback (1999). He went on working on scripts of "Blood Work" and "Mystic River" for Clint Eastwood. An directed this ¨Sin eater¨ with Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, and Mark Addy all previously appeared together in ¨knight's tale¨. The motion picture will appeal to religious thriller buffs and dark atmosphere enthusiasts .

Great theme, BUT!!!!!

[saxon-7 · 5/10 · 13 December 2006]

Alex is a member of the Carolingians, a fraction within the Christian church, and is sent to Rome when a high standing member of the order is found dead. During Alex's investigation he's confronted by a Sin Eater (one who gives absolution outside the church) who want Alex to become the next Sin Eater.

The theme/premise of this movie has a lot of potential, unfortunately it isn't that well exploited and quickly becomes bogged down due to a very disinterested lack of pace and sense of meaning. While the portrayal of the Sin Eater idea is good and the Carolingians Order is a nice touch, it all seems a bit hastily put together without much sense of direction.

The effects are very good and feels right, the acting is generally good (Heath Ledger does lack some) with Benno Fürmann being the best, but Peter Weller also does well.

While the plot idea, effects and acting is very good the movie unfortunately isn't which is a very big shame since the theme has a lot to offer but somewhere in the directing or screen writing something has gone wrong.

The Order only gets 5 out of 10, with 4 out of these being for the plot idea, effects and acting alone.

Pretty Good Horror

[teuthis · 15 July 2004]

I must disagree with many of the reviewers on this film. I consider The Order to be a mature, well-constructed horror story. The "horror" is subtle at first, but it builds, along with the suspense, into several, intense episodes that culminate the film decisively. It is a complex flux of development, change and ever-increasing intensity of suspense and anxiety. As with any horror film, indeed almost any film, one must become immersed in the culture and story that is created. One must assume certain elements of the film to be valid, then flow with the plot. The Order fills all of the requirements of a good horror tale, done smoothly and skillfully. The characters and the actors portraying them fit well into the development of it all. I was most impressed with the lead actress. Her portrayal was stunningly sympathetic. And I really loved the ending. It melded all of the elements of the film together in a satisfying conclusion. This film creates a sense of doom and inevitability that constantly grows with its progression. That is what drew me to keep watching. I am not generally a fan of "Religious" horror. I shall gladly make an exception for The Order.

A schizophrenic, old-world thriller that's still worth a viewing

[johnnysugar · 3/10 · 8 September 2003]

In the bygone days of the Catholic Church, a sin-eater was an individual that, through ritual, would take the sins of a dying person upon themselves. Often, these people were excommunicate or similar individuals who the church would not absolve, thereby denying them entrance into Heaven. The sin-eaters were seen as blasphemous, circumventing the chruch's monopoly on redemption. Sex this up a bit with some overt supernatural mojo, let the concept wander where it may, and you have "The Order", a movie that combines "Stigmata"'s religious anti-authoritarianism, "The X-Files"' paranormal investigation, and "The Thorn Birds"' sexual spirituality into an odd melange that sometimes works.

Alex (Heath Ledger) is a rogue priest, one of the last members of the Order of the Carolingians, a semi-heretical order of knowledge-seeking, demon-fighting priests. When Alex's mentor is found dead under bizarre circumstances, Bishop Driscoll (Peter Weller) sends Alex to investigate. Tagging along are fellow Carolingian Thomas (Mark Addy) and Mara (Shannyn Sossman), who was subject to one of Alex's exorcisms a year prior. The three go to Rome to investigate and are drawn into a dark underworld of bizarre Catholic heresy, ominous prophecies, demonic intrusions, and a man claiming to be the last surviving Sin-Eater (Benno Furmann).

Written and directed by Brian Helgeland (who worked with the same principals on the scattershot and half-hearted "A Knight's Tale"), the film is an odd one, and difficult to classify. It wants to be several things at once -- supernatural thriller, religious intrigue, dramatic television pilot -- and only sometimes succeeds at any of them. This isn't helped by the slow pace or the fact that most of the actors seem to be sleepwalking through their performances with occasional bursts of brilliance. Ledger, in particular, has a particularly stunning scene of despair in an otherwise monochromatic performance. Sossman, however, displayed the same disconnected performance that she's given in all of her films (most notably in "The Rules Of Attraction").

The plot itself meanders back and forth between several different story arcs, leading you to wonder which is the main one with each arc containing its share of red herrings. Large gaps of narrative appear to be lost between scenes at times, which can be confusing for many, but this is also one of the film's saving graces. The structure of the film -- coupled by the fact that there is never a truly clear antagonist until the very end of the film -- forces the viewer to analyze and reason in a time when most films are blatantly obvious about everything (the exception to this is historical background on the Carolingians and the practice of sin-eating, both of which are explained in dry exposition). Even at the beginning of the film, character relationships and history are inferred instead of explained. Combine this with the on-location shooting and judicious use of special effects, and you have a very old-world supernatural thriller, with even the opening credits reminiscent of something from the late 70's/early 80's.

A brief mention here, as well, for the subtle and organic score by David Torn, a combination of minimalist orchestration and Lisa Gerrard-style exotic vocals. A very nice score that is evocative without being bombastic and exists in a very deceptive simplicity.

A confusing plot, a lack of purpose, and sometimes sleepy performances would often damn a movie, but for some reason, "The Order" remains watchable. Many people will be very turned off by the movie for its odd sensibilities, and some may even become angry that they are forced to engage the higher functions of their brain to understand it. Still, the film's sheer intangibility will prevent it from being either a critical or commercial success until the DVD, which I'm sure will be stocked with copious amounts of deleted scenes. A recommended film only for people who like to think while they watch. 6 out of 10.

An average thriller that winks at the horror but never gets to be horror.

[filipemanuelneto · 5/10 · 26 January 2018]

In this film, a young Catholic priest is sent to Rome to investigate the death of the superior of his congregation, ending up with a scenario that crosses the supernatural with the mystery. This plot looks perfect for a horror movie, doesn't it? But this isn't the case and this is one of the problems because it clashes with public's expectations, since half of them goes in search of horror. Despite this risk, the plot is interesting, engaging and manages to create an atmosphere that makes you stick to the screen to see what will happen. Its evident from the beginning that this priests are totally unorthodox and would hardly be priests in real life, but the movie's credibility depends more on how willing you are to swallow the "sin eater" story. Personally, I didn't have major problems with that, even though everything stinks false. Despite the cold start and the slow pace, the film grows as it unfolds and the final is very good, but I was able to anticipate it sensibly from the middle.

The film has some well-known actors, starting with Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Benno Furmann and Peter Weller. This last name was probably the most renowned and experienced at the time and he did a positive work, but his character was so secondary that he had very little to work with. The others limited themselves to doing what they really had to do, without merit or brilliance, in woody performances that didn't add anything praiseworthy to their careers. Cinematography presents nothing particularly interesting as well but the few special effects used are far better than the avalanche of bad CGI that some films present to the public.

Far from being a good movie, this is a medium-quality thriller that fits anyone who likes the genre or just wants to spend some time idle. Its not good enough to deserve a second watch, nor its bad enough for you to consider poorly spent the time you've been watching it.

Makes Church Seem Like a Roller coaster Ride

[joseangeles · 1/10 · 7 August 2004]

The screenwriter poorly attempted to re-create the "Exorcist'. But put in some blah-blah love story that makes you sick instead of keeping you engaged. There is no substance whatsoever in this entire film. It had the potential of being something special but blows it by showing a bunch of people yack about things nobody cares about. Extremely boring, I wanted to leave the theater when I saw this but the dumb movie tickets were expensive so I had to withstand the dreary torture which felt like it lasted forever. Nothing on screen connected relevance back to whatever the characters were talking about.

They use computer graphics in here that instead of wowing me (as it intended, I hate CGI) just ruined the movie even more. Some people say this movie did horrible in the movie theaters because of how "thought-provoking" and "slow-paced-without-action-because it's an intelligent film" it was. What is so intelligent or thought provoking when the story is basically about pretty boy Heath Ledger as a priest who has a love interest and disobeys his religion? Seems like an uninspired concept. Oh and there's some mumbo jumbo about the "sin-eater" (movie was originally going to be titled "sin-eater"). Lame concept but the movie took the "sin-eater" thing too seriously, making the movie become pathetic and delusional about how dark and intelligent it was. Yeah, I know there were really sin-eaters in the medieval times but this movie just makes it sound cheesy.

Nothing in the movie was executed right and I forget why I even bothered to see this movie. If you want horror films that actually have depth, watch Rosemary's Baby, The Tenant, Naked Blood, Society, Cannibal Holocaust, Pin, Exorcist, Omen, or any of the Romero "Dead Trilogy" films. Nonsense dialogue does not equate to intelligence people, mainstream movie fans think that though (same kind of people that think a ridiculous movie like Hulk is a cinematic masterpiece). If you want mind-numbingly boring horror, watch the Order. This movie makes church seem like a roller coaster ride.

You "Critics" are what's wrong with Hollywood.

[reaperofwhatever · 7/10 · 27 December 2012]

For years this movie was actually my favorite of all time, or at the very least tied with Bill Murray's "The Life Aquatic". This movie IS NOT A HORROR FILM. Get that ridiculous thought out of your heads people.

In summation, it's a drama that brings characters to the brink of self-destruction in a Dogmatic Catholic universe (e.g. Vatican City). This is a pseudo-exorcism movie, insofar that there are exorcisms of a sort, but then you are made to think about the repercussions.

The CGI is cheesy, but this is circa 2003, probably went in production in 2002. We didn't even have iPods back then, and the smartest phone you could get was a Blackberry, with a Palm Pilot to back it up. There are a couple of lines that seem forced, and I know for a fact that there is a part that I typically fast-forward through to get through the dialogue. All said, this is not an A movie, but definitely more deserving than the D rating most everyone is giving it.

The people who rate this film low are the same ones responsible for the fact that we can EXPECT a new Transformers, Avengers, Twilight, etc. film year after year.

Something Is Missing to Be a Great Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 13 November 2004]

In New York, Alex Bernier (Ledger) is a young priest and one of the three last members of an arcane order called Carolingians. When the old leader of the order dies, Alex goes to Rome with his friend Mara Sinclair (Shannyn Sossamon), a troubled painter who tried suicide in the past and for whom Alex is in love with. Thomas Garret (Mark Addy), the other member of the Carolingians, meets them in Rome. Alex notes that the body of the old priest bears two marks on the chest and a further investigation reveals that they are the symbol of the 'Sin Eater', a renegade priest called William Eden (Benno Fürmann) who exchanges absolution per money. Lots of mystery surrounds Alex, Mara and Thomas while they stay in Rome. This movie has a good premise, cast, director, photography, budget, locations, but something is missing or does not work well, and in the end the plot is very confused and quite boring. A waste of a good idea. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): 'Devorador de Pecado' ('Sin Eater')

Actually quite good if you give yourself over to it

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 27 April 2008]

This should have retained the title Sineater since thats more to the point of what the film is about. This is one of those movies that shows signs of being tinkered with, mostly in that chunks of it don't make sense, or a sense that seems to have been cut out. Basically the film has Heath Ledger as a priest going to Rome to investigate the death of the head of his order. Its more complicated than that, and for a good chunk of it, it doesn't make sense, not that it ever fully does. Frankly for good or bad this film is going to stay with me for a long time. Its not what ever it was advertised as, its an occult mystery thats closer to the Club Dumas, the source of the Johnny Depp movie, the 9th Gate, than to a conventional horror film. I like the film. Its very flawed but its interesting enough and raises some good questions about salvation and the church. If you want to try something different, and don't mind that its not perfect, I say try this. (forgive me there is an urge to wax poetic about bits of it...)

interesting premise that never comes together

[LunarPoise · 2/10 · 9 August 2007]

The Order is one of those films that looks as if it would be harder to get wrong than right. But get it wrong they did. A conflicted priest takes on demons in order to find redemption for his own tortured soul - it worked for The Exorcist, right? I found it hard to follow and read around to see what I was missing. Those of a religious persuasion point out the basic theological plot holes, though you don't have to be a former altar boy like myself to see there is nothing priestly about Father Thomas and his rages and vengeful spirit, not unless you think Father Ted is a documentary. The fans of the film all write that we should look deeper, study our symbolism, read our Gospels, learn Armamaic blah blah blah - nobody seems to say in detail or articulately WHAT it is that makes this film good. They merely point out that if you don't like it you are 'missing' something, but they won't tell us what it is.

Well, I'm not convinced. I'm not convinced by them, or the film. The demons aren't scary. Their blow-dart attack on Father Thomas is a mere convenience to get him out of the way so the story (?) can focus on Alex. Mara's ambitions are never made clear, and her lack of character development flags her as the sacrificial lamb. Ditto Peter Weller as the bad guy (the writer/director also wrote LA Confidential - time to get a better surprise ending than "my BOSS did it!?"). The method of Alex's 'revenge' at the end is also tediously predictable. No scares, no thrills, no meddling with theology that Dan Brown will lose any sleep over. This film is an incoherent yawnfest.

There is a brilliant film trapped in here somewhere.

[effoex · 9/10 · 24 January 2006]

Although I really, really liked this movie, I must admit it's not for everyone, and here's why. The Order encompasses one or two intriguing ideas gone a bit awry.

A priest (played by Heath Ledger) is called upon to investigate the apparent suicide of his mentor, and uncovers the mystery of an ancient being, the Sin Eater, who is able to absolve the sins of those (unrepentant sinners, excommunicated persons, suicides) a normal Catholic priest would be unable to forgive due to church dogma. The knowledge of this creature forces the priest to face his own conflicted feelings about the priesthood. Before he has even begun to sort out his confusion, the larger plot begins to unravel and he finds that he has been at the center of it for longer than he had ever realized.

Well, it would have been excellent if left at that and fleshed out for the 100-minute duration, but it was not to be. The best bits of turmoil and conflict, of passion and temptation and surrender, were skimmed through so quickly it seemed as if someone thought they were the annoying-but-necessary bits when they should have been the real meat of the film. The rest was a clogged up mess of random (and inexplicable) demon children, a power-hungry cardinal, and worst of all: a love interest who had absolutely no chemistry with the main character, an accent that was completely out of place, a confusingly pointless back story, and who seemed incongruous with the setting and plot. Sadly, there were very few shots of the film's locations, only one wide shot of Rome in fact, which could have been used to set the tone much more effectively than all those shadows and candlelight.

That all said, there were many redeeming features. The soundtrack was hit-and-miss, but more hit than miss and at least it was never distracting. The duo of Ledger and Mark Addy was charming and the chemistry between Ledger's character and "William Eden" (played by Benno Fürmann) was sizzling. That adversarial relationship should have been the focus of the film rather than a sort of easter egg hunt during bits of the second half, but it was more than enough for me to consider this movie an hour and a half well spent.

So what's the problem ??

[lazyaceuk · 7/10 · 29 May 2006]

Reading some of the comments on this site you would think that 'The Sin Eater' was one of the worst films ever made. It isn't. Neither is it exceptional. However, I've read reviews, both on here and from true pros in the business that give the impression that this film should be avoided at all costs.

Tosh.

'The Sin Eater' is good popcorn fodder.

Why should it all make sense ?? Certain elements don't gel, tis true, but that hints more at test screening editing rather than shoddy film making. Pressure from the studio to keep the film in the black rather than anything else.

Brian Helgeland's record as director isn't great, but for me he delivers here and gives the cinema-goer 100 minutes of fun. Isn't that what the cinema was meant to be about ?? I don't remember seeing the words 'Based on true story' running during the open credits. So what's the big problem ?? Sin Eater - Friday night fare - big box of popcorn. 7/10

Interesting Flick

[emjaymassey · 9 March 2004]

While I won't say this is great cinema or even historically correct, it wasn't awful as the previous person who posted said it was. Yes there was a cult in a night club (Actually not pagan, it was an offshoot of the Catholic Church)and yes, the "hero" did bring it down, but that wasn't the point of the movie.

The point of the movie was The Sin Eater was tired of doing his job and wanted the "hero" to do take over. Add that to the "hero's" struggle with his faith, his wants and desires and ultimately if he would like to take the place of the Sin Eater.

According to the movie, if you are Catholic and not allowed to go to heaven,(Excommunicated, suicide or any of the other reasons the church could keep you out of heaven) the Sin Eater (for a price) would come and take away your sins and you would then be allowed to go to heaven.

So, yes, it is a religious horror flick (though not really what I call Horror (like Freddy or Jason)) and yes, it is not great, but it is thought provoking if you like that kind of thing.

I am Logophobic!

[gregsrants · 4/10 · 3 January 2004]

The good fellas at Webster's Dictionary define Logophobia as the ‘fear of words'. I may just be Logophobic. For no word combination scares me more than when at the beginning of a film, credits contain the words `Produced, Written and Directed by:', and are followed by a single individual's name. Think about it. There are carpenters, electricians and plumbers, but so few jack-of-all-trades. Even the most seasoned of directors like Speilberg and Scorsese rarely take such control of their films. But there I was, all nestled in my theatre seat, popcorn in hand and about to watch The Order when hurled at me like a Nolan Ryan fastball, were the words `Produced, Written and Directed by Brian Helgeland'. Whoa!

Being a film buff, I knew of Brian Helgeland. As a writer his filmograpghy over the past 10 years would be graphed like a dotcom company's stock price in 1998. There were as many theatrical unpleasantries (Assassins, The Postman, Conspiracy Theory) as there were critical and award winning successes (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River). They seemed to alternate – one good, one bad, so knowing that his last film, BloodWork was one of the most wasted efforts in Clint Eastwood's career, I took a breath and hoped for the best. In retrospect, I should not have exhaled.

The Order stars Heath Ledger (Helgeland's A Knights Tale), as Alex Bernier, a priest in an order known as the Carolingians, who is summoned to Rome when a fellow priest is killed under circumstances that the Arch Bishop deems ‘curious'. Meeting up with Father Thomas (also of the Order and played wonderfully by Still Standings' Mark Addy), they set out to piece together the riddle left behind in the wake of the priest's untimely death.

Complicating matters is a sub plot involving Mara Sinclair (played by Shannyn Sossamon) who has escaped from an institution that was the result of her attempts to kill Alex during an exorcism. Alex has feelings towards Mara and for some reason unbeknownst to the audience, they travel to Rome together.

Nary a good nights sleep goes by and Alex is confronted by William Eden (Benno Fürmann) who claims to be a centuries old Sin Eater. A Sin Eater, as we are told, are those that eat the sins of a dying individual when the church does not, thus allowing entrance into Heaven. William, as luck would have it, is tired of a life of healing and looks for Alex to take over his role and free him from his worldly duties. Alex is reluctant, but after the death of his new love Mara, Alex resorts to the ritual of the Sin Eater to save her and the transformation is complete. Alex then searches for answers to his many queries while Father Thomas unveils the Vatican plot behind the passing of authority to his fellow investigator.

The Order is not a terrible film, but it is terribly boring. There were ridiculous special effects and no connection with any of the characters. Even in the most dramatic scene - that of Alex walking in on the dying Mara - is pale and bland and leaves us with no emotional response towards the couple's plight. Everybody seems to talk so quietly and unemotionally that the film flat lines and smelling salts could have been administered to keep me from trying to grab a quick nap in the middle of the film.

So, Mr. Helgeland, I plead with you not to try this again. Share your vision with others and allow those more experienced to help direct you in directions that are not so narrow minded and self-serving. Until then, there is nothing emanating that shows you are capable of anything more than a failing grade. Two stars.

Boring and Done Before

[mt2131 · 1/10 · 26 June 2004]

::POTENTIAL SPOILERS::

Man, this movie was awful. A Catholic/superstitious/suspense thriller it goes over already well tread ground from previous movies.

The doubting priest. Sex and the priesthood. Politics and religion. Church hypocrisy. Conspiracy involving the church. The dawn of a new evil age. All kinds of dark magic voodoo battles between good and evil.

Pretty stupid and lame with a weak storyline to suffice. The story revolves around two concepts: Absolution, better known as the Sacrament of Anointing the Sick - the last rights a person can ask for to cleanse one's sins while on the brink of death; And Excommunication, the act of cutting a person off from the Church. Basically, an Excommunicated person can't receive Absolution. Thus comes in the Sin Eater, and I'll leave it at that. Throw in all the dopy things I already listed and you have "The Order".

I found the sex scene with the priest interlaced with shots of a picture of the Virgin Mary rather insulting to Catholics. It also ends with Heath Ledger saying (I paraphrase) "I am the redeemer and damner of sins, I live on without love blah blah blah" /cue him walking in dark alley with long trench coat alla "The Matrix".

I gave this movie a 1 for not only being crappy and unoriginal but also because it managed to insult an entire faith in the process. If you want to see something better I suggest "The Prophecy" with Christopher Walken.

And you will know my name is the Sin-Eater when I lay my vengeance upon you!

[Anonymous_Maxine · 5/10 · 16 February 2004]

I never really liked movies about religion, especially these creepy thrillers. Stigmata was bad, Bless the Child was worse, Lost Souls doesn't have much promise (although I'm sure I'll see it eventually), Time Changer was a preachy disaster, End of Days was like Terminator in reverse, etc. Luckily, The Order is more in the vein of something like Boondock Saints, a hugely violent film with strong religious undertones that had a lot of similar meanings as this movie did. But Boondock Saints was one of the good ones. The big question, however, comes up when you wonder how far can they go in creating religious justification for revenge. Boondock Saints, at least, had the right state of mind. That movie was geared more to the revenge idea, with less emphasis on the religious justification, than this one. The possibility (indeed, probability) was left open that the brothers were a couple of ultra-violent defenders of the Bible and God's word, but the extension of the Word to bloody killing was made by them, not God or the Bible. The Order takes that one step farther.

I won't say that the movie tries to make the Bible justify killing in order to bring to sinners what would really come to them anyway in the afterlife, if that's your belief. But what's important to realize here is that the Sin Eater, as is dealt with heavily in the second half of this movie, is a spiritual creature. Sin Eating is a power, evidently passed on from one generation of Sin Eater to the next, while the two brothers in Boondock Saints are just two guys with vicious dedication to their beliefs. Heath Ledger, unfortunately, strikes me more as a hugely popular American actor placed into the movie maybe for name recognition than as an actor who fits the part of the character. He doesn't for a even a second, for example, come across as an experienced priest with a traumatic past, but Ledger is not able to bring this across in his performance. He's a member of an unfortunate breed of young actor that knows he's popular and so doesn't think he has to work for it anymore.

You may remember too many of the actors in this movie from previous work by the director (as well as one too much from one of Paul Verhoeven's massively successful gritty actions films which need not be name, since this particular actor has had the name of that movie permanently branded across his forehead, so you can just read it there), but I really don't think that that is where the majority of the problem with this movie comes from. The Order had a great preview. It's one of maybe 2-4 movies in my life that I've watched because of the preview I saw at the video store. But it seems that the religious thriller is a subgenre even more plagued with failure and repetition than horror, a genre which I've come to study more and more lately. The Order makes some interesting points and it has its moments, but as a whole it comes across as just another attempt to make a thriller out of some sort of divine justification for brutal punishment.

Quite interesting and aesthetically well thought out

[susan-191 · 7/10 · 17 October 2004]

Although Benno Furstmann took awhile to catch fire- I thought his look and

performance were unusual and interesting. Heath Ledger has one tour de force

scene which made me think of his acting in a better light. I'm surprised that others thought it confusing- quite easy to follow- but a new story. Having been brought up a Catholic it probably resonates with me a bit more. Peter Weller is always great to watch! Some beautiful shots and fresh religious and

architectural ideas made it better than average.

Interesting movie but failed attempts to look credible

[jesse-cam · 5/10 · 5 February 2005]

In the DVD director's commentary, the Director says they took great care in making Alex look credible as a priest--a traditionalist priest at that--because it is "crucial" that the audience buys into him being a priest if they're going to buy into the plot at all. Clearly, the directors and producers didn't know much about Catholicism. In the beginning, we see Alex vesting and saying Mass, in Latin. While they make sure to put traditional garments on him, they entirely missed what is perhaps the most obvious Mass vestment: the chasuble. This is a great oversight because no traditionalist priest would miss the chasuble, doing so would be sinful. (Canon Law says celebrating Mass without the appropriate vestments is a mortal sin.) Additionally, the old school priests always wore their stoles so that they crossed their chest, in an X--not hanging straight down as Alex does (that is reserved for bishops). You might also note that the words Alex says when he gives Communion ("Corpus Christi") are the not the words from the Latin mass: "Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam in vitam aeternam. Amen." This seems odd as they paired Heath up with a priest to do the Latin so the scene would appear real.

The major plot flaw, however, is the integral scene of Mara as she lay dying. Alex doesn't want to take over as the Sin Eater but is forced by Eden who stages Mara's death. Alex notes that he's no longer a priest so he can't grant her absolution for her sins, thus--out of desperation--he uses the Sin Eater ritual to take away her sins. This is horribly inaccurate. Catholic theology (both traditional and contemporary) teaches that once a priest is ordained he is a priest forever, even if he is deposed by the Church or if he steps down as a priest (in which case he is simply forbidden from doing priestly duties). Canon Law, at the same time, specifically notes that if someone is about to die, a former priest not only CAN absolve her but is MORALLY OBLIGATED to do so. I don't know how the writer missed this--it holds true in Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicanism, and Old Catholicism.

Aside from those two points, lines in parts of the movie don't seem to flow well or be realistic. (Too, the scene of a desperate Mara throwing papers and books at Eden on the stairwell doesn't seem very realistic.) Despite all this, the movie is interesting and a new perspective on the Church. I did like it and even bought the DVD...I'm just a little disappointed with some of the aspects of it.

Solid good flick, even though it's a bit off.

[PulpSomething · 7/10 · 11 September 2022]

First of, let me say this movie is worth a watch.

Saying that, the whole idea of the antagonist is off putting to the universe in which it exist. That is the reason, in my opinion, The movie disagrees with many members of the audience. Viewers might disagree with me, but it does require one to force the idea through, and that is not the mark of a good film.

Saying that, the movie is visually encapsulating, and the screenplay is solid with good performances by all involved. It mystique captures the viewers attention, the story evolves organically, and leaves the audience satisfied, as well as intrigued.

This movie could have been very good.

[sikulas_1998 · 5/10 · 11 May 2004]

The Order could have been an incredible movie. Instead, it is a slow moving, thought provoking movie that you will only understand if you watch it multiple times. I found myself wanting to replay the scenes as it went along because I felt hopelessly lost until the last 10-15 minutes of the movie. The first hour feels like 2 hours, but then it grabs you in the last 15 minutes of the movie and you finally get excited. Maybe if the plot had a few less subplots it might be easier to understand, but I never really felt like the main character knew what he was doing or why he was doing it. I would suggest watching the movie, but only if you are going to watch it more than once.

Superb film, but it requires viewers to slown down, pay attention and think

[BrandtSponseller · 10/10 · 14 January 2005]

After Dominic (Francesco Carnelutti), a priest who is one of the last of the Carolingian order, dies of an apparent suicide, the other two remaining Carolingians, Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger) and Thomas Garret (Mark Addy), come to Rome to learn what happened. While there, they discover that something much more sinister is afoot.

I can see why The Order would have difficulty being commercially successful. And that's too bad, because this is an excellent film. The "problem" leading to a commercial struggle is that writer/director Brian Helgeland created a very intelligent script that assumes the viewer does not need everything spelled out to them. This is a film that opens by placing us in the middle of a complex world, with a deep history, so that we have to pay attention and do a bit of detective work to get up to speed initially. The script is full of unexplained references to beliefs and traditions of the Catholic Church and "orders" such as Carolingians and Jesuits. It is densely packed with clever dialogue, subtle puns and other kinds of literary devices and references. It uses, and some understanding of the film depends on, occasional phrases in Latin, Aramaic, French and Italian (although most of the important words and phrases are translated for us). This is not a light "popcorn" movie, and it is a slow burner. If you were not to fully pay attention and actively think about the film, you could easily become lost or confused.

The performances are superb. Alex, Thomas, Mara Sinclair (Shannyn Sossamon), William Eden (Benno Furmann), and Driscoll (Peter Weller) all seem like real people with complex personalities and back stories. Visually, Helgeland creates and sustains an incredible eerie atmosphere throughout the film. It's so remarkable that a repeated viewing focusing only on the production design, cinematography and composition would be very rewarding. The music, by David Torn, one of my favorite modern composers and musicians, is exceptional. And the relatively sparse visual effects are beautiful, well placed and appropriately surreal.

The story is captivating and becomes more so as it continues. It is wonderfully "gray" about its subject matter when it counts. This is a film that not only bears but demands repeated viewings, but you have to be able to slow down and think while viewing--don't expect action set pieces (although there are a couple minor bits of action), a gorefest, or MTV-styled editing.

The ending of The Order cries out for a sequel, but not because the ending is at all incomplete, or because there was a monster who just wouldn't die. However, given that the film only grossed a fraction of its 38 million dollar budget, those of us who are fans of this film will have to keep our fingers crossed.

A 10 out of 10 from me.

I am on the fence...

[K-Slicer · 7/10 · 6 September 2003]

I saw this movie on opening night for that the fact that Brian Helgeland was writing and directing it. Helgeland is an excellent screenwriter and an Oscar winner to boot. When I first saw the previews, I figured this movie would be as dark, cynical, and twisted as his greatest effort (helping adapt James Ellroy's mammoth novel LA Confidential with Curtis Hanson). It turns out that I was nearly disturbed out of my seat by watching this film.

First off, here are my reasons (spoilers): (1) As I mentioned before, I am a fan of Brian Helgeland. He is an awesome screenwriter even if his directing credentials have come into question. (2) The best performance award goes to Benno Furmann. He easily stole this film away from Heath Ledger without much effort at all. He has a knack for playing foreboding and underhanded characters that you feel sorry for. See the film "The Princess and the Warrior" by Tom Tykwer for more evidence. (3) It was good to see Peter Weller on screen again in a decent evil man role. The last good bad guy he played was in "Firstborn" nearly twenty years ago. (4) The lightning, backgrounds, settings, and cinematography were perfectly set and made for this movie. If there is one thing that Brian Helgeland knows, it is how to make a dark movie. His talent for choosing the right technical cast payed off immensely. (5) As much as the romantic aspect was not needed, it was pretty clever. This is the first film I have ever seen or heard of where a priest falls in love with a mental patient. I have to say that is pretty original. (6) Mark Addy is always good for comic relief. He provided the right touches of humor when necessary. (7) Believe it or not, the plot of the film was rather interesting. Seven reasons give a score of seven.

Secondly, the downers involve (1) the main performances. Heath Ledger playing a priest. Even though suspension of disbelief is needed to watch this movie, I could suspend it enough. He is way too young to play a priest even a renegade priest with years of experience under his belt. As for Shannyn Sossamon, she was not believable enough to play a mental patient. She is more believable as a web page designer. Another downer is (2) how much is took from "Stigmata". This was a subtle rip-off as opposed to all-out. The originality comes in much closer toward the denouement. This is connected to my third point, (3) this movie pretty much rips Christianity a new one. I guess every so often a movie comes along to challenge current preconceptions about any and all things and this time the largest faith in the world got caught in the crosshairs. It really irked me but I know their are bigger things that Christians have to worry about than a movie that came out of Hollywood bashing their faith.

In conclusion, this is a movie where the discretion is up to the viewer. If you love darkness and foreboding, this is your movie. If you have issues with Christianity, this is your movie. If you are a Christian of any branch, avoid this film at all costs. You may regret watching this and curse Brian Helgeland until the day he passes on. As for me, it was iffy and could have been better.

Here ends my rant!

Only one thought was provoked....

[wilyum · 1/10 · 11 September 2003]

Thought provoking? How on earth, did a movie this bad get released?

I would really love someone to tell me what else was thought provoking about this film?

Really this is cheap, lazy storytelling, there are so many gaps, plot holes and mistakes that I could only hope, for the credibility of the film makers involved, that this movie was ruined by studio inteference or something similar.

Well made and original - pretty good.

[Danny_G13 · 27 September 2003]

Certainly something different - a religious-based 'sci-fi' drama. Sin Eater, as it's known in UK, is a complicated story of love, fate, realisation, and a hint of gothic underworld religion thrown in. As Alex, the main character, is informed his mentor has died, he gets drawn into something which could alter his own destiny.

Without wanting to give away the entire plot Sin Eater is a movie which takes risks - it's not afraid of its take on religion and is filmed with panache, boasts good performances, and some effective cinematography.

Fine effort.