Emperor_Mike
09-18-2003, 10:29 AM
Truth be told, it wasn't that good nor was it horrendous. Heath Ledger plays an unorthodox Catholic priest who is part of an order within the Church that deals specifically with the undead, demons and the like. The movie revolves around a curious entity called the "Sin Eater" who provides a service that grants sinners passage to Heaven by absolving (devouring, really) their trespasses before they pass on. The whole film revolves around Ledger's hunt for the Sin Eater (and subsequent desire to kill him/it) and that's about as much complexity as the audience is going get.
The film itself is rather plain, to be honest, and at times it may even seem disjointed with some plot holes that never really get filled. In the end what you have is a movie that plays upon the Vatican's image of secrecy, religious power politics, and (one might say inevitable) references to Armageddon the rise of the AntiChrist. Ledger's performance was mediocre at best and Shannyn Sossamon's time on the screen were pretty dull and two-dimensional. The problem lies in the damnable oversight by the writers in giving the characters more personality. We're told very little about the major players in the film and as a result of that, watching "The Order" seems very much like witnessing an hour and a half long vignette of trials, errors, with some random sacrilegious imagery thrown in for good measure.
Would I recommend the film? No, if you intend to pay full fare for it at your cinema. However, if your local theatre has cheap days like we have here in Vancouver, then perhaps "The Order" may be the order of the day.
The film itself is rather plain, to be honest, and at times it may even seem disjointed with some plot holes that never really get filled. In the end what you have is a movie that plays upon the Vatican's image of secrecy, religious power politics, and (one might say inevitable) references to Armageddon the rise of the AntiChrist. Ledger's performance was mediocre at best and Shannyn Sossamon's time on the screen were pretty dull and two-dimensional. The problem lies in the damnable oversight by the writers in giving the characters more personality. We're told very little about the major players in the film and as a result of that, watching "The Order" seems very much like witnessing an hour and a half long vignette of trials, errors, with some random sacrilegious imagery thrown in for good measure.
Would I recommend the film? No, if you intend to pay full fare for it at your cinema. However, if your local theatre has cheap days like we have here in Vancouver, then perhaps "The Order" may be the order of the day.