The Pledge

Name: The Pledge
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Released: January 19, 2001
Duration: 124 min
Rating: 71
Cast: Benicio Del Toro

2001

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Ratings

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6.8

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6.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 45 Ratings

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The Pledge

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: January 19, 2001 | R

Starring: Benicio Del Toro

Summary: Academy Award-winner Jack Nicholson stars as Jerry Black, a Nevada homicide detective who volunteers for one final investigation on the eve of his retirement. He offers his expertise at a compromised crime scene and ends up making a promise to the young victim's mother that will change his life forever. (Warner Brothers)

Director: Sean Penn

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 124 min

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Critic Reviews

Kim Morgan

One of the most aggressively ambiguous pictures of the year. There is a certain power to that. Read full review

Jay Carr

In its dark, relentless, devastatingly ironic way, The Pledge is an exhilarating movie, partly because it isn't afraid to be genuinely challenging. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Not a pleasant film, but it is deeply, scarily rewarding. Read full review

Mike Clark

The movie wouldn't be imaginable without its commanding star. Nicholson is in virtually every scene underplaying to great effect

TV Guide Magazine Ken Fox

Short on action but heavy on ambiance, and the cumulative effect packs a whopper if you're willing to stop and think about it. Penn, never one to opt for action over thought, clearly expects that his audience will. Read full review

Michael Atkinson

Though at times it threatens to meander off, Penn's movie fulfills its destiny as an alienated fable of justice and luck, personified by Jack in the twilight of his iconicity, babbling to himself at the crossroads of nowhere. Read full review

Charles Taylor

Just a bad movie, with more bits of good acting and flashes of director's invention than you get in most bad movies. Read full review

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User Reviews

DawdlingPoet

Nov 22, 2021

This is a mystery drama film, featuring themes including painting, mutilation and paranoia. I found this to be an intriguing film, with some interesting characters. Its quite a difficult watch at times, with the initial presumed villain/criminal clearly having mental health issues, in termsThis is a mystery drama film, featuring themes including painting, mutilation and paranoia. I found this to be an intriguing film, with some interesting characters. Its quite a difficult watch at times, with the initial presumed villain/criminal clearly having mental health issues, in terms of a presumed form of retardation (I mean that purely in a medical context) . I found myself feeling really quite concerned by how the authorities were treating things and I liked the main character of Jerry Black, the retired officer.

I thought the plot was quite good, a little slow but good. It kept me guessing what the final outcome might be, although the start makes the viewer think that things are relatively clear cut, suffice to say they aren't. I found myself imagining I was in Jerry's shoes, trying to guess who may or may not have had a part to play in the childs demise and why. It is, of course, inevitably, a sad story but I liked that the film wasn't overly reliant on action scenes and thus wasn't sensationalist or overly tacky Hollywood fare as such. When it comes to these sorts of serious crime stories, I like there to be a decent, well thought out plot behind it, to keep such films together.

Cast wise, Jerry Black is played by Jack Nicholson. I thought he gave a very respectable performance as recently retired police officer Jerry Black. He does well at seeming to look past younger officers, who see things in a different light and may be keen on chasing publicity via the media etc., wanting to make sure to get to the truth. You could say there are moral aspects at play, in any case I thought he did well in playing the character. Toby Jay Wadenah is played by Benicio Del Toro, while Aaron Eckhart plays Stan Krolak and Nels Lennarson plays Hank. The childs mother, Margaret Larsen, is played by Patricia Clarkson. Also, Helen Mirren appears, playing a doctor or moreso a therapist/psychologist (her character isn't given a name as such to quote).

Music wise, the film features various pieces, of which one sounded as if it were sung by the Native Americans. I looked it up online and apparently its called 'Nwalhulwana' by 'Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Mocambique'. Other pieces include Slowdown by Flywheel and The Other Side of Town by Steve Earle.

Content wise, the film contains sex references, some moderate violence and depictions of the victims body post mortem - some of the violence either talked about or visually depicted is quite bloody and gruesome, so this may well upset some people. Strong language also features, with the main character shown both drinking and smoking and the film inevitably features some distressing and potentially frightening scenes whereby we see people coming across things presumed linked to the death. It is a bit of a slow burn, plot wise but, to me, it had the feel of a decent, solid film. I thought it was quite intriguing with a good cast and so overall I thought it a good watch but it may not appeal to everyone, especially if your partial to a decent amount of action based scenes as this is much more of a slow burner type of film.

Yes I would recommend this, as I felt this was an interesting story (if perhaps a bit unoriginal in basic premise), with a good main character and a great cast. Its a bit of a long watch at around the 2 hour mark and it is quite slow, plot pace wise but it kept me guessing and with a good cast, I enjoyed it, so I'd recommend it on that basis.… Expand

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Spangle

Aug 6, 2016

The Pledge is a terrific film until the very end where things happen to quickly. I am content with the resolution to the case, but everything else in that finale happened far too quickly and seemed incredibly unnatural and rushed. However, the proceeding hour and 45 minutes were terrific.The Pledge is a terrific film until the very end where things happen to quickly. I am content with the resolution to the case, but everything else in that finale happened far too quickly and seemed incredibly unnatural and rushed. However, the proceeding hour and 45 minutes were terrific. Tense, engaging, and draped in paranoia, Jack Nicholson turns in a terrific performance as a detective who keeps working a case after retirement and is intent on finding a man who is kidnapping and viciously killing little girls. Some have called the film's subject disturbing, but the film is never graphic (or at least never more graphic than your average crime mystery). The rest of the cast is very able with Benicio del Toro standing out amongst a sea of talented supporting actors. The direction from Sean Penn is more than capable and though I disagree with his decisions towards the end, the rest of the film is great. Overall, The Pledge is a little bit of a let down due to a rushed ending that tries to race to the finish.… Expand

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FilipeNeto

May 2, 2022

This movie is very indigestible and hard to see, as it brings us a heavy story with very intense themes, as well as a powerful interpretation of Jack Nicholson. The movie is intense, visual, brutal and can sometimes shock the most sensitive.

The script is based on a book, which in turn wasThis movie is very indigestible and hard to see, as it brings us a heavy story with very intense themes, as well as a powerful interpretation of Jack Nicholson. The movie is intense, visual, brutal and can sometimes shock the most sensitive.

The script is based on a book, which in turn was based, very slightly, in real cases of murder. The film begins with the retirement of Jerry Black, a police officer who is leaving the force. It turns out that, in his last case, the rape and murder of a young girl, he is led to solemnly promise that he will find the culprit, in an effort that he will really take seriously as he seems increasingly evident that he will not accept its own retirement without solving this crime.

The movie is slow, and the audience is led to really like and import with the characters, in particular with the children, which can be a torture for the most sensitive people, who will feel the danger around them more intensely, and the anguish of that man, who transforms his life to investigate, at his own risk, those crimes. Faced with all this, the end of the movie works almost like a punch in our stomach, an interrupted intercourse that makes us deeply dissatisfied and vaguely annoyed. That's why I don't give this movie a higher grade.

I must recognize the performance value of Jack Nicholson, an exceptionally capable actor for obsessive, maniac or depressive characters. Patrícia Clarkson and Aaron Eckart also close very well and give the public a very good job. Helen Mirren appears for a short time, but is also excellent, and Benício Del Toro, responsible for one of the most visually remarkable scenes in the movie, deserves congratulations.

Technically, the film has a good cinematography and a satisfactory edition, although an exasperating pace, slower than a walk in the park, but it seems to me to have been chosen precisely to allow a greater relationship of sympathy between audiences and characters (And if that was the case, it was a smart move, and it worked well). The film has good scenarios and a good set of costumes, but it is the soundtrack that deserves applause, as is the visual and sound effects.… Expand

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beingryanjude

Aug 28, 2014

I can understand why The Pledge is oft-overlooked in Nicholson's career. He gives an above-average performance, backed by decent direction from Sean Penn.

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87	#87 Best Movie of 2001
90	#90 Most Shared Movie of 2001