The Order (2003)

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

Director:

Brian Helgeland

Writer:

Brian Helgeland

Stars:

Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Benno Fürmann

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

Storyline

Alex Bernier (Ledger) is a member of an arcane order of priests known as Carolingians. When the head of the order dies, Alex is sent to Rome to investigate mysterious circumstances surrounding the death. The body bears strange marks on the chest which may or may not be the sign of a Sin Eater (Furmann), a renegade who offers absolution, last rites and therefore a path to heaven outside the jurisdiction of the church. Alex enlists the aid of his old comrade Father Thomas (Addy) and of a troubled artist (Sossamon) upon whom he once performed an exorcism. He soon finds himself plunged into a mystery only to find himself at the heart of it.

---

Plot Keywords:

priest | death | exorcism | sin eater | church | 

---

Taglines:

The Order will find you.

---

Genres:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent images, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox [United Kingdom] (Flash site)

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Syriac Aramaic Italian Latin

Release Date:

5 September 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sin Eater

Filming Locations:

Caserta, Campania, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£161,779 (UK) (12 September 2003)

Gross:

$7,659,747 (USA) (24 October 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Baumgarten Merims Productions, N1 European Film Produktions GmbH & Co. KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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

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.

---

Connections

References Mod Squad (1968)

---

Soundtracks

"Due Croci"
Written by Adam Milo Smalley & Dan Powell
Performed by Crotch

User Reviews

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.