O Devorador de Pecados (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, Mark Addy, Shannyn Sossamon

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
Maria Cristina Maccà	...	Sister Franca (as Cristina Maccà)
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:

sin eater | exorcism | absolution | sin | church | 

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Taglines:

Behind the disguise of good hides the soul of evil.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

M/16

Did You Know?

Trivia

Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, and Mark Addy all previously appeared together in Coração de Cavaleiro (2001). Both movies written and directed by Brian Helgeland.

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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

References The Mod Squad (1968)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Well made and original - pretty good.

Certainly something different - a religious-based 'sci-fi' drama. Sin Eater, as it's known in UK, is a complicated story of love, fate, realisation, and a hint of gothic underworld religion thrown in. As Alex, the main character, is informed his mentor has died, he gets drawn into something which could alter his own destiny.

Without wanting to give away the entire plot Sin Eater is a movie which takes risks - it's not afraid of its take on religion and is filmed with panache, boasts good performances, and some effective cinematography.

Fine effort.

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English Syriac Aramaic Italian Latin

Release Date:

5 September 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Devorador de Pecados

Filming Locations:

Caserta, Campania, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,438,899, 7 September 2003

Gross USA:

$7,660,806

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,560,806

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, 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