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Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Benno Fürmann, Mark Addy, Peter Weller ... see more see more... , Francesco Carnelutti , Paola Emilia Villa , Giulia Lombardi , Mirko Casaburo

Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland writes and directs the religious thriller The Order. Heath Ledger portrays a priest from a secret religious order called The Carolingians. He's sent to Rome ... read more read more...to investigate the mysterious death of the head of the Carolingians, whose body was found with strange marks on its chest. While in Rome, he asks for help from an old friend (Mark Addy) and an elusive artist Shannyn Sossamon to help solve the murder. The priest ends up at the Vatican, where he learns of a sect that may be responsible for many mysterious deaths. Peter Weller and Benno Fürmann round out the cast. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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43% liked it

21,944 ratings

Critics

9% liked it

57 critics

R, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Brian Helgeland

Release Date: September 5, 2003

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DVD Release Date: December 30, 2003

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Stats: 926 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (926)

  • briandeguelle
    March 19, 2009
    briandeguelle
    o dear what a mess of a horror movie!!
  • kiriyamakazou
    August 1, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    It started by reminding me of the classic horrors of the 70's such as Don't Look Now and The Exorcist. The visual style and slow build up was all very nice. The build up continued for another hour before landing flat on its face. There seems to be so much talking and explanation ... read morethat perhaps this would have worked better as a book. Instead it has some interesting ideas but no horror, thrills or anything vaguely interesting. Performances are good, though it's hard to tell with such dull characters. The film just about makes sense with evil demons, hooded men and...actually I'm not so sure it does all make sense. The most fun I had was spotting the eerie premonitions of Ledger's casting in Dark Knight such as a the light through a stain-glass window giving him green hair, and a scene where he is attacked by bats. OMG!
  • harrycaul
    February 21, 2008
    harrycaul
    As the one half conjures up excruciating boredom and the other breathless excitement, the term 'religious thriller' is an oxymoron. I wasn't expecting much from this and it didn't disappoint, but I'm surprised how quickly it is fading from my memory, considering I only watched it... read more last night. It's not awful, just mediocre. The cast is fine but the story stinks. Demonic children pop up for no other reason than to create a bit of cheap atmosphere, and to provide an excuse for some CGI effects.
  • Camus123
    July 17, 2007
    Camus123
    I didn't hate this movie. I really thought that I would, but I didn't. The acting is a bit shallow and the character development is very lacking and the plot line is thin (as well as some trite , overused, stolen lines, ie Nietzsche: "Sometimes when you look into the abyss it loo... read moreks back into you." and they didn't even have the good sense to quote the man), but still I could not hate this film. Why? Because it brought up some real brain food for me. It speaks to the Church's influence over not just this realm, but the realm beyond and how angered they might get by having thier authority undermined and circumvented. Therefor, in my mind, it speaks to the dangers of institutionalized religion (a subject near and dear to my heart). There are some cool special effects and scenery and, quite frankly, despite the fact that I would have liked knowing the characters a bit more intimately it did not detract from the point of the film. Witness the Sin-Eater...and I will stop there so as not to be a spoiler. If you are looking for a thriller with a few moments of horror/thrill (nothing too gory though not for the kids), some nice twists, and something to think about if you are open to it then you might want to consider this movie as a rental.
  • 76Majikat
    April 21, 2007
    76Majikat
    Known in the UK as Sin Eater. A dark, deep film which was quite hard to follow. I had read about a Sin Eater before in a novel and so had some interest. Heath Ledger shows some great acting in one particular scene, but for me, this only start to warm up slightly about an hour in
  • deano
    March 28, 2007
    deano
    This strange film is like Omen meets The Exorcist fiasco. Heath Ledger is hilariously miscast as a priest, but not even Max Von Sydow could bring conviction to this unholy mess.
  • purplemegan
    February 9, 2007
    purplemegan
    whatever. there was a bunch of hokey demonic special effects and that was about the extent of the excitement, cept for Heath Ledger being hot.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    March 22, 2006
    MidnightMadwoman
    Not enough people have seen this movie. For shaaaame. In all honesty, the dark underbelly of Catholicism is a scary thing and a great subject for a horror movie.
  • crossbladezero
    April 5, 2011
    crossbladezero
    Oo-oo-oo Siiiiin Eatah. I believe you can get me through the ni-oh, sorry, I went 70's there for a second. But enough about a great music generation, let's discuss a great movie... some other time, seeing as "The Order" is certainly not one. Though Ledger puts on a good performan... read morece, it's the lack of immediate development and engagment, bad directing, underwhelmingness, poor visual effects, forced development and above all, terrible writing that stand out the most and leave "The Order" to be an embarassing "thriller".
  • alice5mith
    November 14, 2009
    alice5mith
    To place a Medieval mystery in modern days would have been a great achievement.
    Too bad the movie doesn't seem to understand the needs of a mystery, its delicate structure. The grotesque of the caricature ridicules the whole story, which otherwise would have been interesting to... read more follow.

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Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
February 28, 2007
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Devout Catholics will be appalled; everyone else will be asleep. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 10, 2003
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The picture is so lethargic that I began to think of watching it as a form of atonement. Full Review

Peter Travers
September 8, 2003
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

It's The Exorcist warmed over.

Stephen Holden
September 8, 2003
Stephen Holden, New York Times

May be the nadir of the subgenre that produced The Exorcist (at its high end) and Stigmata (at its middle-to-low end). Full Review

Jonathan Foreman
September 8, 2003
Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

The movie would be perfect material for a resurrected version of the TV spoof Mystery Science Theater.

Jami Bernard
September 8, 2003
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News

A supernaturally silly drama about priests, exorcism, sin-eaters and Heath Ledger struggling with such pious problems as how to keep his fake Euro accent in place. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
September 8, 2003
Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times

Cast adrift with vague, improbable characters and a plot that's at once under- and overcooked, the actors struggle to find a steady tone, lurching from somber to silly as the director tries to figure ... Full Review

Sheri Linden
September 8, 2003
Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter

The writer- director offers musty musings on the relationship between faith and knowledge and characters that are hard to buy.

Gary Dowell
September 8, 2003
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News

It's a horror movie that isn't frightening and a thriller that isn't thrilling. Full Review

Loren King
September 8, 2003
Loren King, Chicago Tribune

Schlock that could and should have been better. Full Review

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The Order (The Sin Eater) Trivia

  • Which Brian Helgeland's film is starred by Mark Addy, Heath Ledger, and Shannyn Sossamon, BESIDES A Knight's Tale.  Answer »
  • What is the official American title of the movie known in Australia, Latin America , and Europe as "The Sin Eater"?  Answer »
  • What is a Sin Eater in The Order ?  Answer »
  • When a Sin eater offers absolution and last rites what does this do in the film The Order ?   Answer »
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