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:

Girl | Pledge | Police | Porcupine | Search

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:

Although the film is set in Reno, Nevada, none of the other place names in the film (such as Becker and Monash Counties) exist in Nevada.

Goofs:

Continuity: As Jerry drives his SUV through the field and fences to the church, the brush guards on the front of the vehicle disappear and reappear.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

Soundtrack:

Poor Twisted Me

Fabulous - didn't want it to end!

Sean Penn proves himself a first-rate director who gets moving, deep performances out of all his actors. And what a supporting cast - in addition to Nicholson (at his most subtle, something he doesn't always do), there's Harry Dean Stanton, Benecio Del Toro, Tom Noonan, Vanessa Redgrave, Robin Wright Penn, the list goes on and on with the best charactor actors around. Del Toro does something completely different once again. The story is very moving and almost at the level of a Greek tragedy. Beautifully shot and edited with good use of score. The best drama I've seen in quite a while.