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The Order
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The Order (2003) More at IMDbPro »

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The Order (2003) -- A young priest is sent to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order.
The Order (2003) -- Home Video Preview
The Order (2003) -- A young priest is sent to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order.

Overview

User Rating:
4.8/10   8,046 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Brian Helgeland
Writer (WGA):
Brian Helgeland (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Order on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 September 2003 (USA) more
Tagline:
Unleash the power. more
Plot:
A young priest is sent to Rome to investigate the troubling death of the head of his order. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
(9 articles)
The Taking of Pelham 123 (review)
 (From FlickFilosopher. 11 June 2009, 8:33 AM, PDT)

Quartet to Have a Wonderful Afterlife
 (From shocktillyoudrop. 1 April 2009)

User Comments:
Superb film, but it requires viewers to slown down, pay attention and think more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Sin Eater (Australia) (Singapore: English title) (UK) (USA) (working title)
Sin Eater - Die Seele des Bösen (Germany)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for violent images, sexuality and language.
Runtime:
102 min
Country:
USA | Germany
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital
Filming Locations:
Caserta, Campania, Italy more

Fun Stuff

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". more
Goofs:
Continuity: After the investigators have been given the knife by Driscoll, the knife moves around on the table between shots. more
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.
more
Movie Connections:
Features A Knight's Tale (2001) more
Soundtrack:
Due Croci more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
41 out of 71 people found the following comment useful:-
Superb film, but it requires viewers to slown down, pay attention and think, 14 January 2005
10/10
Author: Brandt Sponseller from New York City

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.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Your Top 10 religious movies emurda1137
WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED??? IsoRotta
The Eden guy sucks customsox927
The best movie ever shorty_nba
*BURSTS OUT LAUGHING ONE MINUTE INTO MOVIE* I_LOVE_ORLANDO_BLOOM_MORE_THAN_U
I really want to like this movie but....(spoilers) BarLaf
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