MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 251 this week

The Pledge (2001)

 -  Drama | Crime | Mystery  -  19 January 2001 (USA)
6.8
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.8/10 from 32,069 users   Metascore: 71/100
Reviews: 507 user | 147 critic | 33 from Metacritic.com

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

Director:

Writers:

(book), (screenplay), 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 964 titles created 10 Mar 2012
 
a list of 446 titles created 28 May 2011
 
a list of 703 titles created 03 May 2011
 
a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 94 titles created 16 Nov 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Pledge (2001)

The Pledge (2001) on IMDb 6.8/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Pledge.
1 win & 6 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Insomnia (2002)
Crime | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Al Pacino, Martin Donovan, Hilary Swank
Mystic River (2003)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men are reunited by circumstance when one loses a daughter.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon
Crime | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

A Russian teenager living in London who dies during childbirth leaves clues to a midwife in her journal that could tie her child to a rape involving a violent Russian mob family.

Director: David Cronenberg
Stars: Josef Altin, Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

Director: Paul Haggis
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X  

As corruption grows in 1950s LA, three policemen - the straight-laced, the brutal, and the sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.

Director: Curtis Hanson
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce
State of Play (2009)
Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to try to solve the murder of a congressman's mistress.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Stars: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit.

Director: Tony Gilroy
Stars: Tom Wilkinson, Michael O'Keefe, Tilda Swinton
Memento (2000)
Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.6/10 X  

A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Chinatown (1974)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X  

A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
Fracture (2007)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

An attorney intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he's trying to prosecute.

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn
Primal Fear (1996)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, John Mahoney
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel.

Director: Ben Affleck
Stars: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Beau Daniels ...
Rudy
...
...
Strom
Wendy Morrow Donaldson ...
Resort Owner
...
Sheriff (as P. Adrien Dorval)
...
Shawn Henter ...
Bus Driver
Kathy Jensen ...
Store Clerk
Taryn Knowles ...
...
Hank
...
Monash Deputy
J.J. McColl ...
Real Estate Agent
Gordon May ...
Criminologist #1
...
Deputy #3 (as Gardinar Millar)
Edit

Storyline

The night he retires as a Nevada sheriff, Jerry Black pledges to the mother of a murdered girl that he will find the killer. Jerry doesn't believe the police arrested the right man; he discovers this is the third incident in the area in the recent past with victims young, blond, pretty, and small for their age. So he buys an old gas station in the mountains near the crimes in order to search for a tall man who drives a black station wagon, gives toy porcupines as gifts, and calls himself the wizard: clues from a drawing by the dead girl. Jerry's solitary life gives way to friendship with a woman and her small, blond daughter. Has Jerry neglected something that may prove fatal? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

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


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

19 January 2001 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Asesino oculto  »

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£142,100 (UK) (12 October 2001)

Gross:

£732,861 (UK) (9 November 2001)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is an adaptation of a Friedrich Dürrenmatt novel that was based on a story he wrote for the 1958 German movie It Happened in Broad Daylight (which had a slightly different, not as dark ending). In that movie the murderer was played by Gert Fröbe who would six years later play Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond movie Goldfinger. See more »

Goofs

When Jerry is driving through the fences in the field, the window trim is damaged and the side mirror is turned inwards. However in the last scene but one, the car loses all its battle damage and the mirror is again straight. Not only that, but the big "cowcatcher" also disappears and the sunroof which previously was closed, is now open. As Jerry comes to a halt at the church, everything is as it should be. See more »

Quotes

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

Crazy Credits

In memory of our Brothers In Arms Michael D. Haller and Jack Nitzsche See more »

Connections

Referenced in Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) See more »

Soundtracks

"Slowdown"
Written by Ben Green
Performed by Flywheel
Courtesy of Rita Records Ltd.
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Jack Nicholson in a tormenting, riveting performance. ***1/2 out of four)

THE PLEDGE / (2001) ***1/2 (out of four)

By Blake French:

Don't go to "The Pledge" expecting it to be a suspense thriller with a lot of fast-paced action and the tension peak high. By the misleading trailer and TV ads, I was personally expecting the above. "The Pledge," directed by the underrated actor and producer Sean Penn, is more of an unraveling drama than a genuine nail-biter. The film is a lot more than a conventional, run of the mill chiller. It vividly describes the process in which a person goes through before he reaches the state of insanity. The movie is most outwardly about obsession and commitment, more subtly about loneliness and depravity. This is one the most unusually absorbing movies of the new year.

Sean Penn is often overlooked as a Hollywood figure. He is an actor more often then he is a director (his most memorable directing feature was "The Crossing Guard"), but his work quite variegated. In 1998, Penn Portrayed a Sergeant in Terrence Malick's acclaimed war drama "The Thin Red Line," and a drug addicted Hollywood casting agent in "Hurlyburly." In 1997, he portrayed Michael Douglas' estranged brother in David Fincher's mystery thriller "The Game," and a down-on-his-luck drifter in Oliver Stone's gritty film noir "U-Turn." He delivered his most powerful performance in 1995 as a man on death row in "Dead Man Walking." Now, with "The Pledge" he is harrowing and intense, even though the script is often slow moving and monotonous. The stark edge and superior direction give the movie an authentic feel and emotional vigor. Sean Penn once again proves himself to be an excellent filmmaker especially behind the screen.

The enormously talented, Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson stars as the retiring Reno homicide detective Jerry Black. Jerry is a superb investigator, and when he examines his final case, the sexual assault and murder of an eight-year-old girl, he promises the victim's mother he will find the individual in charge of the atrocity. Police quickly bring in a mentally handicapped American Indian (Benicio Del Toro), who was found fleeing the crime scene and previously served time for rape and various other crimes. It appears that the officers found the man responsible, and when he confesses to the crime and kills himself, the other officers, including Jerry's friend, Stan (Aaron Eckhart), and their boss (Sam Shepard), consider this an open-shut case. Jerry has a gut-feeling this person is not who they are looking for, however.

The remainder of the movie is not about a police investigation, but more about Jerry Black's reaction to the events that have taken place. His obsession with catching the killer eventually leads to him going crazy, after he betrays his new friends, a single mother (Robin Wright Penn), and her young daughter. I personally desired more material involving the investigation instead of the development of the relationship between him and Robin Wright Penn's character, but that is not what the movie intended for us to watch. Regardless, the story arguably begins at its strongest point, and gradually losses much momentum as the mystery is not fully explored, and certain elements feel setup but are not paid off.

Some of the production's technical areas are also very astonishing, like the original music by Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer, and the cinematography by Chris Menges. Such ambient factors make for a sleepy and tranquil mood similar to the one in "Fargo." This film's soundtrack contains enthralling, refreshing, and captivating instrumental tones. Jack Nicholson is tormenting, riveting. He is the central of the movie, and it doesn't pretends otherwise. His performance provides energy for the story.

"The Pledge" is the type of movie that leaves us pondering about the opportunities passed by and the chances missed by the characters, the ironic coincidences, and the perplexing twists. The ending leaves us with more questions than answers, but that factor contributes greatly to the emotional impact the film has. "The Pledge" could have been more than it is, but considering the temptations the screenwriters overcame, it is more than what most of us would expect.


51 of 70 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
The Ending... bdhendri
the interrogation with the indian guy? never_finding_land
Who Was Oliver? velvetwynter_2
Didn't make sense to me aorourke55
The killer was in FIVE SCENES--- aaatjn
Question about the car accident/ending Mc_chives
Discuss The Pledge (2001) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?