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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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121 - 136 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Nicholson searches deep down within himself and comes up with a character whose furrowed brow says it all.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/17/01
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

The story falls into the trap of using too many twists, red herrings and coincidences.

Full Review Source: Talking Pictures (U.S.) | comment Comment
01/17/01
Tony Toscano
Tony Toscano
Talking Pictures (U.S.)

Existential terror is just one of the many layers that give The Pledge a sheen that is sickening and yet satisfying to watch.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/17/01
Jonathan Curiel
Jonathan Curiel
Filmcritic.com

A moody, satisfyingly oblique tale that reaches a truly shattering conclusion.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
01/17/01
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Sometimes lethargic but ultimately moving and lyrical.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/17/01
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Other than re-iterating the well-known fact that 'life sucks,' I didn't really get much out of this movie.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
01/17/01
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

Jack Nicholson more than delivers the goods in his portrayal of a retired policeman thoroughly obsessed by his last murder case.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
01/09/01
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter

Absorbing dramatically and deeply committed to the acting processes of star Jack Nicholson and the raft of impressive players supporting him.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/09/01
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Penn has directed a superb film...

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A provocative morality tale, The Pledge is not only the first great motion picture of 2001, but also a film that exposes Sean Penn as being every bit as talented a director as he is an actor.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

A moody morality drama about the dire consequences of keeping a promise.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

The Pledge will cause many viewers to walk out of the theaters grumbling, since there is no traditional closure. But the way in which things turn out seems right for the material and the manner in which Penn has chosen to present it.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Though at times it threatens to meander off, Penn's movie fulfills its destiny as an alienated fable of justice and luck.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Atkinson
Michael Atkinson
Village Voice
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
rec.arts.movies.reviews
 
 
121 - 136 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
all

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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