A supernatural religious thriller full of cheap frights, The Order is about a brooding young Catholic priest (Heath Ledger) in the midst of a faith crisis who is investigating his mentor's death at the hands of a "sin eater" (Benno Furmann)--someone who, for a price, assumes all of a dying person's transgressions and guilt so he or she is free to enter Heaven. The convoluted storyline includes romantic temptations (sultry Shannyn Sossamon fell for the priest at her own exorcism), apparent murders accompanied by Aramaic graffiti, an ominous cardinal (an effectively unsettling Peter Weller) with the air of a CIA-styled Vatican spook, a Satanic cult (with requisite black hoods and underground lairs), and demons that come out of the candlelit woodwork with such regularity that Ledger barely shrugs at having to dispatch them back to hell with histrionic brimstone ballyhoo. The Order has some paranormal promise and soul-searching perspicacity buried under its hazy layers of portentous atmosphere, but deeper themes and emotions imagined by writer-director Brian Helgeland (who directed Ledger and Sossamon in A Knight's Tale) just don't get conveyed by the film's lightweight leads. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions, audio commentary by director Brian Helgeland, eight deleted scenes with optional commentary (including dailies and outtakes), and a trailer. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing thriller.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—Sept. 28, 2010—Fox, 102 min., R, Blu-ray: $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2003's The Order boasts a fine transfer with a DTS-HD soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by director Brian Helgeland, deleted scenes and dailies (20 min. total), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent Blu-ray debut for a an unexceptional film.]
The Order
Fox, 102 min., R, VHS: $111.99, DVD: $27.98, Dec. 30 Volume 19, Issue 1
The Order
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