Dir: Sean Penn
Starring
Jack Nicholson
Robin Wright
Aaron Eckhart
Benicio Del Toro
2001
R, 124 m
RATING: 8 out of 10
Nicholson stars as detecive Jerry Black, recently retired, who decides to leave his retirement party to go and help investigate an 8 year old girl's murder. He is cofronted by the parents, whom he pledges to find the killer for.
The Pledge may have the earmarks of a thriller, but director Sean Penn's subtle and intelligent handling of the material elevates this into a thought-provoking, considerate character study. Not only does Penn provide a crime thriller in the revelation of clues as to who the real murderer might be, he also focuses on Nicholson's character and his illusion that he is indeed moving on with his life after retirement, even though he is simply deluding himself and becoming increasingly desperate to find the killer.
Jack Nicholson's nuanced performance is right on target, and the veteran actor tackles the role with the subtetly and grace he usually never gets to exhibit due to his mostly over-the-top roles. His quiet demeanor, tired pale and relentless prodding into the case truly give a sense of tragedy to Black's dogged persistence and inability to deal with a life of retirement, where he has been so used to always being active and busy with his work. Robin Wright provides good work as the mother who becomes attatched to Jerry but doesn't know what he has mixed intentions for their relationship.
It's unsual for a Hollywood studio to produce a movie that moves confidently slow and offers a tragic, decidedly downbeat ending. Jack Nicholson is at his understated best and director Sean Penn delivers a slow, thoughtful, and meticulously well-crafted character study.
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