The story falls into the trap of using too many twists, red herrings and coincidences.
The Pledge (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:117
Fresh:90
Rotten:27
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: Though its subject matter is grim and may make viewers queasy, The Pledge features an excellent, subtle performance by Jack Nicholson.
Theatrical Release:Jan 12, 2001 Wide
Box Office: $18,894,185
Synopsis: Director Sean Penn's (THE INDIAN RUNNER, THE CROSSING GUARD) third film features Jack Nicholson as Jerry Black, a retired detective whose final case ultimately causes his slow descent into madness.... Director Sean Penn's (THE INDIAN RUNNER, THE CROSSING GUARD) third film features Jack Nicholson as Jerry Black, a retired detective whose final case ultimately causes his slow descent into madness. In the midst of his retirement party, Black decides to join Detective Stan Krolak (Aaron Eckhart) on one last case. The molested body of an eight-year-old girl is found in the Nevada mountains. When the chief suspect turns out to be a mentally challenged Native American (Benicio Del Toro), Black is not convinced of his guilt despite his confession. Unable to forget the promise he made to the dead girl's mother that he would find her daughter's killer, Black becomes determined to catch a monster that no one else believes is out there. His resolve increases when he realizes that two similar unsolved murders occurred in the same area in recent years, and the case hits closer to home when Black befriends Lori (Robin Wright Penn), a waitress with a threatening ex-husband, and her eight-year old daughter, Chrissy (Pauline Roberts). Nicholson is compelling in this study of a man whose obsession slowly eats away at his sanity as he attempts to keep his promise by any means necessary. [More]
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright Penn, Patricia Clarkson, Benicio Del Toro
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright Penn, Patricia Clarkson, Benicio Del Toro, Dale Dickey, Aaron Eckhart, Costas Mandylor, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Michael O'Keefe, Pauline Roberts, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Lois Smith, Harry Dean Stanton
Director: Sean Penn
Director: Sean Penn
Screenwriter: Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski
Producer: Michael Fitzgerald, Sean Penn, Elie Samaha
Composer: Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for The Pledge
Existential terror is just one of the many layers that give The Pledge a sheen that is sickening and yet satisfying to watch.
A moody, satisfyingly oblique tale that reaches a truly shattering conclusion.
Other than re-iterating the well-known fact that 'life sucks,' I didn't really get much out of this movie.
Jack Nicholson more than delivers the goods in his portrayal of a retired policeman thoroughly obsessed by his last murder case.
Absorbing dramatically and deeply committed to the acting processes of star Jack Nicholson and the raft of impressive players supporting him.
A provocative morality tale, The Pledge is not only the first great motion picture of 2001, but also a film that exposes Sean Penn as being every bit as talented a director as he is an actor.
A moody morality drama about the dire consequences of keeping a promise.
The Pledge will cause many viewers to walk out of the theaters grumbling, since there is no traditional closure. But the way in which things turn out seems right for the material and the manner in which Penn has chosen to present it.
Though at times it threatens to meander off, Penn's movie fulfills its destiny as an alienated fable of justice and luck.
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