The Order

Welcome to the fall movie season, people. This is my first review of the fall. Generally, this season is the beginning of the oscar season, when studios dump their big contenders on us. Of course, it may be too early for that.
The Order, which stars Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, and Peter Weller, and was directed, written and produced by Brian Helgeland, is one of those movies that couldn't really fit into the mold. Its not a blockbuster in the normal sense, and its not really an Oscar contender. Its done by the same people as A Knight's Tale, and I actually enjoyed that one. So, I had fairly high expectations for this one.
For the most part, I wasn't dissapointed. Ledger is an accomplished actor and can hold a film on his own. The rest of the cast is quite accomplished and have an incredible chemistry. The story is pretty interesting and deals with Catholic priests and an ambigous Sin Eater who can take a dying soul's sins and allow them passage into heaven. Ledger and Addy play the last two priests of a certain order, and the Sin Eater wants Ledger to take his place.
Most of the movie is pretty dry, which may be the real reason it stood on the shelf for nearly two years. The pacing is pretty off, and i nearly fell asleep at parts. They do leave things to the imagination, like the question of whether the Sin Eater is good or evil. And the plot is tightly wound, which impressed me quite a bit. And most of it was a condemnation of the catholic church, which for personal reasons, was great. They basically gave the church the working over, what with Peter Weller playing a corrupt Pope want to be. To me, that basically epitomizes what the catholic church is. Greed and power.
Anyway, This one gets a 7 out of 10. And I can't wait for the next two weeks: Once Upon A Time In Mexico, and Underworld by the 19th.

Back to Beeorn's Archive