The Order (2003)

Writer-director Brian Helgeland tried something different with The Order, and surely that counts for something. This brooding supernatural thriller was immediately dismissed by critics, and it's easy to see why it flopped: it's full of solemn, quasi-religious ruminations, it's murky in both visual and thematic content, and it demands the viewer's focused attention, which amounts to pissing in the shallow pool of big-studio filmmaking. And yet those qualities also give The Order some modest cult potential, as it tells the story of Alex (Heath Ledger, star of Helgeland's A Knight's Tale), a rebellious priest from an arcane fringe of Catholicism, who investigates the death of his excommunicated mentor and discovers the existence of a modern day "sin eater," capable of cleansing souls of evil, who has chosen Alex as his would-be successor. A troubled love interest (Knight's Tale costar Shannyn Sossamon) and an evil cardinal (Peter Weller) offer hope and damnation, respectively, but it's up to individual viewers to decide if The Order offers anything of lasting interest. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

More like 3.5 stars

This is a movie that you can't stop in the middle and do something else. I made that mistake and it lost its whole spell on me.

Having said that it's a pretty OK movie where evil and Catholicism are concerned. Heath Ledger's character is a priest whose mentor has died. Not that's a problem itself, but he's been excommunicated and cannot be buried in holy ground because of this. Alex, Ledger's character, does it anyway, but not before noticing that there are marks on his body that correspond to that of a Sin Eater, a human who can offer absolution outside of the Catholic Church. That's obviously a huge no no.

The plot is about him trying to find the Sin Eater and destroy him, but the ending holds a nice twist that you probably weren't looking for. It's a bit weird though. I wouldn't have ended the film like that.

I don't think this is Ledger's finest work, but it's not bad. He was a very good actor, one whose films I'll continue to watch for years to come. I felt that Sossamon's character of Mara was very underused. I wish there would have been more of her in this film.

It's a good film if you like dark suspense, and dark films. It's definately not for those who don't like to see Catholicism in a bad light, but I didn't feel it was shown negatively, only that some within the Church are evil as opposed to the entire thing.

I will say this, and this is a spoiler, the choice to use Peter Weller in the second role, or at least his voice, was a very bad idea. His voice is very distinctive and I don't see how any could not have picked it out in a crowd. October 9, 2008

Too dark for me....

I've been trying too see all of Heath Ledger's work since his death...and he is great, as always...but the film itself just wasn't. I think it was the subject matter ( what is a sin eater?). I think one of the main reasons Heath did this film was because he had already worked with the director before on " A Knight's Tale"...in fact this is a bit of a reunion because a couple of the actors from "A Knight's Tale" came back to do this film with Heath. But that wasn't enough to save it. Heath never gets to smile in this flick..let alone laugh. When it was over, I watched "A KNight's Tale" again just to see them all happy again and get what I had just watched off my mind. If your an avid Heath fan, then you should see this because his work in it is good. I'm glad to own it and there a couple of scenes in it that I'll watch over and over again between Heath and the girl. Just wish I could say better about the rest of the flick. September 25, 2008

Great DVD, Lousy movie.

As far as the DVD goes, it's fine. The movie, however, was disappointing. Something about a "death eater." Totally bizarre and ridiculous. May 20, 2008

Sin eater

The movie is at times a little hard to follow so if your dealing with little ones (like me) you may need to rewind a time or two. Otherwise I enjoyed the story, some really dark parts though so, I wouldn't let anyone under say 13 or so watch. But the whole story of the "sin eater" was a new one on me. Ledger's chacter struggles to understand the theory of taking away someone's sin no matter the cost. I won't say anything more because I don't want to give away the story. Good job by Ledger as usual. March 27, 2008

Disturbing, Dark, and depressing...yet unique, intense, and Supernatural.

I first saw this at a theater, and walked out thinking, "WTF?!" The movie was even more intense on the big screen. Yet I eventually bought the film, and I've watched it on DVD a few times.

Despite the dreary, dark, and depressing aspects of the movie, I like the premise of the film. I also very much see "The Dark Pope" as a possibility, since the history of The Church is one of Conversion at Sword point. The premise is solid, but the pace is slow at times. I would give The Order five stars if it picked up the pace a bit.

In summary, after my initial reaction, I have come to appreciate this movie. I recommend it. March 23, 2008

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