ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Kirpianuscus a good story. good performances. interesting construction, using historical and religious pieces for a moral lesson about sin, judgment and prices of the life. and the impeccable building of a way to the truth of a young monk, with precise duty, discovering obscure details from a Church who seems be perfect, old secrets and old rules, the beautiful work of Heath Ledger are virtues of a f seductive film, remembering Da Vinci Code but being more profound as sender of a too precise universal message.

Leofwine_draca I think religious thrillers have a hard time in Hollywood. A lot of them feel murky and unfocused, skirting with the issues of the church rather than fully engaging with them. The mainstream interest of depictions of the intricacies, intrigue and plotting within the various churches just isn't there, so writers have to involve ever more outlandish plot ingredients in order to attract attention.THE SIN EATER involves the concept of special people who have the ability to 'suck out' the sins from a person, taking them into their own body. The actor playing the sin eater in this, Bruno Furmann, is effectively mysterious but the film overall isn't. Heath Ledger's leading character is boringly righteous, Mark Addy is miscast, and Shannyn Sossamon there for eye candy alone. Peter Weller (ROBOCOP) is better, but gets too little screen time. The CGI effects are silly. The ending is a particular disappointment, descending into farce with a stock villain who must be thwarted; very Hollywood and very predictable.

rob_lavender These days, it's easy to see Heath Ledger's name on a film and assume it's going to be something special. Indeed, as a rule of thumb this formula is proved right more often than not. Sadly, though, The Sin Eater falls into the latter category – although it would be unfair to lay the blame at Ledger's feet. In fact, his turn is one of the few highlights of this movie. Another is the primary plot: a young, unconventional priest is sent by his Cardinal to the Vatican, where he is asked to look into the unexplained death of his friend and mentor. Along the way he uncovers evidence of the involvement of a "Sin Eater" – a figure from history who is said to offer an alternative route to redemption and therefore a path to Heaven which circumvents Catholic lore. It's a nice idea and it's given enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. There's a secondary story though, one of demons and exorcisms, and a tertiary one involving an unstable girl from the priest's past who forms the film's romantic interest. These appear extraneous and confusing, and require more explanation than the movie allows in its limited runtime. It's not a short film, but still it overreaches. The cast sees Ledger team up with Mark Addy and Shannyn Sossamon, and director Brian Helgeland, for the second time following their historical comedy A Knight's Tale. This plays less well than the 2001 offering. The usually capable Addy chews through some dubious dialogue with an even more dubious accent, yet still somehow salvages credibility. Sossamon's turn is somewhat superfluous, and the piece may have been better for her character's omission. Peter Weller makes a convincingly tough Cardinal, and Benno Furmann is suitably other- worldly as the supernatural antagonist. But the problems, for the most part, lay not with the cast: rather too much ground is made too soon, putting the viewer on the back foot from the off. The result is something that plays out like a sequel: it's taken for granted that we know the protagonists, when in fact we don't – and they remain strangers throughout. 2/5

wes-connors "For centuries, a secret Order of priests has existed within the Church. A renegade priest, Father Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger), is sent to Rome to investigate the mysterious death of one of the Order's most revered members. Following a series of strangely similar killings, Bernier launches an investigation that forces him to confront unimaginable evil and the terrifying knowledge that there is a fate worse than death," according to the official synopsis.Brian Helgeland's "The Order" features rich Roman locations. Alas, the story is very dull, and provides none of the thrills intended. At one point, Mr. Ledger and fellow man-of-the-cloth Mark Addy (as Thomas Garrett) question Ledger's priestly credentials as the men consider sleeping with Shannyn Sossamon (as Mara Sinclair). They've GOT to be kidding. The story picks up a little around the time Benno Fürmann (as William Eden) really makes the scene. Mr. Fürmann's Christ-like "Sin Eater" plight breathes some life into the storyline.**** The Order (9/5/03) Brian Helgeland ~ Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Benno Fürmann