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Movies / Upcoming / The Pledge
The Pledge

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The Pledge (2001)

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Reviews Counted:117

Fresh:90

Rotten:27

Average Rating:6.8/10

Consensus: Though its subject matter is grim and may make viewers queasy, The Pledge features an excellent, subtle performance by Jack Nicholson.

Runtime: 2 hrs 4 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $18,894,185

Synopsis: Director Sean Penn's (THE INDIAN RUNNER, THE CROSSING GUARD) third film features Jack Nicholson as Jerry Black, a retired detective whose final case ultimately causes his slow descent into madness.... Director Sean Penn's (THE INDIAN RUNNER, THE CROSSING GUARD) third film features Jack Nicholson as Jerry Black, a retired detective whose final case ultimately causes his slow descent into madness. In the midst of his retirement party, Black decides to join Detective Stan Krolak (Aaron Eckhart) on one last case. The molested body of an eight-year-old girl is found in the Nevada mountains. When the chief suspect turns out to be a mentally challenged Native American (Benicio Del Toro), Black is not convinced of his guilt despite his confession. Unable to forget the promise he made to the dead girl's mother that he would find her daughter's killer, Black becomes determined to catch a monster that no one else believes is out there. His resolve increases when he realizes that two similar unsolved murders occurred in the same area in recent years, and the case hits closer to home when Black befriends Lori (Robin Wright Penn), a waitress with a threatening ex-husband, and her eight-year old daughter, Chrissy (Pauline Roberts). Nicholson is compelling in this study of a man whose obsession slowly eats away at his sanity as he attempts to keep his promise by any means necessary. [More]

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright Penn, Patricia Clarkson, Benicio Del Toro

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright Penn, Patricia Clarkson, Benicio Del Toro, Dale Dickey, Aaron Eckhart, Costas Mandylor, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Michael O'Keefe, Pauline Roberts, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Lois Smith, Harry Dean Stanton

Director: Sean Penn

Director: Sean Penn
Screenwriter: Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski
Producer: Michael Fitzgerald, Sean Penn, Elie Samaha
Composer: Hans Zimmer, Klaus Badelt
Studio: Warner Bros.

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Pledge

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
4/5

Luke Buckmaster

...a layered and strangely touching film that prefers to ask questions rather than provide definitive answers.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 19 2001 05:56 PM

In Film Australia

N/R

Urban Cinefile Critics

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 10 2001 10:19 AM

Urban Cinefile

N/R

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 29 2009 03:16 AM

Cinema Crazed

tomato
3/5

Bob Grimm

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 07 2008 03:17 AM

Sacramento News & Review

tomato
5/5

Rob Gonsalves

Nicholson rules over The Pledge with a shaky hand, and that's the source of his power here.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 22 2007 04:40 PM

eFilmCritic.com

splat
2.5/4

Joe Lozito

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 14 2007 03:41 AM

Big Picture Big Sound

tomato
4/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 30 2006 05:03 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato
B

Emanuel Levy

After two honorable failures, helmer Sean Penn makes a quantum leap forward with an intriguing murder mystery that's also effective as a psychological character study. Nicholosn's riveting turn compensates for deliberate pacing and downbeat tone.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 08 2006 02:17 PM

EmanuelLevy.Com

N/R

Derek Adams

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2006 03:37 AM

Time Out

N/R

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 26 2006 03:16 AM

Combustible Celluloid

tomato
3/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:47 PM

Film Threat

tomato
4/5

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 06 2005 07:47 PM

Film Threat

tomato
A-

Jeffrey Overstreet

Penn shows restraint and patience, letting the actors discover moments, rhythms, and quirks that make their characters believable.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 15 2005 10:35 PM

Looking Closer

N/R

Alexander Walker

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 15 2003 05:16 PM

This is London

N/R

Christopher Tookey

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 15 2003 05:16 PM

Daily Mail [UK]

N/R

Eugene Novikov

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 22 2003 05:16 PM

Film Blather

tomato
3.5/4

Jeanne Aufmuth

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 14 2003 05:16 PM

Palo Alto Weekly

tomato
5/5

Pablo Villaca

É uma pena que nem todos tenham paciência para tentar compreender melhor Jerry Black. Tenho certeza de que, no futuro, este será lembrado como um dos personagens mais marcantes da bela carreira de Jack Nicholson.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 02 2003 07:55 PM

Cinema em Cena

tomato
4/5

Tom Grealis

Penn has moulded a patient but deeply unsettling character study, leaving the viewer with more questions than answers.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 13 2003 11:41 AM

RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

tomato
3.5/5

John R. McEwen

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 08 2003 08:30 AM

Film Quips Online

 
 
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Latest News for The Pledge

January 11, 2009: JackNicholson.org: The Jack Nicholson Pledge Interview: Breaking His Own Embargo On Letting it All Hang Out Opens in new window
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