The Pledge (2001)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

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:

Pledge | Police | Search | Nevada | Porcupine

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

Color:

Color

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:

Errors in geography: This was filmed in British Columbia, which is considerably wetter than the Sierra Nevada, and it shows. The shot of downtown Reno seems to be the only real scene from that region.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Soundtrack:

Nwalhulwana

Slow & Powerful

I had rather low expectations for The Pledge - even though I've admired Penn as an actor (Dead Man Walking, Racing With The Moon, etc.) I really didn't care much for his writing/directing attempts (Indian Runner and The Crossing Guard) so I finally got around to watching this on cable and I was not prepared for how intriguing, intelligent and emotionally powerful the movie was. Yes, obviously, from other people's comments, this isn't every one's cup of tea. Fine. You want quickie thriller, wall to wall action - go watch Con Air or something. Popcorn movies are fine. People need to turn off their brains and escape every now and then (Unfortunately for big budget movies - its more NOW and very rarely THEN)> So that is why I really enjoyed the slow pace and the ambiguity of the plot - it left things out there for you to find, to discover, to ponder. Nicholson - who is so capable of just phoning it in lately or just doing a gig for a paycheck (Anger Management - YIKES!!!) - but here he really delivers a strong, aching performance. He is surrounded by excellent actors (especially Del Toro, Eckhart and a very impressive tiny scene from Mickey Rourke). I know there are huge fans of the German book and the movie - I will seek them out. But I have watched this film twice and it is even more powerful the second time. One CAN be driven mad by NEVER knowing something so ghastly, something so important.