The Order

Rating:
Summary: Tragically Boring
Review: "The Order" starts off well enough. A priest bikes through Rome and arrives at his home, a dilapidated structure haunted by zombie-like children who look more like they should be in the pages of a Gap Kids photo shoot than haunting the outskirts of a major metropolis. The priest and the children gaze meaningfully at each other, and then the priest goes inside. There, he's greeted by a suave younger man in a nice suit. There is danger in the air.

Unfortunately, the movie never gets any better. Although Heath Ledger pulls off the tragically hip, he's completely unbelievable as a young Catholic priest. Shannyn Sossamon plays a completely vapid love interest. There's a back-story there, but it's shallow and ill conceived.

Everyone in the movie, outside of Ledger and Sossaman and their sidekick, appear to be corrupt, but in a VH1 goes to Europe sort of way. Where does one find a renegade cult figure? Why, in an underground Catholic themed disco, of course. Just follow the Sinead O'Connor look-alike through the catacombs.

That, to me, is the central problem with this film. It tries far too hard to look edgy and cool, and completely loses track of the story. The typical pseudo-philosophy dished out in the mental struggle between our hero and his antagonist is so ham-handed and dull as to be completely laughable.

The cinematography is gorgeous and the idea behind the plot is nifty. I really wish the makers of this film had put more time into it, because it could have been something worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Should Of Known Better...
Review: ...than to rent a movie starring Heath Ledger (or whatever or however his name might be)!

The subject and plot tempted me; however, if I had known that the director behind this movie was the same who is guilty of that abomination called "Knight's Tale" it would have remained on the shelf without a further thought from your's truly.

I can't think of a biggest miscast than putting Generation Y "Ken Doll", Heath Ledger (Keith? Or Heath?) in a role of a priest/mystic who hungers to attain Truth and the Word. He sleepwalks from scene to scene.

The romantic sublot was needless. Must we need see yet another anorexic Hollywood Babe's spinal cord? Even in a religious mystery/thriller? Furthermore, when was last time any of my fellow Roman Catholics encountered the whiskey-swilling, blustering, bearded and oh-so-quite-fat Irish priest (Mark Addy) that Hollywood just loves to show to the world? And what was with the Italian Sinead O'Connor impersonator in that tacky underground Vatican sex club (?!?)

Only Peter Weller's character and performance kept me from pressing the stop and eject buttons. His role might have been obvious but at least he's a true professional. He's the reason for the two stars.

Full of cliches. The mystery wasn't one. The Sin-Eater yawned.

So did I.

Rating:
Summary: The Order-One Man's Honest Review
Review: Normally I love supernatural thrillers, but I must say that The Order stands out as the most idiotic movie I have seen in a long while. I sat amazed at the stupidity of the plot! I kept asking myself why one would need a sin eater when all one has to do is confess his sins to Jesus and ask for forgiveness, and really mean it, of course.

The movie was resplendent with unbelievable "plot" lines. For example, why was Mark Addy's character so well acquainted with that pagan guy? And who was really surprised when it turned out that he was the dude next in line for Pope? Also, why in the world was Heath Ledger's character so willing to give up being a priest? Especially with the nut job that tried to kill him. Perhaps I just did not catch the explanation--it may have happened while I was howling with laughter.

Just save yourself the money--this movie is awful.


Rating:
Summary: Middle of the road but had some moments....3 1/2 stars
Review: I finally got around to watching this one, this movie had
so much potential to be better, the acting was ok, the star of
this movie had to carry the load and this young actor is pretty
good at this. He's brooding with a deep voice which added to the
character dimension needed to pull this off. The sin-eater also had some
interesting scenes, with better actors and a tighter plot it
would have been a great chiller. The concept of the movie
is creepy and I enjoyed the special effects regarding the sineater. The director was just working
with to much material and too little budget but it had it share of moments. I couldn't give this one a 4 star review but it
was better than average actually and I'm sure it will find a
rental market to keep it alive. I wouldn't be surprised if it
has some sequel as it just had some loose ends still to deal with...



Rating:
Summary: Interesting Occult Thriller.
Review: This film was not promoted on a large scale. It did not even make it to the theatres for any length of time, despite Heath Ledger starring in the central role.

Occult/religious thrillers are not everyone's cup of tea. It can be said that some have a tendency towards the blasphemous, using bits of information, aspects of the bible, occult lore, half truths and fables etc, to then manipulate these stories to sell to modern audiences.

After watching this film, it dawned on me that The Order plays on the growing disaffection within the Catholic Church. The modern church has indeed undergone many changes over the years, particularly since Vatican II. Many anti-Catholic publications have flooded the market place, hinting or downright accusing the church of Satanism. There is no proof of this, but its great fodder for the disaffected.

Anyone not acquainted or trained in the tenets of the Catholic Church might have a difficult time understanding this film's basic premise. And that is, generally, any member of the church is entitled to what is called The Last Rights. On one's deathbed, the dieing will confess their sins to the acting priest, and thus cleansed of their transgressions, blessed and permitted into heaven. Those excommunicated from the Church forfeit these rights, thus absolution or forgiveness for their sins cannot be attained - therefore entry into God's presence is not permitted. The Sin Eater is Christian legend; a rebel angel or an appointed soul stands outside the dogma of the church, absolving those sinners, performing the Last Rights on the excommunicated, to ensure their entry into heaven. The film plays out this legend, however in a disturbing manner.

One must ask the question: Is the Sin Eater good or evil? In certain stories, the appointed one is a tool for goodness and not affiliated with evil at all. They're around to pick up the pieces, so to speak, ensuring those wrongly excommunicated are permitted into heaven. However, in this film, this fabled figure is depicted as demonic, a satanic representative, a tool of the devil. In other words, the film implies that those operating outside Church dogma are automatically on the side of evil.

Unfortunately, The Order had the potential to be an excellent film, a great film, but it settled on being a fair one.

Heath Ledger is a very good actor and this film gave him the opportunity to explore his talent. He has certainly matured over the years, and it's a shame that he doesn't take on more projects. The Order was a curious choice on his part and I wonder about his actual motives for taking on this project, as it did not reach a large, mainstream audience. As far as occult thrillers are concerned, Three and a half stars. Absolutely worth a look at.