Running time: 103 minutes
Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Shannyn Sossamon, Benno Fürmann, Peter Weller, Francesco Carnelutti
Rating 3 out of 10
After Brian Helgeland took on the burden of writing, producing and directing A Knights Tale, it was suggested in some quarters that the resulting mess was a direct consequence of a man with a vision being too closely involved in a project. The Sin Eater proves that he has learned nothing from the bad press.Heath Ledger, Mark Addy and Shannyn Sossamon - all Helgeland stalwarts - team up for what is billed as a supernatural thriller, but which falls short of the mark on both counts.
Following the murder of the head of a secret Order, renegade priest Alex Bernier (Ledger) is compelled to travel to Rome to investigate. What he finds is a maelstrom of evil, double dealing, corruption and above all the feeling that there is a fate worse than death.
The young priest's quest for knowledge lead him directly to The Sin Eater - a mysterious figure who craves death, but is doomed to 'eat' the sins of others, thereby granting them eternal peace. The two adversaries find that they have more in common than it would at first appear and Bernier is left struggling to save his own soul and that of the woman he loves.
The wonderful Italian locations and atmospheric lighting give the film some gravitas, but peer beyond the religious hokum and you'll be left with an empty feeling that not even the Sin Eater's bread and salt will fill. Ledger broods but is let down by some pretty dire dialogue. Mark Addy provides some light relief as the fun-loving priest Thomas, but even his comic timing is tested by some painful one-liners.
As with Helgeland's last effort A Knight's Tale we are left feeling it was a nice idea which just didn't come off. Come Judgement Day this might just be one sin he will want to get off his chest.
