The Pledge (2001)

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

Director:

Sean Penn

Writers:

Friedrich Dürrenmatt (book), Jerzy Kromolowski (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Patricia Clarkson	...	Margaret Larsen
Beau Daniels	...	Rudy
Benicio Del Toro	...	Toby Jay Wadenah
Dale Dickey	...	Strom
Wendy Donaldson	...	Resort Owner (as Wendy Morrow Donaldson)
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)

Storyline

On the night he retires as a Reno, Nevada detective, Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) 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 that this is the third incident in the area in the recent past with victims young, blonde, pretty, and small for their ages. 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", all clues from a drawing by the dead girl. Jerry's solitary life gives way to friendship with a woman and her small, blonde daughter. Has Jerry neglected something that may prove to be fatal?

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Plot Keywords:

police | retired policeman | serial killer | private investigation | paranoia | 

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Taglines:

He may have retired, but he's still catching the killer

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Nicholson's secretary in the movie, Jean, was played by Sean Penn's mother, Eileen Ryan.

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Goofs

We see Jerry cooking fish and he has his hand dirty with flour. In the next shot when he goes to answer the door, his hand is clean.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

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Soundtracks

If It's Love
(uncredited)
Written by Scott Nickoley and Jamie Dunlap

User Reviews

Unexpected

Having seen "The Pledge" without knowing much about it, I got something other than what I bargained for. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

If you're looking for a good whodunit, avoid this movie. If you're looking for a fast-paced thriller, avoid this movie. But if you're into seeing an intense character study bolstered by impressive acting and clever directing (kudos, Sean Penn), you've come to the right place.

I read one IMDB review calling this film Nicholson's worst ever. This is not true -- that reviewer obviously never saw "Man Trouble" -- but I can see why some folks really don't like this movie. It doesn't deliver what you'd expect, and what it does deliver is neither conventional nor uplifting. In fact, it's pretty depressing. But if you ponder the story afterward, you realize there's a certain dark justice at work here. Like, blacklight dark.

So then, "The Pledge" is not a light and frothy piece, but if you're the type who thinks watching some poor b**tard's descent into madness is entertainment, have at it.

Details

Official Sites:

WarnerBros.com

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Pledge

Filming Locations:

14 Lytton-Lillooet Hwy, Lytton, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,765,347, 21 January 2001

Gross USA:

$19,733,089

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,419,291

Company Credits

Production Co:

Morgan Creek Entertainment, Franchise Pictures, Clyde Is Hungry Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1