The Order (2003)

When the head of the Carolingians, an order of Catholic Priests who specialize in Exorcisms and such, dies it is up to Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger), one of the two remaining members of the order, to try to unravel the mysteries surrounding his death.  With the help of Thomas Garrett, the other member of his order, and Mara Sinclair, a young woman who he performed an exorcism on a year earlier, he works to uncover what really happened and ends up getting tangled in a plot that reaches the highest levels of the Catholic church.  Soon he finds himself on the trail of a Sin Eater, a man who possesses the power to take another's Sins into himself, thus cleansing the others soul and allowing it to enter Heaven upon their death.  Along the way, Alex and the others have to deal with the Black Pope, orphaned demon spawn, a ghost and other nefarious characters.  Alex also has the added confusion of a budding romance with Mara.  Eventually Alex finds that he's an integral part of the very plot he is uncovering.

I really like well made horror movies based around “Christian mythology”.  This is one of the better ones.  I believe it is mostly shot on location at Rome and the setting is great.  The acting is excellent and does a lot to bring depth to well designed characters who have more depth than those in most movies.  I really like the story that the movie is based around and the idea of a Sin Eater.  They do a lot to show what such a person would be like and what their motivations are.  You get the idea that even after watching the whole movie you've only gotten a glimpse of the dark supernatural world that the story is set in. 

This is a good movie that is worth seeing.  If you liked Constantine or the Exorcist, this may be right up your alley. 

3 out of 4

Reviewed by Scott Schwarzwalder

© Copyright 2009 John Shatzer