The Last Sin Eater 2007

Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: The Last Sin Eater is close to nature and boasts many of the elements we expect from solid family entertainment, albeit with tragic overtones that keep the story grounded in a rich emotional context. Read more

Lou Carlozo, Chicago Tribune: The Last Sin Eater has flaws too hard to ignore. The lovely shots of Appalachian vistas are spoiled by cheesy special effects straight from the 1960s Chroma-Key era. Read more

Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: If Sin Eater wasn't so laborious, it might be easier to overlook the movie's predictability. With too many slow-developing subplots, though, it finally illicits a feeling something like squirming in a hard pew during a long-winded sermon. Read more

Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: Efforts to build suspense, with ominous music and dark figures flashing past the camera, are laughably amateurish, as is the made-for-TV cinematography. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: The film's rhythm drags. And [director] Landon uses the 'when in doubt, pump up the score' method for signaling Cadi's emotions. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: What should be a simple parable of redemption takes nearly an unforgivable 2 1/2 hours. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: The special effects look like they were executed on somebody's laptop. Read more

Matt Zoller Seitz, New York Times: The Last Sin Eater is religious art for mainstream consumption. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: It has the same dramatic flatness of Love's Abiding Joy, which was made by the same filmmakers. Frankly, these folks are more suited to the Hallmark Channel. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Stephen Garrett, Time Out: Unfortunately for God-fearing youths in desperate need of counseling on the horrors of sin-eating, [Cadi's] spiritual awakening will likely put audiences to sleep. Read more

Joe Leydon, Variety: Never afraid to overstate the obvious, helmer and co-scripter Landon establishes, underscores and italicizes each plot point with the well-intentioned didacticism of a Sunday School teacher. Read more

Jessica Grose, Village Voice: Liberato muddles through a heavy-handed Christian agenda and barely legible plot. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: Its chances of crossover success with the secular crowd seem remote, given the dramatic shortcomings. The cast's attempts to speak in the old country accent have uneven results. And the story often feels pedestrian and predictable. Read more