The Pledge (2001)

Director:

Sean Penn

Writers (WGA):

Friedrich Dürrenmatt (book)
Jerzy Kromolowski (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

19 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Detective Jerry Black has made a promise he can't break, to catch a killer he can't find.

Plot:

A retiring police chief pledges to catch the killer of a young child.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Pledge | Porcupine | Search | Drawing

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Patricia Clarkson	...	Margaret Larsen
Beau Daniels	...	Rudy
Benicio Del Toro	...	Toby Jay Wadenah
Dale Dickey	...	Strom
Wendy Morrow Donaldson	...	Resort Owner
Adrien Dorval	...	Sheriff (as P. Adrien Dorval)
Aaron Eckhart	...	Stan Krolak
Shawn Henter	...	Bus Driver
Kathy Jensen	...	Store Clerk
Taryn Knowles	...	Ginny Larsen
Nels Lennarson	...	Hank
Costas Mandylor	...	Monash Deputy
J.J. McColl	...	Real Estate Agent
Gordon May	...	Criminologist #1
Gardiner Millar	...	Deputy #3 (as Gardinar Millar)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

124 min | Argentina:123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Canada:14A (Canadian Home Video rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Brazil:16 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hungary:14 | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 (video premiere) | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Morgan Creek Productions

Trivia:

The film is dedicated to Michael D. Haller and Jack Nitzsche, "our brothers in arms". Haller and Nitzsche were respectively the production designer and the composer of 'Sean Penn' 's first two films : The Indian Runner (1991) and The Crossing Guard (1995). Both passed away, Haller in 1998, Nitzsche in 2000.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Jerry reads Chrissy a bedtime story, it is supposed to be night time (in fact in the next scene, when Jerry goes outside, it is dark); however, bright sunlight can clearly be seen coming through the cracks around the window blind.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jerry Black: She said it. She said it. She did.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

Soundtrack:

Through The Years

A Haunting Film With A Great Soundtrack

Unsatisfying endings usually make for box-office bombs and I suspect this one bombed, too. I don't particularly care for them, myself. I'd rather feel good at the end of the film, but I really liked this movie in a strange kind of way. It's weird but it's original and it stayed with me for several days afterward. On the second viewing, knowing what to expect, it didn't haunt me but it was worth that second look....and probably a third one in a few years, too. I didn't care for some of the anti-Christian tones in here, however. That is my only complaint of the movie. A key character - a minister - is made to look evil (typical film-world bias).

The rest of the film has a lot to offer: a great performance by Jack Nicholson; a very nice music score; good cinematography; interesting characters and a different, almost-shocking twist at the end.

The best part of the film is Nicholson. As usual, Jack is very interesting, playing a low-key role here. The story might be too slow for a lot of folks but it kept my interest all the way. On the second viewing, I appreciated the music even more - a great soundtrack!

If you are looking for a crime film that is different, check this out, but don't blame me if you don't like the ending.