: The Order
Author: Brian Helgeland
Director: Brian Helgeland
I remember when this came out I had thought about seeing it until I heard the horrible reviews and it disappeared from theaters quickly. Now that star Heath Ledger is dead and getting acting accolades it seemed a good time to check it out. It’s a strange film. It feels incomplete, as though this was a rough draft. It’s got a shockingly talented cast and crew (it was written and directed by Brian Helgeland, the Oscar-winning writer of LA Confidental), but it’s haphazardly put together with inconsistent performances and structure. It’s actually not that bad of a concept: a “sin eater” absorbs the sins of another, giving them redemption, but lives an immortal life of purgatory filled with the guilt of others’ crimes. Such a person is very much opposed by the Church, who regard his actions as sacrilegious. Heath’s character is a priest following up the death of his mentor and is offered the chance to become the next sin eater. He’d have power and immortality. He chooses love instead, and then is cruelly tricked into accepting the role. The moral questions surrounding this issue are interesting, but they aren’t explored. The film is filled with so much mumbo-jumbo and cheesy special effects, and the simple plot is presented in such a confusing backwards manner — apparently meant to be more of a mystery — that it is utterly disinteresting. Worse, we never really meet or understand the main characters, so we care nothing about what happens to them. The misleading title doesn’t help either (I was expecting more of a religious conspiracy theory along the lines of The Davinci Code). Ultimately, this is an idea that had potential, but it was ineptly handled in every manner, from script to directing to performing, and it’s a disappointment throughout.
Topic: [/movie] |