Because of: sexual content, language,
sacrilegious themes
Rated:
In the days of ancient superstition was an order of
priests known as The Sin Eaters. It was believed
they could absorb the sins of another and absolve
them from responsibility so they might enter into
heaven after being excommunicated. The Order
is a modern film that follows a similar thread. The
last in an obscure line of Catholic priests, Alex
Bernier (Heath Ledger) spends his days performing
exorcisms, chasing and rebuking demons, and
suffering in a "dying community" because the Church
doesn't know quite what to do with him. His former
teacher and mentor has been killed in Rome, a
believed suicide by slashing of the wrists. He has
been called there to investigate, bringing along
recent psychiatric patient Mara Sinclair (Shannyn
Sossamon).
A friend from childhood, recently Mara was
demon-possessed and when Alex attempted to exorcise
her, she attacked him with murderous intent. Meeting
up with his friend Thomas Garrett (Mark
Addy) in Rome, Alex begins a battle with the
church to bury his mentor in holy ground, and
discover the means of his death. The body was found
with symbolic markings at the head and foot that
translated mean, "Blood in, blood out." His
investigations lead him to the underground and the
leader of a sacrilegious cult, who points him in the
direction of The Sin Eater. William Eden (Benno
Frmann) was present at the building of St. Peter's.
His father was killed in the construction, but the
church refused to grant him entrance into heaven. A
Sin Eater was brought in to undertake the burden of
his many failings, and taught Eden the way. He is
now attempting to recruit the next generation... and
believes Alex has been chosen to succeed him.
While
encouraging Alex to show his love for Mara and
therefore break his holy vows, Eden's involvement in
many strange and sinister events calls into question
Alex's judgment. Thomas is attacked and placed in
peril, and the means of becoming a Sin Eater is not
for the faint of heart. Many choices will influence
his destiny. The Order is pegged as a
terrifying thriller, but is neither terrifying nor a
thriller. It's more of a slow-moving "religious"
drama heavy on the emotional and light on chills.
It's not to say it wasn't written well, but there
are too many gaps in logic. Yes, there is
unexplained phenomena that might confuse secular
audiences. Christians know that demons are real and
sometimes intervene, coming in many shapes and
forms. There are several demons that make an
appearance, including two "children" (arguably one
of the best moments in the film, and the only one
that gave me goose bumps, as Alex rejected them in
the name of Jesus), and an eerie white mist luring a
man to his near death.
The acting is quite good (with a notable appearance
by creepy Rosalinda Celentano, famed for her
portrayal of Satan in
The Passion of the Christ) and overall the
production design is nice. The gorgeous cathedrals
contrast splendidly with darkened graveyards and
underground crypts. In addition to the seriously
warped views of payment for sin, which will be
addressed in a moment, there are some content issues
to consider. The priests often use bad language,
including the f-word (four are present in the
dialogue). Thomas once exclaims Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph's names in shock, and is rebuked for his
language by a secular priest. Alex forsakes
his vow of chastity and sleeps with Mara in a
shirtless scene of embracing and kissing. They wake
up next to one another the following morning.
Various frightening scenes also include violence.
Satanic priests believe that a man cannot help but
tell truth when he is dying; they hang captured
souls and ask them questions before they perish.
Thomas is mocked by a demon, who lures him into a
room and nearly kills him with nails (one pierces
his hand, nailing it to a crossbeam, in mockery of
Christ). Demon children transform into a league of
bats and fly away.
Whenever
the Sin Eater absolves a man, he goes through a
complex ritual and then "consumes" the sin of the
person through contaminated bread. Grotesque white
tentacles come out of the sinner's body and flow
into that of the Eater, with often revolting
effects. There is some violent and bloody content,
including several people shown with slit wrists. The
biggest issue is warped theology. True Christians
know that salvation cannot be obtained in any way
except through the blood of Jesus Christ. You cannot
purchase your way into heaven, and you cannot be
absolved. The Catholic church cannot deny anyone
entrance to heaven, therefore the use of a Sin Eater
is sacrilegious and irrelevant. It works as a nice
fairy tale but undermines classic faith. No mortal
(or immortal, in the case of the Sin Eater) can take
on the burdens of another. Only Jesus was capable of
that, and did it at the cross. What The Order
implies is that to be a Sin Eater is taking the
place of God; it intimates that the Catholic church
is corrupted (one of the high cardinals is part of a
satanic cult), and that Alex finds his soul through
rising to a dark power.
For those interested in the ancient practices,
The Order is an interesting glimpse at a fairy
tale phenomenon but for those stricter about the
importance of salvation, it will be disappointing.
THE
ORDER
While
encouraging Alex to show his love for Mara and
therefore break his holy vows, Eden's involvement in
many strange and sinister events calls into question
Alex's judgment. Thomas is attacked and placed in
peril, and the means of becoming a Sin Eater is not
for the faint of heart. Many choices will influence
his destiny. The Order is pegged as a
terrifying thriller, but is neither terrifying nor a
thriller. It's more of a slow-moving "religious"
drama heavy on the emotional and light on chills.
It's not to say it wasn't written well, but there
are too many gaps in logic. Yes, there is
unexplained phenomena that might confuse secular
audiences. Christians know that demons are real and
sometimes intervene, coming in many shapes and
forms. There are several demons that make an
appearance, including two "children" (arguably one
of the best moments in the film, and the only one
that gave me goose bumps, as Alex rejected them in
the name of Jesus), and an eerie white mist luring a
man to his near death.
Whenever
the Sin Eater absolves a man, he goes through a
complex ritual and then "consumes" the sin of the
person through contaminated bread. Grotesque white
tentacles come out of the sinner's body and flow
into that of the Eater, with often revolting
effects. There is some violent and bloody content,
including several people shown with slit wrists. The
biggest issue is warped theology. True Christians
know that salvation cannot be obtained in any way
except through the blood of Jesus Christ. You cannot
purchase your way into heaven, and you cannot be
absolved. The Catholic church cannot deny anyone
entrance to heaven, therefore the use of a Sin Eater
is sacrilegious and irrelevant. It works as a nice
fairy tale but undermines classic faith. No mortal
(or immortal, in the case of the Sin Eater) can take
on the burdens of another. Only Jesus was capable of
that, and did it at the cross. What The Order
implies is that to be a Sin Eater is taking the
place of God; it intimates that the Catholic church
is corrupted (one of the high cardinals is part of a
satanic cult), and that Alex finds his soul through
rising to a dark power.