The Pledge

As in Sean Penn's previous work, this is an actors' piece. Nicholson plays Jerry with restlessness under his easy-going, smiling calm; his patient fisherman's heart leaps at every nibble while he casts for a murder suspect. And Del Toro, Helen Mirren, Vanessa Redgrave, and Mickey Rourke make striking impressions in their single-scene appearances. Penn is less concerned with the mystery than the emotional turmoil and Jerry's state of mind, interrupting moments of calm with jagged cuts and discomforting images (including some especially disturbing crime scene photos). Jerry's instincts and methods are sound and his sensitivity is real--he takes in a battered single mom (Robin Wright Penn) and her little girl, and develops a rewarding family life--but his passion for justice turns to unhealthy, destructive obsession. That's ultimately what we're left with at the conclusion of this often off-putting but ultimately fascinating film. The truth will not always set you free. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description
Retired Sheriff Jerry Black becomes obsessed with finding a man who lures and then kills little girls.

The movie is set supposedly in Reno and the surrounding Sierras, and the natural scenery that provides the stage for this drama is simply breath taking, and is worth the viewing experience for this experience alone. I was, however, disappointed to discover by viewing the end credits that the movie was largely shot in western Canada. Wherever it was filmed, the scenery provides a curious backdrop to the ugliness and sordidness of human beings, and how their own experiences and personalities blind them to the beauty in others around them. Each has been branded by the character and limitations of his or her own reservoir of emotional experiences, and each is consequently sent spinning toward a seemingly irrevocable tendency to make snap conclusions about complex realities as a result.

Thus Nicholson is caught in the dilemma of not only his own troubles, but in the easy answers others have in attributin ghis actions and behavior to other motives and problems. Thus Robin Wright Penn, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Vanessa Redgrave, Harry Dean Stanton and a number of notable others blithely (and sometimes painfully) slip past the rather remarkable qualities in Nicholson's character as well as in Wright Penn's memorable turn as a woman with battered background and a beautiful little girl who lights up the screen and who also just happens to exactly fit Nicholson's bogeyman serial killer's profile.

Thus, his motives for the subsequent involvement are confused at best, yet he seems to genuinely care for the new family he adopts along the way. With this, the stage is set for potential tragedy, and while I found the conclusion emotionally and dramatically unpleasing, it was admittedly indeed in the scope of the characters and circumstance to have it so ended. I recommend this, but also caution against letting one's impressionable children watch this. Like "Silence Of The Lambs" or "Seven", this is hardly juvenile entertainment. Enjoy!


Powerful and Thoughtful.......   June 15, 2001
Stewart Axelrad (San Antonio, Texas United States)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

First, let me say that I consider Jack Nicholson to be one of most underrated actors of his generation. His performance in "The Pledge" is nothing short of remarkable, not so much in the way his speaks the dialogue, but in those moments when he has none, and reveals the mind of a deeply tormented man. Other reviews have discussed the plot, so I'll dispense with that, other than to say that this is a movie about redemption and a lost cause. The pledge referred to in the title is one that Nicholson cannot assuredly keep, and thus forfeits his "soul's salvation". The Nicholson character is basically a lonely, desperate man, who hangs his hopes on catching a serial killer, and by a twist of fate, fails in his mission. The supporting cast is excellent, Benecio Del Toro, Robin Wright Penn and even Vanessa Redgrave (one of the best performances in the film, although a brief one-scene cameo). Sean Penn's direction is superb, with the intercutting of nature scenes with the main plot (watch for the symbolic flock of birds throughout the film). This is not a film for those who desire neat, tied-up endings but ones which mirror the real and unresolved tragedies of life. Truly a haunting and poignant story, with excellent character studies all around.


A flawed but compelling film   August 7, 2001
Thomas A. Baker (Atlanta, GA, USA)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

"The Pledge" flew under most everyone's radar when it was released theatrically earlier this year. I was somewhat surprised at the time, given the success of dark films like "Seven" and the pedigree of Nicholson and Sean Penn, but it makes sense in retrospect. Today's multiplex is not friendly to movies like this. "The Pledge" is a flawed study of obsession that isn't for everyone. You may turn it off halfway through, bored with director Penn's deliberate style. Or, like me, you may be compelled to see it again and again.

Not many actors have the presence to pull a role like Jerry Black off, and Nicholson does it with skill to burn. However, while the script turns on some nagging questions, one of them undermines much of the film: we don't understand Jerry well enough to know what fuels his obsession. Was it some previous case that went bad? "The Pledge" doesn't want to give you all the answers, and leaves several things deliberately cryptic, but everything hinges on Jerry's motivation. How did Mrs. Larsen (Patricia Clarkson) coax such a life-or-death pledge out of Jerry? And if he agrees merely to tell a grieving mother what she wants to hear, why does he feel so bound by the pledge, and why does he follow through to such a degree? Another major flaw is the stunted romance between Jerry and Robin Wright Penn's character--it feels obligatory, as if the screenwriters were just using a tried and true playbook, but it's somewhat implausible, doesn't serve the plot, and should've been scrapped.

But with Nicholson, the consummate pro, and some good use of the Nevada setting's stark beauty (the night- and snow-bound murder scene is as good as movies get), "The Pledge" overcomes some script weaknesses and pacing problems to deliver a flawed but compelling portrait of human obsession. A warning: if you like every answer wrapped up in a neat little package at the end, this is NOT the movie for you. "The Pledge" is challenging and flawed, but I'll take a movie like this over any number of "Pearl Harbors" that you want to throw my way.


INTENSE!....   January 7, 2003
L. Shirley (fountain valley, ca United States)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

Bravo to Sean Penn for bringing us a psychological thriller that is both intellegent and unpredicatable.If I could only use one word to describe this film I would have to say INTENSE!

Jerry Black(Jack Nicholson) is about to retire from his duties as a homicide detective in Reno, Nevada. Nicholson's portrayal of this cop is so strong, that we can see what he is feeling and thinking by one raise of those famous eyebrows.Already we can see that he is regretting his retirement. Amidst the retirement party his fellow offficers are throwing for him, word comes of a horrible crime. A little local girl has been brutally assaulted and murdered. Jerry cannot help but to become involved with this case.He is the one who must tell the parents the devasting news, at which point he makes a solemn promise to the girl's mother, that he will not rest until this deranged killer is caught!

All evidence points to one suspect. The suspect confesses, and in a bizarre twist takes his own life. Jerry though has instincts that tell him this was not the murderer. He becomes obssessed with finding the true killer,he puts his life on hold and at the risk of alienating all his friends, devotes himself to the task. He also meets and falls for a woman who has a daughter around the age of the murder victim and becomes obssessed with protecting her as well.Jerry falls deeper and deeper into his own dark world, as the tension mounts.

Nicholson has given us many fine performances over the years to be treasured, this one though, to me, was his best character study since "Five Easy Pieces". Penn has done a brillant job behind the camera, and also has chosen a well seasoned cast to add to this fine film. It includes Benecio Del Toro, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shephard, Harry Dean Stanton, Vanessa Redgrave Lois Smith, and Robin Wright Penn.A brilliant screen play by Jerry and Mary Olsen-Kromolowski.
Add to that a haunting score by Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt and incredible camera work by Chris Menges, which takes in the snowy scapes in sharp contrast to the murder and you have a story you won't soon forget.

I would reccommend this film to anyone who has a taste for something out of the ordinary. It is not for the sensitive viewer though.

If you've seen the film already and know you like it, you can count on a good transfer by Warner Bros, to the DVD. It is a crisp and clear picture presented widescreen. Colors and sound(Dolby 5.1 surround) are outstanding as well.It may be viewed in French(also in the 5.1)and has subtitles in English and French(Dubbed in Quebec) as well.Other than a theatrical trailer you will not find much in the way of extras. But you might just want to start the movie over and watch it again.
Go for it...Laurie

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