The Sin Eater (2003)
"The Order" (original title)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

death | priest | exorcism | heaven | sin | 

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Taglines:

Behind the disguise of good hides the soul of evil.

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Genres:

Action | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent images, sexuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox [uk] (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

Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, and Mark Addy all previously appeared together in A Knight's Tale.

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Goofs

The policeman tells Alex that Mara Williams has escaped. However, the character's name is Mara Sinclair.

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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.

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Connections

Version of The Sin Eater (1997)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Horror was never so boring.

The turgid pace of this movie numbs us to any shocks that it might provide. There was no real suspense. Most of the characters were insipid. The chesty Irish priest was as lame as the love interest. Interest is misleading. The girl that they chose to provide the film's sensuality might be better. The central conflict of the main character was uninvolving. This film is entirely devoid of positives. It is like a tedious exercise by someone who didn't want to go to the gym that day but did anyway.