The Order (2003)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Brian Helgeland

Writer (WGA):

Brian Helgeland (written by)

Release Date:

5 September 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Unleash the power.

Plot:

A young priest is sent to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Church | Absolution | Sin | Sin Eater

Cast

Heath Ledger	...	Alex Bernier
Shannyn Sossamon	...	Mara Sinclair
Benno Fürmann	...	William Eden
Mark Addy	...	Thomas Garrett
Peter Weller	...	Driscoll
Francesco Carnelutti	...	Dominic
Mattia Sbragia	...	Apathetic Bishop
Mirko Casaburo	...	Little Boy
Giulia Lombardi	...	Little Girl
Richard Bremmer	...	Bookstore Owner
Cristina Maccà	...	Sister Franca
Paola Emilia Villa	...	Sister Marie
Rosalinda Celentano	...	Faraway Eyes Girl
Alessandra Costanzo	...	Eden's Maid
Paolo Lorimer	...	Englishman

Also Known As:

The Sin Eater (Australia) (Singapore: English title) (UK) (USA) (working title)
Sin Eater - Die Seele des Bösen (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent images, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Aramaic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 (DVD rating) | Norway:15 (TV rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Italy:VM14 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:R(A) | Singapore:R21 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #39328)

Filming Locations:

Caserta, Campania, Italy

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Originally scheduled for January 17, 2002, the film's release date was postponed when the visual effects had to be redone because they were thought to be unintentionally funny. According to a anonymous source close to the production quoted by Variety magazine, the special effects depicting sins exiting the human body after death looked like "calamari".

Goofs:

Continuity: After the investigators have been given the knife by Driscoll, the knife moves around on the table between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Alex Bernier: Every life is a riddle. The answer to mine is knowledge, born of darkness.
Alex Bernier: It wasn't always so. In the beginning, I still had questions. In the beginning, my mystery still remained.

Movie Connections:

Features A Knight's Tale (2001)

Soundtrack:

Due Croci

Superb film, but it requires viewers to slown down, pay attention and think

After Dominic (Francesco Carnelutti), a priest who is one of the last of the Carolingian order, dies of an apparent suicide, the other two remaining Carolingians, Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger) and Thomas Garret (Mark Addy), come to Rome to learn what happened. While there, they discover that something much more sinister is afoot.

I can see why The Order would have difficulty being commercially successful. And that's too bad, because this is an excellent film. The "problem" leading to a commercial struggle is that writer/director Brian Helgeland created a very intelligent script that assumes the viewer does not need everything spelled out to them. This is a film that opens by placing us in the middle of a complex world, with a deep history, so that we have to pay attention and do a bit of detective work to get up to speed initially. The script is full of unexplained references to beliefs and traditions of the Catholic Church and "orders" such as Carolingians and Jesuits. It is densely packed with clever dialogue, subtle puns and other kinds of literary devices and references. It uses, and some understanding of the film depends on, occasional phrases in Latin, Aramaic, French and Italian (although most of the important words and phrases are translated for us). This is not a light "popcorn" movie, and it is a slow burner. If you were not to fully pay attention and actively think about the film, you could easily become lost or confused.

The performances are superb. Alex, Thomas, Mara Sinclair (Shannyn Sossamon), William Eden (Benno Furmann), and Driscoll (Peter Weller) all seem like real people with complex personalities and back stories. Visually, Helgeland creates and sustains an incredible eerie atmosphere throughout the film. It's so remarkable that a repeated viewing focusing only on the production design, cinematography and composition would be very rewarding. The music, by David Torn, one of my favorite modern composers and musicians, is exceptional. And the relatively sparse visual effects are beautiful, well placed and appropriately surreal.

The story is captivating and becomes more so as it continues. It is wonderfully "gray" about its subject matter when it counts. This is a film that not only bears but demands repeated viewings, but you have to be able to slow down and think while viewing--don't expect action set pieces (although there are a couple minor bits of action), a gorefest, or MTV-styled editing.

The ending of The Order cries out for a sequel, but not because the ending is at all incomplete, or because there was a monster who just wouldn't die. However, given that the film only grossed a fraction of its 38 million dollar budget, those of us who are fans of this film will have to keep our fingers crossed.

A 10 out of 10 from me.