Rating: 
Summary: Difficult, painful and hard to forget
Review: One of 2001's most underappreciated films, The Pledge is a very unforgiving and dark examination of the consequences of promises that cannot be kept. The brutal murder of children is a chilling and horrendous subject matter but Sean Penn directs the film with great restraint and intelligence. We hear about the crimes and occasionally see some grisly photos (reason enough for the film to receive an "R" rating in Australia) but no actual violence is shown. The result is horrific enough to make most of the film especially uncomfortable but gripping viewing.
Rather than being a straightforward mystery thriller (there are moments of intense and gutwrenching suspense, particularly the scene where Nicholson is racing to the church, you'll know when you see it), this is a bleak but rewarding character study of an obsession that goes too far. Sean Penn's last two films were about redemption, this one goes in an opposite direction resulting in an ending that has divided many people. I actually loved it as it stays and stays with you long after the film has finished. It's cinematically unsatisfying and frustratingly ambiguous but it didnt stop bothering me. A more conventional, audience friendly ending would have lent the film a great disservice since the screenplay is so well written and main characters so well established with their moral dilemnas, especially Jack Nicholson's Jerry Black, one of the more complex and compelling characters that he has ever played. Nicholson's performance greatly compliments Penn's direction; its his least showy, least hammy and best acting performance ever. He seems utterly convincing as a retired cop possibly descending into insanity.
The Pledge also benefits greatly from one of Hans Zimmer's (along with Klaus Badelt)most haunting soundtracks, perfectly establishing the mood of beauty and danger in the Nevada settings. Not only is Sean Penn a great actor but after this film, he could well go onto becoming a formidable filmaker. The Pledge is a brave film that deserves a better audience than it has received and proof that not all really good films need to have cut and paste characters, a predictable plot and neat, tidy ending.
Rating: 
Summary: 4+ stars -- Gripping, sad, real
Review: Nicholson is at his best in this gloomy but superb depiction of an aging/retiring police officer who cannot escape the promise he made to the parents of a brutally murdered little girl. Unwilling to leave the job to the slipshod young upstarts looking to move the crime to the "solved" list, Jerry antagonizes his former colleagues as he continues to investigate the crime post-retirement, despite the apparent confession and suicide of a retarded Native American. His obsession combines with his relationship with a battered single mother and her young daughter, and his resulting lapses in judgment lead to near tragedy for all, true tragedy for Jerry. Nicholson avoids the "over the top" stuff he is well-known (and loved) for, delivering a Jerry Black who is simultaneously depressed, hopeful, obsessed, and loving, all at a time most men hope will be their "golden years." The juxtaposition of the splendorous, pristine Sierras in the background and the seedy, violent "civilization" Jerry moves through make for a sincere and accurate depiction of much of the modern American West. The performances are uniformly excellent, right down to the young boy who discovers the murdered girl in the opening scene. The final scene is so thought-provoking as to make the viewer question whether the "resolution" is real or merely Jerry's attempt to rationalize what went "wrong." I can't stop thinking about this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: What happened?
Review: If you want to watch a film that's fairly decent all the way until the end, this is a good choice.
At the end I felt like I'd wasted the entire time I'd spent watching it, which, obviously, isn't a good impression to have lingering at the end of watching a movie.
I highly recommend renting this one first, I can't possibily imagine seeing this one twice.
Rating:
Summary: Unpredictable thriller, beautifully realized
Review: The ending of this movie, of which we see glimpses in the beginning, is an example of the sort of cosmic irony that some world-renown writers apply to human affairs. It is not the sort of thing usually seen in a movie of course, since the mass mind at which most movies are directed will find it dissatisfying, even irritating.
The world-renowned author responsible for the ending of this tale of a retired cop on the trail of a serial killer of blond little girls in red dresses is none other than Swiss novelist and playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt who wrote the novel from which the screen play was adapted.
The "pledge" in the title is that of just-retiring Reno, Nevada cop Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) who is not convinced that a confession by a mentally-disturbed Native American, played convincingly by Benicio Del Toro, is genuine. Jerry Black gives his word to the mother of the murdered little girl that he will find the killer. However, he is no longer on the force and gets only intermittent help from his colleagues who think he has gone a little daffy. Nicholson, as usual, totally becomes the character he is playing and gives an outstanding performance. He is assisted by Aaron Eckhart who plays the detective who got the "confession," and by Robin Wright Penn who plays Lori, the mother of another little girl.
The direction by Sean Penn is uncluttered, focused and visually astute. For example, note the way the little girl playing in the swings between the highway and the gas station affects our expectation of what is to come. Penn also captures well the high country atmosphere around Reno, Nevada and attendant lifestyles, and for the most part keeps his auteur ambitions secondary to the telling of the story. The script by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski is artistically true with crisp, direct dialogue and a fine dramatic structure. The film is also nicely cut so that everything is clear without any belaboring of the obvious. Some of the set scenes as Jerry Black interviews the grandmother of the slain little girl (Vanessa Redgrave in a cameo) and then a psychiatrist (..., who is just perfect in her experienced skepticism) are very well done. Most importantly though, Penn did not give in to those who would demand a commercial ending over an artistic one. And for this he paid the price, since this film was not well-received by the mass audience.
Of course it is impossible to discuss the ending without giving away too much, but I think we can safely say that in real life sometimes chance and fate (if you will) step in and change things dramatically which makes us see our limitations and realize that some of what happens to us is beyond our control. I think that is what happened to Jerry Black and Lori; yet notice, too, that it is integral to Jerry Black's character and all that he has been all his life for him to make the insensitive mistake that he does.
Incidentally the ending can be fixed in a sequel... Well, that is not likely to happen since this was NOT a box office success. Only box office successes get to be sequels--which somehow (bizarrely) reminds me of the line from the old Charlie the Tuna TV commercial: "Only good-tasting tunas get to be Starkist."
For those who are wondering who really did kill the little girls, I will give you a hint: he got his just deserts in a symbolically appropriate manner.
Bottom line: a fine artistic achievement, an excellent diversion, and a treat for those who are fed up with films that play out in a tiresome, predictable manner.
Rating:
Summary: Not A Happy Movie
Review: This is not your typical Jack Nickolson flick; you will NOT laugh....you might cry, but there is nothing comical about this movie. Nickolson's performance is awesome as well as intense, and Sean Penn did a great job directing. It's a bit slow-paced throughout the film, but it will most likely keep you in your seat. The story takes place in the mountains near Reno Nevada; a lttle girl is found in the woods brutally murdered which causes Nicholson to post-pone his retirement. Nicholson is forced to notify the parents, and swears by his soul's salvation on a cross made by there murdered daughter that he would find the killer. Now that's a very serious promise! Whether your a Christian or not, to make such a promise is a very dangerous thing! So anyway, Nicholson becomes obssesed with trying to find this little girls killer. A lot of people might not like the ending (and rightly so) but I found it to be brilliant and deeply moving. Definitely worth checking out!
Rating: 
Summary: Absorbing and Odd
Review: Most movies that I think are "good" stay with me for a few days afterward. Many really good ones stay with me for far longer than that (I am still brooding about 21 Grams...). I think I am canny enough to recognize the flaws in this movie, but, despite any flaw, I am still thinking about this film...What would lead Jerry Black to do such a monstrous thing as bait a trap with a child he loves? Obsession, maybe. Madness impending. Desperation to stop a monster in its tracks? Whatever: It's killin me. I have small children. Since starting my family I have steered pretty clear of movies involving child-centered violence or violation, but the lure of Penn and Nicholson got the better of me. I sat folding laundry as I watched this movie late at night, and I wept copiously through at least three scenes (thanks, Vanessa Redgrave and Patricia Clarkson). I could not stop. The premise is monstrous and the actors absolutely and precisely execute grief and pain. The ending is elliptical, but that's the point. This movie is very good. It'll gnaw at you.
Rating:
Summary: LET'S FACE IT!!!
Review: Most of the reviewers of this film have hit the nail on the head. The script simply is not believable. Everything else is there: the usual impeccable performance by Jack Nicholson, the supporting cast up to par, and Penn grows as a director, perhaps not quite relaxed or self-confident enough to let things flow once in a while, instead of holding such tight reins over each moment of the film. One assumes he will eventually become one of our country's great directors. OK. As the film moves forward, it becomes more and more unbelievable. And at its end, the viewer cannot be sure whether the main character has gone insane or is simply very, very drunk. This great drunkenness, by the way, has never before been revealed in the film. Nicholson's character has been sober throughout. We are informed of this problem by another character near the film's ending. While truth stretches truth, one only hopes that these wonderful performers will better themselves with more honest, quality scripts in future. The movie is worth it for the performances, I suppose. But five thumbs down on the story!
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