It's long on atmosphere and whispered moments of creepy discovery.
The Order (2003)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:5
Rotten:51
Average Rating:2.9/10
Consensus: A religious thriller that's more lethargic and silly than thrilling.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
US Box Office: $7,536,577
Synopsis:
For centuries, a secret Order has existed within the Church. Following a series of unexplained murders, a renegade priest (Heath Ledger) begins an investigation that hurls him into a maelstrom of...
For centuries, a secret Order has existed within the Church. Following a series of unexplained murders, a renegade priest (Heath Ledger) begins an investigation that hurls him into a maelstrom of unimaginable evil, murder and the knowledge that there is a fate worse than death.
The priest's search takes him to The Sin Eater – a key figure in this mysterious and ancient Order. The immortal Sin Eater's role is nothing less than playing God on earth by absolving the unforgivable of their sins outside the Church, allowing great evil to go unpunished. Burdened with centuries of evil, The Sin Eater craves the luxury of death. But who will eat his sins and grant eternal peace? Who will carry on his dark tradition and continue the work of the Order? As the young priest uncovers the answers and pursues these paragons of evil, he fights to save his own soul and that of the woman he loves.
Twentieth Century Fox presents a Baumgarten Merims production, THE ORDER. The film is written, produced and directed by Academy Award® winner Brian Helgeland, and produced by Craig Baumgarten. Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Benno Fürmann, and Peter Weller star in the film. -- © 20th Century Fox
Starring: Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Benno Furmann
Starring: Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Benno Furmann, Peter Weller
Director: Brian Helgeland
Director: Brian Helgeland
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Producer: Brian Helgeland, Craig Baumgarten
Composer: David Torn
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for The Order
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.
One of those movies that went horribly wrong, but for one financial or contractual reason or another, it had to go into movie theatres anyway.
...what's interesting is that it happens to be bad in ways that movies haven't bothered with for quite some time.
The Order is a chilling film with an original premise that unfortunately gets lost in a maze of superfluous subplots and silly looking special effects.
dead, not spooky, dull, not creepy, and boring, as in an eternity with nothing to entertain
Frequently descends into unintentional hilarity, nervous camp, and eventually exasperation.
This has to be one of the most inconsequential films dealing with religion ever made.
... it has a curious disorder, one that makes it both interesting and pallid.
Must.... stay....awake. Must .... stay....awake. That was my mental litany during “The Order,” the recent much-delayed fiasco whose name has been changed from “The Sin Eater.”
There are no surprises here, just a movie that limps along like a wounded horse. At some point, you simply want to put the poor thing out of its misery.
As the movie’s promotion intimates, ‘There is a fate worse than death,’ and you got it – it’s sitting through this movie.
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 out what he's doing.
It's a horror movie that isn't frightening and a thriller that isn't thrilling.
There are scenes where you think the bulb has gone out in the projector.
It's preposterous, silly rather than frightening, and the performances and characterizations have a pot-boiler feel.
The movie would be perfect material for a resurrected version of the TV spoof Mystery Science Theater.
A miserably dark and sluggish picture to endure. Helgeland and his stars have hopefully observed last rites on this and moved on to bigger and (especially) better things.
The picture is so lethargic that I began to think of watching it as a form of atonement.
Latest News for The Order
March 16, 2007:
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We all know good movies are hard to make, so you kinda feel bad when so many fail their lofty goals. Such is the case with this week's "Premonition," which not only... More...
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