For most people, this may be just an average movie. But they might not understand the inspiration behind it.
I saw Sean Penn's first directorial The Indian Runner in 1991 and initially thought it was a slow, dull, lagging soap-opera. Back then I didn't know much about the art of film. Other movie watchers may not like this film The Pledge for similar reasons.
Then I watched an interview w/Sean Penn and he said his big influence was John Cassavetes, who had recently passed away. So I went back & watched some of Cassavetes' films again. His films were social dramas between friends, usually in New York, struggling with their own inner conflicts. After that, when I watch Sean Penn's first four films (as filmmaker) I can totally see Cassavetes all over his films, especially in this one. Never has his inspiration been so strong than in the way Nicholson struggles with his demons in this picture.
The scenes where Nicholson realizes what a mistake he made towards the end, and of him drinking himself to death, looking up in the sky, talking to himself in the closing (and opening) are priceless. I see Cassavetes' struggle of the human soul in those scenes, just like in the films he made, and in some of the characters he played. It really affects the way you see this film.
I saw Sean Penn's first directorial The Indian Runner in 1991 and initially thought it was a slow, dull, lagging soap-opera. Back then I didn't know much about the art of film. Other movie watchers may not like this film The Pledge for similar reasons.
Then I watched an interview w/Sean Penn and he said his big influence was John Cassavetes, who had recently passed away. So I went back & watched some of Cassavetes' films again. His films were social dramas between friends, usually in New York, struggling with their own inner conflicts. After that, when I watch Sean Penn's first four films (as filmmaker) I can totally see Cassavetes all over his films, especially in this one. Never has his inspiration been so strong than in the way Nicholson struggles with his demons in this picture.
The scenes where Nicholson realizes what a mistake he made towards the end, and of him drinking himself to death, looking up in the sky, talking to himself in the closing (and opening) are priceless. I see Cassavetes' struggle of the human soul in those scenes, just like in the films he made, and in some of the characters he played. It really affects the way you see this film.