Alex is a member of the Carolingians, a fraction within the Christian church, and is sent to Rome when a high standing member of the order is found dead. During Alex's investigation he's confronted by a Sin Eater (one who gives absolution outside the church) who want Alex to become the next Sin Eater.

The theme/premise of this movie has a lot of potential, unfortunately it isn't that well exploited and quickly becomes bogged down due to a very disinterested lack of pace and sense of meaning. While the portrayal of the Sin Eater idea is good and the Carolingians Order is a nice touch, it all seems a bit hastily put together without much sense of direction.

The effects are very good and feels right, the acting is generally good (Heath Ledger does lack some) with Benno Fürmann being the best, but Peter Weller also does well.

While the plot idea, effects and acting is very good the movie unfortunately isn't which is a very big shame since the theme has a lot to offer but somewhere in the directing or screen writing something has gone wrong.

The Order only gets 5 out of 10, with 4 out of these being for the plot idea, effects and acting alone.

After Dominic (Francesco Carnelutti), a priest who is one of the last of the Carolingian order, dies of an apparent suicide, the other two remaining Carolingians, Alex Bernier (Heath Ledger) and Thomas Garret (Mark Addy), come to Rome to learn what happened. While there, they discover that something much more sinister is afoot.

I can see why The Order would have difficulty being commercially successful. And that's too bad, because this is an excellent film. The "problem" leading to a commercial struggle is that writer/director Brian Helgeland created a very intelligent script that assumes the viewer does not need everything spelled out to them. This is a film that opens by placing us in the middle of a complex world, with a deep history, so that we have to pay attention and do a bit of detective work to get up to speed initially. The script is full of unexplained references to beliefs and traditions of the Catholic Church and "orders" such as Carolingians and Jesuits. It is densely packed with clever dialogue, subtle puns and other kinds of literary devices and references. It uses, and some understanding of the film depends on, occasional phrases in Latin, Aramaic, French and Italian (although most of the important words and phrases are translated for us). This is not a light "popcorn" movie, and it is a slow burner. If you were not to fully pay attention and actively think about the film, you could easily become lost or confused.

The performances are superb. Alex, Thomas, Mara Sinclair (Shannyn Sossamon), William Eden (Benno Furmann), and Driscoll (Peter Weller) all seem like real people with complex personalities and back stories. Visually, Helgeland creates and sustains an incredible eerie atmosphere throughout the film. It's so remarkable that a repeated viewing focusing only on the production design, cinematography and composition would be very rewarding. The music, by David Torn, one of my favorite modern composers and musicians, is exceptional. And the relatively sparse visual effects are beautiful, well placed and appropriately surreal.

The story is captivating and becomes more so as it continues. It is wonderfully "gray" about its subject matter when it counts. This is a film that not only bears but demands repeated viewings, but you have to be able to slow down and think while viewing--don't expect action set pieces (although there are a couple minor bits of action), a gorefest, or MTV-styled editing.

The ending of The Order cries out for a sequel, but not because the ending is at all incomplete, or because there was a monster who just wouldn't die. However, given that the film only grossed a fraction of its 38 million dollar budget, those of us who are fans of this film will have to keep our fingers crossed.

A 10 out of 10 from me.