Rating: 
Summary: Neither entertaining nor enlightening nor original
Review: This is movie is horrible, period. As my friend succintly put it after watching this disaster of a movie, "This sure seems like a lot of favors." I mean, every time I am about to watch one of the movies with Sean Penn leading or one that he directed, the question is: is it gonna rise above the 2 stars? Well, this film failed with flying colors, so to speak.Mainly it is the screenplay, but direction, casting and the ending disappoint badly. The Pledge is not one of those movies that sucks and you know it from the first 10 minutes. Instead, it draws you in with false advertising, pledging to deliver the goods eventually, but never does. The suckiness escalates throughout, as you start realizing that you just wasted another 2 hours of your time on somebody's pet project. If you like experimenting, or have already seen every other movie with Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn or Robin Wright, see this. Otherwise, pass.
Rating: 
Summary: powerful
Review: Benicio Del Toro make a riveting cameo appearance as a mentally challegenged native american in this powerful tale of murder and mystery.Robin Wright Penn is superb as usual and Jack Nicholson pulls out a spectacular performance in this thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre
Review: Although this picture is good, and an excellent performance by Jack Nicholson, the script ending was vague and unclear. The movie held my attention, however the ending was a real disappointment and let down.
Rating:
Summary: THE PLEDGE .... Don't promise HIS OATH ? Yes or no ?
Review: This movie begin strong with a almost pensioner cop who's BLACK interpreted by the best actor JACK NICHOLSON when he is at the beginning of the story, obligated to take, to hold the PLEDGE who he will capture the murderer of the litlles blonds girls commited by a giant described but he search without find this murderer ! He goes under depression in despite of its efforts to search and search again the sinful, but he can't find him because he is killed on the road by a truck just before he is ready to make and to realize THE PLEDGE WHO HE HAS HOLD the criminal is dead before the END and during WITCH his INQUEST EVOLVE ! BUT I'S TO LATE ! HE BECOME MAD AND ALMOST CREAZY ! If the story is not clear it's because we are not vigilants, the MOVIE... IS PERFECT ! SURELY and JACK NICHOLSON plaid a good tragedy !
Rating:
Summary: The Pledge is one of the best films of 2001!!!
Review: First, I'm amazed that people would give this thought-provoking film a one-star rating. Are they accustomed to Hollywood's shoot-em-up, blow-em-up tactics or what? This movie belongs in the same plain as Francis Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" and Arthur Penn's "Night Moves," both terrific psychological thrillers that wisely put story and character development ahead of action. ... It's apparent from the beginning that his retiring cop isn't all there, especially when we hear the "voices" that Nicholson hears in his head whenever he's uncomfortable or stressed. It's possible that his character had some mental problems while a detective all those years, and this latest case helped push his struggling body into the deep end. Thankfully, Nicholson doesn't do his goofy, poke-fun-at-me raised eyebrows and smile that he does in every other movie. Like Brian Cox and the late Robert Shaw, Nicholson actually disappears into the part, and you almost forget it's the same man who was in "The Shining" and "Terms of Endearment." Penn's directing is wonderfully paced, much like films from the 1970s and late 1960s. He doesn't throw everything at the audience like loud, crude movies do now. At times, you'll be able to almost hear Nicholson's character think in the long quiet scenes. It's a terrific film, a creepy film that will haunt anyone who has children. Not for the squeemish, but definitely for serious movie fans. And don't forget to check out Benicio Del Toro's appearance. A hauntingly beautiful drama.
Rating:
Summary: I suggest all cops quit, resign, retire.
Review: After seeing and musing in my mind the import of this movie I have determined primarily that Nicholson is the consummate actor. He may be a nut or a tad eccentric in real life but he's no Roman Polanski.... The reason I gave the title of my review the seven words is that cops care. Or shall I say those that don't become corrupt politicians (generally, upper echelon), felons, or suicidal/alcohol stupefied meltdowns. Most good cops consider the 'career' an honorable profession: unlike the 'jobs' that the lawyers or CEO's that comprise our rapidly imploding third-world mentality society. What I mean by this statement is, many policeman consider it an honor to throw their lives in the face of danger to persons unknown to them, regardless of status. When's the last time a lawyer did this for anyone? A judge? A CEO? I have often said that God could place an angel in uniform [in many of our large American cities today] and they would become corrupted with the continual onslaught of bile of human malice. Goodness from a policeman's perspective is rare indeed. Nicholson deals with what I just spoke of albeit on a smaller yet more intimate scale. He embarks on the very personal mission to find a killer: A promise made. What is sad to me as depicted by the movie is the price of justice. One mans horrific yet overly due death is the demise of a shining example of relentless pursuit of justice. Buy this movie, think about the unfairness of life and think about the thin blue line separating the malaise from YOU!
Rating: 
Summary: The pledge is gritty which is a good thing.
Review: This film differs from what you would normally excpect from a crime investigation film in the way that there is not alot of action and car chases etc but in my opinion that is what makes this a good film the diversity factor. You can truley empathise with Jerry Black who is at times resembling a mute in the way he doesnt say anything in the heat of the moment like the main twist at the end when his life seems to be going up after retirement but to start come crashing down again by a twist of fate. The film seems to dig up sensitive issues such as paedophillia or harming children and is a thought provoking well conducted film which is not for those excpecting action so buy this film if you really are into the more thought provoking type of film.
Rating:
Summary: A decent view for any fan of Jack
Review: I bought this film used at a record store and I have to admit that I thought I was holding a dud the whole time but I was a bit surprised and in the end I'm keeping a copy of this film! The acting is good and the story is awesome as Nicholson plays a cop retiring in 6 hours when a murder occurs and the mother of the slain child freaks him and puts a scarring memory into his head of how he must solve the murder of her dead daughter. There is a great cast in this film but the film in itself could of had a more fatness to the storyline and add a few ...let's say...5-10 extra scenes. Beleive me when I say that cause the movie ends in a blunt way and could have had a few additions here and there.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting
Review: The ending of this movie will rip your guts out. It's so much like real life it'll turn you inside out and leave you screaming. I've recommended this movie to several people, and never did I get a nuetral reaction. This can be a tough movie to swallow, but if you hang with it you'll reap the rewards. Powerful performance by Jack, playing a man losing everything close to him but trying to hang on to the one thing that gave his life meaning. His acting here is much more affecting than "As Good As It Gets."
Rating:
Summary: What a Film!!
Review: Not since Dolores Clairborne, did a film manage to totally captivate me like The Pledge did. It is a totally engrossing film that will take you on a dark journey of the soul, the soul of one retired detective seeking justice he believes was not served , and at the same time battling his inner demons of loneliness and obsessions.
What makes great actors? actors whose speech or expressions will stay with the viewer for a long time? It is their ability to totally be the character without visible effort or 'acting', and at the same time, pulling the viewers with them into the world they have created.
Jack Nicholson is one such actor..How many of us still remember that manic face with these immortal words 'Here's Johnny' in The Shinning? or the hard military man under interrogation in A Few Good Men, or the eccentric and sad world of Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets, I think many..
In the Pledge, Nicholson manages it again, offering a very powerful performance worthy of any award..His anguish, loneliness, obsession to find the 'killer' while at the same time trying very hard to cope with his retirement and finding his peace of mind, these elements are interwined and part and parcel of the person he has become, and the failure of any will fail the other, and hence his final deterioration.
Although the film is about the killer/killing, and some of the crime scenes are very harrowing, (I am surprised how they passed the censor's normally twitchy fingers), it becomes more of a character psychological study of a man on the verge of collapse..We enter inside Nicholson's mind, and we see his suspicions and increasing tortured soul, and we too become uncertain as to the identity of the killer..can it be the one that the police initially caught and who killed himself at the station (an excellent Del Toro), or another man like Nicholson strongly believes? It does not matter at the end.
It is not about catching the killer anymore, and more about the failure of an old frustrated cop to seek his personal redemption.
The mood is slow, but never boring, rather reflecting perfectly the mood of a retired but gradually obsessed Nicholson.
Like Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn proves that he is an excellent director, doing a wonderful job behind the camera, and not only he is an actor's director, but quite visual too, as the cinematography is top class,and the scenery breathtaking (Penn allows time to linger on it inan almost meditative eye).
The score is haunting and complements the scenes perfectly.
And the amount of top actors in small supporting roles is very interesting and adds a lot of weight to the film: Del Toro, Mikey Rourke (in a very short but well acted scene)Vanessa Redgrave, Harry Dean Stanton and Helen Mirren, whose character as a psychologist offers the viewer the first hint of Nicholson's tortured existence in a very memorable scene.
The Pledge is therefore an excellent underrated film that is a feast to the eyes and most importantly to the soul, to be added the collection of every 'cinema' lover.
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