The Order (2003)

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.

a good story. good performances. interesting construction, using historical and religious pieces for a moral lesson about sin, judgment and prices of the life. and the impeccable building of a way to the truth of a young monk, with precise duty, discovering obscure details from a Church who seems be perfect, old secrets and old rules, the beautiful work of Heath Ledger are virtues of a f seductive film, remembering Da Vinci Code but being more profound as sender of a too precise universal message.

Like Roman Polanski's "The Ninth Gate", Brian Helgeland's "The Sin Eater" (aka "The Order") is a tongue-in-cheek paranormal horror movie which blends comedy, Gothic decor and religious frights with a noir plot. Surprisingly, the film works best as a romance.The plot: Heath Ledger is a Vatican super-priest who, along with his buddy, a jovial exorcist played by Mark Addy, attempts to track down a "sin eater", an immortal "man" who absolves dying humans of their sins. Most of the film's "horror moments" don't work, thanks to unnecessary and unimaginative CGI, but Helgeland's comedic touch and matter-of-fact handling of the material – the priests battle demons without batting an eyelid, repelling devils like they've been doing this for years – helps offset this.The plot takes an interesting turn during the last act, the "sin eater" revealed to be not some super villain, but a tortured and somewhat upstanding guy. Ledger's repressed love for an ex mental patient played by Shannyn Sossamon leads to the film's best moments. The film features some good Italian architecture, and works well as a pop-corn noir with occult overtones.7.5/10 – Worth one viewing.

I bought this movie on DVD mainly due to the fact that it was only £3 and the synopsis sounded interesting. I looked up the movie on IMDb and after reading the reviews by others, I was not looking forward to watching it.However, I did watch the movie and was pleasantly surprised. The plot is strong, the acting is good and the direction is just right for the mood of the film. The atmosphere does meander between dark and light hearted, sometimes during the course of a single sentence, but it kind of works.Heath Ledger gives a solid performance especially considering that his character has many depths and motivations which sometimes clash.My only criticism would be that a lot of ground is covered story wise and there are many scenes and sub plots which could have been developed more given and extra few hours. There were occasions where I would be watching an important scene whilst pondering the previous one. Not necessarily a bad thing.All in all I feel this movie is under rated. It does require some concentration, and I would pause it if you have to leave the room, but it is enjoyable and intriguing and at the end I felt it was 98 minutes well spent.