The picture is so lethargic that I began to think of watching it as a form of atonement.
Comment
09/10/03
The Order (2003)
9
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:56
Fresh:5
Rotten:51
Average Rating:2.9/10
Consensus: A religious thriller that's more lethargic and silly than thrilling.
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: For centuries, a secret Order has existed within the Church. Following a series of unexplained murders, a renegade priest (Heath Ledger) begins an investigation that hurls him into a maelstrom of... [More]
Starring: Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Benno Furmann
Director: Brian Helgeland
Reviews for The Order
...what's interesting is that it happens to be bad in ways that movies haven't bothered with for quite some time.
09/09/03
A poorly crafted, pseudo-religious pseudo-thriller.
09/08/03
... a supernatural thriller that calls into question the very nature of man’s relationship with God.
09/08/03
Writer/director Brian Helgeland deserves credit for trying to make a serious horror film that deals with matters of faith without descending to camp or sadism, and there are some creepy, atmospheric moments, but the film is a hopeless mess.
09/08/03
While the actors try to play things straight-faced, they're defeated by Helgeland's screenplay and take refuge in old habits.
09/08/03
It's The Exorcist warmed over.
09/08/03
May be the nadir of the subgenre that produced The Exorcist (at its high end) and Stigmata (at its middle-to-low end).
09/08/03
Top CriticThe movie would be perfect material for a resurrected version of the TV spoof Mystery Science Theater.
09/08/03
A supernaturally silly drama about priests, exorcism, sin-eaters and Heath Ledger struggling with such pious problems as how to keep his fake Euro accent in place.
09/08/03
Cast adrift with vague, improbable characters and a plot that's at once under- and overcooked, the actors struggle to find a steady tone, lurching from somber to silly as the director tries to figure out what he's doing.
09/08/03
Top CriticOne of those movies that went horribly wrong, but for one financial or contractual reason or another, it had to go into movie theatres anyway.
09/08/03
Instead of eliciting screams, it produces only yawns.
09/08/03
The writer- director offers musty musings on the relationship between faith and knowledge and characters that are hard to buy.
09/08/03
Top CriticIt's a horror movie that isn't frightening and a thriller that isn't thrilling.
09/08/03
Schlock that could and should have been better.
09/08/03
Annoyingly boring and nonsensical would-be paranormal thriller.
09/08/03
[Helgeland] beats up on the Catholic Church with the same brainless zeal and pointless histrionics as such Grade F noisemakers as Lost Souls and Stigmata.
09/08/03
There are no surprises here, just a movie that limps along like a wounded horse. At some point, you simply want to put the poor thing out of its misery.
09/08/03
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09/08/03
Latest News for The Order
March 16, 2007:
"Premonition" Makes RT's "Worst of the Worst"
We all know good movies are hard to make, so you kinda feel bad when so many fail their lofty goals. Such is the case with this week's "Premonition," which not only... More...
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