MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Benas Mcloughlin Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Filipe Neto 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.

Leofwine_draca I think religious thrillers have a hard time in Hollywood. A lot of them feel murky and unfocused, skirting with the issues of the church rather than fully engaging with them. The mainstream interest of depictions of the intricacies, intrigue and plotting within the various churches just isn't there, so writers have to involve ever more outlandish plot ingredients in order to attract attention.THE SIN EATER involves the concept of special people who have the ability to 'suck out' the sins from a person, taking them into their own body. The actor playing the sin eater in this, Bruno Furmann, is effectively mysterious but the film overall isn't. Heath Ledger's leading character is boringly righteous, Mark Addy is miscast, and Shannyn Sossamon there for eye candy alone. Peter Weller (ROBOCOP) is better, but gets too little screen time. The CGI effects are silly. The ending is a particular disappointment, descending into farce with a stock villain who must be thwarted; very Hollywood and very predictable.

vincentlynch-moonoi The main problem with this film was its star -- Heath Ledger. Oh, don't get me wrong, before his death, Ledger had some solid performances under his belt, but this was not one of them. It isn't so much his acting here, which is satisfactory, but rather he is noticeably too young for the role. I suppose that's why they included the facial hair here, although he obviously wasn't much of a beard-grower, so the age thing just doesn't work at all. One of the most often said things about Ledger was that he showed great promise. For the most part, that promise was still to come, and certainly not achieved in this, his 9th credited film.The story is actually quite interesting. Is that there is another way to heaven than adherence to the practices of the Roman Catholic Church? Supposedly, a non-church Sin Eater can remove all taint of sin from a soul just before death, thus allowing ascension into heaven; but within the church, this belief is heretical. Ledger plays a disillusioned priest who is a member of a fictitious religious order which fights demons. His mentor has died in Rome, and while the church is attempting to paint it as a suicide, Ledger does not agree, particularly after he finds strange markings on the corpse. The symbols are that of a Sin Eater. The mentor had been excommunicated, but Ledger still buries him on sacred ground. Another priest of the same order, and a friend of Ledger's, arrives in Rome to help investigate the mentor's death. A female artist Ledger once exorcised, and who has escaped from a mental hospital, comes along for the ride, and at least in this iteration, she seems irrelevant or at least illogical. Peter Weller plays a sympathetic cardinal (or is he?), and gives Ledger a fancy dagger which must be plunged into the Sin Eater while reciting an Aramaic spell...which still must be found. And then, to be young and modern (after all, it's a Ledger film), they wander through a nightclub and an underground setting where the 'Black Pope' rules. Naturally, demons attack every once in a while, and to be honest, it gets kind of silly...though the special effects are quite good. Ledger meets the Sin Eater, who is a pretty interesting fellow who dates back to the time during with St. Peter's Cathedral was being built. As a result of their meeting, Ledger ends up having sex with the young woman...naturally, it's the hip Ledger's film. It turns out that the Sin Eater wants Ledger to take his place...and he won't take no for an answer. So, what to do? Kill the Sin Easter! Who wins? Ah, that is the question.In a sense, this film has a split personality...another reason it doesn't quite work. The movie was filmed in Italy, Paris, and New York, so the settings seem quite authentic and rather spectacular in many cases. Certain scenes -- such as when the Sin Eater is telling his background -- are quite spectacular. But then, since this is a Ledger film, there has to be a sex angle and pop movie-making, as well. So it kind of falls in between, and we are left a bit unsatisfied, as the ratings on IMDb show.Heath Ledger is "okay" here, but it sometimes seems as if he once attended the Mumbling School Of Acting. The better performance is by the Sin Eater -- Benno Fürmann, a German actor. Mark Addy does a nice job as the fellow priest.I wouldn't say not to watch this film, but it's barely meets the threshold of holding your serious attention.

wes-connors "For centuries, a secret Order of priests has existed within the Church. A renegade priest, Father Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger), is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of one of the Order's most revered members. Following a series of strangely similar killings, Bernier launches an investigation that forces him to confront unimaginable evil and the terrifying knowledge that there is a fate worse than death," according to the official synopsis.Brian Helgeland's "The Order" features rich Roman locations. Alas, the story is very dull, and provides none of the thrills intended. At one point, Mr. Ledger and fellow man-of-the-cloth Mark Addy (as Thomas Garrett) question Ledger's priestly credentials as the men consider sleeping with Shannyn Sossamon (as Mara Sinclair). They've GOT to be kidding. The story picks up a little around the time Benno Fürmann (as William Eden) really makes the scene. Mr. Fürmann's Christ-like "Sin Eater" plight breathes some life into the storyline.**** The Order (9/5/03) Brian Helgeland ~ Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Benno Fürmann