Amazon.com

Sean Penn wrote and directed this character-driven drama about a divorced couple (Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston) whose relationship never recovered following the death of their daughter at the hands of a drunk driver (David Morse). When the latter's character, a deeply regretful and changed man, gets out of jail, Nicholson, as the vengeful dad, decides to go after him. As a director, Penn is not so good with fluid storytelling and camera clichés, but he is amazing as an actor's director. The onscreen reteaming of former real-life lovers Nicholson and Huston is more than just a voyeuristic exercise: Penn ingeniously uses the duo's palpable friction to bring an often horrifying reality to the pain of a dead relationship. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (27)

2 OF THE BEST PERFORMANCES OF THE DECADE
Jack Nicholson gives his best performance since "One Flew Over the Cuckoos's Nest" as a depressed, revenge driven father and Daid Morse holds his own as guilt ridden man who accidetally killed Nicholson's daughter 6 years ago. This film, expertley directed by Sean Penn, is an excellant example of 2 of the greatest actors of our time at their best!

I like Penns style...
Having seen The Pledge first, I think I may like the Crossing Guard even more. I never even heard of this movie till I was rummaging through a rental store. Being that I see a "Jack" movie regardless, I took this one for a spin. I found it gripping, unusual, and even moving. I like how Penn uses "everyday" people to really create a sense of "reality". Everyone in this movie isn't pretty and so forth. So far Wolf is the only Jack movie I haven't liked and with a career spanning this many YEARS that's not a bad feat. Also, "Morse" turns in an incredible performance. The Crossing Guard once again proves, a lack of box office success means very little, this is a VERY good movie.

How low can you sink in the movie industry
This movie is a pure example of something that presumably only was made because someone wanted to earn some bucks. An extremely silly story, the actors spend most of their time unauthentically crying, sobbing, and sniffing. A useless plot. I wonder why such a professional team of actors submits to such a stupid project. On a scale of 1 to 5 the movie deserves a 0.

Just life
I say Just life to this movie on my review title, well because that is what it is. I have not any Idea why some reviewers were so harsh on S. Penn. Perhaps a little hostility going on with them.
This was more then just a Drama, it showed that the very wrong choices people make, that there is always a consequence for those actions. So I find it sad that these viewers have so much time on their hands to attack S. Penn, instead of comprehending his theory in this LIFE TYPE movie. S. Penn may have just been stating compassion from both points of view. How about that reviewers Compassion! !

Good acting - saddled with a ponderous script
The power of film as a medium lies in its ability to connect with the audience on a visceral, emotional level. A good film brings us into the story emotioanlly, and leaves us to ponder the inponderables long after the final credits have scrolled by. If the film-maker insists on dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's on a thinking, intelletucal level, we wind up never being able to suspend our disbelief and much of the power of the medium is lost.

Sean Penn is a great actor. But as a writer/director, he does not know how to extract his own personality from his work. The description of a previous reviwer - "self-indulgent" is quite apt in this case. The entire film, from the aviator glasses, the close-ups of the twirling cigarettes, the inexplicable bar-room brawls, to the wordy and wildly implausible dialogue, is smothered with Penn's heavy-handed imprints.

It's a story of redemption through forgiveness - one man must learn to forgive himself while another must learn to forgive others - and it's a worthy morality tale. But the emphasis is definitely on the morality at the expense of the tale, and as a result our main characters, all supposedly working class stiffs, are saddled with ponderous lines that constantly threaten to collapse under their own weight. (A typical excerpt - Woman: All this guilt of yours is too much competition for me. Let me know when you want life. A few scenes later the man staggers into the woman's house, collapses on the floor, and asks: "What is guilt? Define guilt." It has to be seen to be believed.) And if that's not enough, the director made sure voice-over commentaries are ever available in the form of song lyrics (sometimes actually sung by characters in the film), even to the point of having a couple of random passengers on a bus, completely unrelated to the story line, carry on a conversation about contentment with material standards of life in the movie's climatic chase scene.

Note to Sean: You still have a long career ahead of you. No need to make all your points at once. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sean Penn announced his retirement from acting, then wrote and directed this emotionally raw, somewhat sprawling film, suggested by Bruce Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman." David Morse is the title character, an upstanding citizen and peace officer who tries to help his troubled--and troublesome--brother (Viggo Mortensen), recently returned from Vietnam. The brother and his girlfriend (Patricia Arquette) have bad news written all over them--but Morse does what he can to be protector, to no avail. Penn, whose model was John Cassavetes, favors long scenes that draw intense emotions from his cast, which includes Charles Bronson (in an unusually low-key role), Sandy Dennis, and Valeria Golino. But it's as depressing as Springsteen's song. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Viggo Mortensen steals the show!
The Indian Runner is a touching picture about two brothers on different ends of the spectrum. David Morse plays Joe Roberts, the familyman cop with a conscience. Viggo Mortensen (Lord of the Rings - Aragorn) plays Frankie Roberts, the wild badboy brother who can't (and doesn't really want to) stay out of trouble. I rented this movie because I'm a fan of Mortensen and honestly thought he looked hot from pictures I saw from The Indian Runner. His chisseled features alone are enough to steal every scene he's in, but add that to his outstanding acting and your hooked! The one downside to this movie is the unexpected nudity. In one scene it's Viggo, which wasn't so bad. But in another scene they show his wife giving birth to their child, which was shocking and gruesome. Definatly something I didn't want to see! But, overall, this movie is excellent with outstanding actors.

Honest, Spare, Moving, Beautiful Work
This is a GREAT film. Period. Emotionally raw and pyschologically intense, "Indian Runner" is a spare but moving tale of family ties and self-destruction. Viggo Mortensen is, at the same time, blistering and heartbreaking in his role as the damaged yet lovable younger brother destined for tradegy.
His performance is unforgetteable....but O'Brother Where Art Thou today, Viggo??? How is this guy not commanding top roles?
Sean Penn proves incredibly effective in his directorial debut. I put "Indian Runner" in the same class as one of Sean Penn's early acting tour-de-force's, "At Close Range." Both of these movies are critically acclaimed yet generally overlooked cinematic GEMS. If you enjoy character-driven films without Hollwood glitz and glamour, if you are drawn to authentic existential journeys, this one of the best films you've never seen. Viggo, Viggo, Viggo

muddled......
When I saw this DVD I thought it might be good with Penn directing and the cast, but now I can see why I do not recall seeing its trailer at a theatre or on my tv screen....
The dialogue is badly muddled some of the time.....e.g. when Frank and Joe are alone on the porch of their old farm and running around in the corn field......Another instance is when Joe goes to the bar to see why Frank is not at home where his child is being born.
There is also a tendency to leave things hanging.....
I found it a waste of some talented actors e.g. Bronson, Hopper, Denis and others, but admit that it is probably the best thing that Morse has ever done on the big screen...normally he walks thru his roles like a zombie.
I found Mortensen's character, Frank, to be sad and compelling, but the others were fleeting in time and depth.
Finally, are we to believe that after Frank beats the bartender to death, that his brother, a dedicated police officer, just sighs and tells us that he never saw him again? He is of course not aware of the other things he has done before he hit town but this is a problem that does not deserve a slap on the wrist and a sad farewell, no matter if he is his brother or not.
That was the final straw for me.

Promising directorial debut
Sean Penn in his opera prima as director was very succesful. He developed an interesting approach about two brothers in a small village.
This movie has a strong influence mythical; two brothers work out as the alpha and omega. The atmosphere is loaded with reflexive issues.
I saw this film in 1992 and I suspected that this one would be a cult movie and for selected audiences.
Penn made an artistic work with very well depicted characters supprted with a solid script,filled with sugestive visual methapors.
Vigo Mortenesen revealed himself with this film as a young promise ; Denis Hooper as always, shows his actoral skills once more in a very brief appearance.
Watch this one. A rewarding film.

Comments on the review of Indian Runner
Although I rated it with three stars (mostly from the reviews I've read), I haven't actually seen this whole film yet (just bits), and came to Amazon to look at reviews because they're done by REAL people instead of the ones in my local paper who always like the movies I hate and hate the movies I like.

With the exception of Steve Keohane, all of the comments struck me as being very thoughtful - and very thought provoking. (Sorry, Steve, but you just came off sounding like some of the people from a film class I had in college who rated EVERYTHING as "a waste of film" simply because they had thought that the class would be going to a movie theater to see current flicks and were disappointed to discover that we were watching old movies in the gym....nothing against you as a person....*grin*)

Although I initially was thinking about seeing this one in its entirety just because there was a rumor that Viggo Mortensen gets nekkid, I'll now be watching it to see if I agree that Sean Penn is a great director in the making... ... Read more

Reviews (177)

not for dolts
Anyone expecting to find a formulaic cops-chase-killers movie should immediately move on to the latest Hollywood idiot fodder flick. "The Pledge" is intelligent, thought-provoking, well-directed, well-acted, and a feast for the senses.
I know many people who felt let down by this film, possibly because they expected the usual chase and hero's triumph at the end, which does not happen here. I found myself to be curious and somehow astonished by the end, and anxious to see it again.
Jack Nicholson gives one of his best latter-day performances here, and touches on areas which are not normally "Jack". By the end of the film, he is stunned and totally confused; knowing he was somehow right, though strange twists of fate conspire against him. It's almost Hitchcock territory; the man wrongly accused, or the man who knows all the facts, and yet no one believes him.
Sean Penn is no clown director; he's not making mass-market cheap thrill flicks here. He lets the story develop with a total absence of Hollywood cliches and setups. By the end, though most people will feel somehow cheated out of a visceral release, I feel viewers with an open mind who don't expect their movies to be served up like fast-food will be quite pleased. It's one of those movies you can talk about all night long.

Rudolf Van Den Berg's Original 1994 Film is Vastly Superior
The 1994 original movie "The Cold Light of Day" is significantly better than Sean Penn's interpretation. I knew "The Pledge" was a bomb when a couple of viewers in different parts of the theater remarked on how lousy it was. The film left the Houston area about one week later headed for box office oblivion. Sean Penn made a horrible mistake in in keeping secret the identity of the sex deviate. This was frustrating to say the least and made the rest of the film seem pointless. Jack Nicholson did a good job as the alcoholic retired detective who pledges to a mother that he will find the killer of her daughter. However, Penn has Nicholson play the role of Jerry Black in such a manner as to suggest that the police officer committed himself to the case not so much as to solve it, but because the man has nothing better to do. Nicholson's character comes across as an existentially challenged individual who needs to find a purpose to make his life worth living. The murdered girl is merely an excuse to justifying getting up in the morning.

Penn's real life wife Robin Wright Penn is very convincing as the mother who accepts the generosity of the much older retired officer. Initially she seeks only a relationship which will secure a loving home for the young girl. A sort of romance soon develops between the two adults which seems only to bewilder and overwhelm the man. Wasn't the recent Academy Award winner Benico Del Toro, you might ask, also in the movie? Del Toro merely has about a five minute part indulging in histrionic mannerisms as a mentally retarded man falsely suspected of a vile crime. Penn essentially wasted this great actor's enormous talent. The other actors do little to balance out the deficiencies of Penn's directing.

I can give "The Pledge" only two stars. Only the true fans of Jack Nicholson will find it worth viewing. The previously mentioned "The Cold Light of Day," though, is highly recommended (four stars) as a something of a hidden gem. Rudolf Van Den Berg aptly directs this virtually unknown movie in an intelligent and exciting manner. The audience actually gets to understanding the sick motivations of the child killer. Van Berg's direction is not pretentious, and he accomplishes a lot with almost certainly a smaller budget. Sean Penn should seek instruction and guidance from Van Berg before he attempts another film.

Excellent! I want to give it 10 stars
A study into the depths of madness. Jack Nicholson delivers the performance of a lifetime as an obsessed cop who will do anything to catch the killer.

Does this film move at a slower pace? Yes. But it is extremely thought provoking and the ending leaves you stunned and mesmorized.

For those that do not like movies that make you think, I'm sure you can watch the mindless, dull and unoriginal spectacle that is the Lord of the Rings instead.

Absorbing and Odd
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.

Creepy
Jack Nicholson gives a very even keeled performance, restraining his natural essence to give a somewhat schizod personality to his character. Sean Penn lets the story unfold artistically, not giving away to much so we are surprised at what happens next. It is not a happy upbeat film and seems to be mainly a character study of a retired police cop, who really has not ever had a intimate relationship with anyone and hasn't gotten close enough to make friends with anybody in his force. They know him and respect him, yet there isn't that really cool camaraderie which goes with being really important to someone. The theme revolves around child sexual abuse and homicide, not a pretty picture. Jerry, Nicholson, becomes obsessed with the case and makes a pledge to the mother that he will find the killer. Intuitively, he knows that the wrong person got nabbed. A virtuoso performance by Del Toro and Eckerson. A real creepy confession, another artful turn by the director to take us off the beaten path. Jerry pledges to find the truth out and things seem to be going good, until a turn of fate, causing the cookie to crumble, a matter of speaking, I don' want to divulge to much, the cookie is Jerry. I really liked the film and recommend it.

(...) ... Read more

Reviews (177)

not for dolts
Anyone expecting to find a formulaic cops-chase-killers movie should immediately move on to the latest Hollywood idiot fodder flick. "The Pledge" is intelligent, thought-provoking, well-directed, well-acted, and a feast for the senses.
I know many people who felt let down by this film, possibly because they expected the usual chase and hero's triumph at the end, which does not happen here. I found myself to be curious and somehow astonished by the end, and anxious to see it again.
Jack Nicholson gives one of his best latter-day performances here, and touches on areas which are not normally "Jack". By the end of the film, he is stunned and totally confused; knowing he was somehow right, though strange twists of fate conspire against him. It's almost Hitchcock territory; the man wrongly accused, or the man who knows all the facts, and yet no one believes him.
Sean Penn is no clown director; he's not making mass-market cheap thrill flicks here. He lets the story develop with a total absence of Hollywood cliches and setups. By the end, though most people will feel somehow cheated out of a visceral release, I feel viewers with an open mind who don't expect their movies to be served up like fast-food will be quite pleased. It's one of those movies you can talk about all night long.

Rudolf Van Den Berg's Original 1994 Film is Vastly Superior
The 1994 original movie "The Cold Light of Day" is significantly better than Sean Penn's interpretation. I knew "The Pledge" was a bomb when a couple of viewers in different parts of the theater remarked on how lousy it was. The film left the Houston area about one week later headed for box office oblivion. Sean Penn made a horrible mistake in in keeping secret the identity of the sex deviate. This was frustrating to say the least and made the rest of the film seem pointless. Jack Nicholson did a good job as the alcoholic retired detective who pledges to a mother that he will find the killer of her daughter. However, Penn has Nicholson play the role of Jerry Black in such a manner as to suggest that the police officer committed himself to the case not so much as to solve it, but because the man has nothing better to do. Nicholson's character comes across as an existentially challenged individual who needs to find a purpose to make his life worth living. The murdered girl is merely an excuse to justifying getting up in the morning.

Penn's real life wife Robin Wright Penn is very convincing as the mother who accepts the generosity of the much older retired officer. Initially she seeks only a relationship which will secure a loving home for the young girl. A sort of romance soon develops between the two adults which seems only to bewilder and overwhelm the man. Wasn't the recent Academy Award winner Benico Del Toro, you might ask, also in the movie? Del Toro merely has about a five minute part indulging in histrionic mannerisms as a mentally retarded man falsely suspected of a vile crime. Penn essentially wasted this great actor's enormous talent. The other actors do little to balance out the deficiencies of Penn's directing.

I can give "The Pledge" only two stars. Only the true fans of Jack Nicholson will find it worth viewing. The previously mentioned "The Cold Light of Day," though, is highly recommended (four stars) as a something of a hidden gem. Rudolf Van Den Berg aptly directs this virtually unknown movie in an intelligent and exciting manner. The audience actually gets to understanding the sick motivations of the child killer. Van Berg's direction is not pretentious, and he accomplishes a lot with almost certainly a smaller budget. Sean Penn should seek instruction and guidance from Van Berg before he attempts another film.

Excellent! I want to give it 10 stars
A study into the depths of madness. Jack Nicholson delivers the performance of a lifetime as an obsessed cop who will do anything to catch the killer.

Does this film move at a slower pace? Yes. But it is extremely thought provoking and the ending leaves you stunned and mesmorized.

For those that do not like movies that make you think, I'm sure you can watch the mindless, dull and unoriginal spectacle that is the Lord of the Rings instead.

Absorbing and Odd
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.

Creepy
Jack Nicholson gives a very even keeled performance, restraining his natural essence to give a somewhat schizod personality to his character. Sean Penn lets the story unfold artistically, not giving away to much so we are surprised at what happens next. It is not a happy upbeat film and seems to be mainly a character study of a retired police cop, who really has not ever had a intimate relationship with anyone and hasn't gotten close enough to make friends with anybody in his force. They know him and respect him, yet there isn't that really cool camaraderie which goes with being really important to someone. The theme revolves around child sexual abuse and homicide, not a pretty picture. Jerry, Nicholson, becomes obsessed with the case and makes a pledge to the mother that he will find the killer. Intuitively, he knows that the wrong person got nabbed. A virtuoso performance by Del Toro and Eckerson. A real creepy confession, another artful turn by the director to take us off the beaten path. Jerry pledges to find the truth out and things seem to be going good, until a turn of fate, causing the cookie to crumble, a matter of speaking, I don' want to divulge to much, the cookie is Jerry. I really liked the film and recommend it.

(...) ... Read more

Reviews (177)

not for dolts
Anyone expecting to find a formulaic cops-chase-killers movie should immediately move on to the latest Hollywood idiot fodder flick. "The Pledge" is intelligent, thought-provoking, well-directed, well-acted, and a feast for the senses.
I know many people who felt let down by this film, possibly because they expected the usual chase and hero's triumph at the end, which does not happen here. I found myself to be curious and somehow astonished by the end, and anxious to see it again.
Jack Nicholson gives one of his best latter-day performances here, and touches on areas which are not normally "Jack". By the end of the film, he is stunned and totally confused; knowing he was somehow right, though strange twists of fate conspire against him. It's almost Hitchcock territory; the man wrongly accused, or the man who knows all the facts, and yet no one believes him.
Sean Penn is no clown director; he's not making mass-market cheap thrill flicks here. He lets the story develop with a total absence of Hollywood cliches and setups. By the end, though most people will feel somehow cheated out of a visceral release, I feel viewers with an open mind who don't expect their movies to be served up like fast-food will be quite pleased. It's one of those movies you can talk about all night long.

Rudolf Van Den Berg's Original 1994 Film is Vastly Superior
The 1994 original movie "The Cold Light of Day" is significantly better than Sean Penn's interpretation. I knew "The Pledge" was a bomb when a couple of viewers in different parts of the theater remarked on how lousy it was. The film left the Houston area about one week later headed for box office oblivion. Sean Penn made a horrible mistake in in keeping secret the identity of the sex deviate. This was frustrating to say the least and made the rest of the film seem pointless. Jack Nicholson did a good job as the alcoholic retired detective who pledges to a mother that he will find the killer of her daughter. However, Penn has Nicholson play the role of Jerry Black in such a manner as to suggest that the police officer committed himself to the case not so much as to solve it, but because the man has nothing better to do. Nicholson's character comes across as an existentially challenged individual who needs to find a purpose to make his life worth living. The murdered girl is merely an excuse to justifying getting up in the morning.

Penn's real life wife Robin Wright Penn is very convincing as the mother who accepts the generosity of the much older retired officer. Initially she seeks only a relationship which will secure a loving home for the young girl. A sort of romance soon develops between the two adults which seems only to bewilder and overwhelm the man. Wasn't the recent Academy Award winner Benico Del Toro, you might ask, also in the movie? Del Toro merely has about a five minute part indulging in histrionic mannerisms as a mentally retarded man falsely suspected of a vile crime. Penn essentially wasted this great actor's enormous talent. The other actors do little to balance out the deficiencies of Penn's directing.

I can give "The Pledge" only two stars. Only the true fans of Jack Nicholson will find it worth viewing. The previously mentioned "The Cold Light of Day," though, is highly recommended (four stars) as a something of a hidden gem. Rudolf Van Den Berg aptly directs this virtually unknown movie in an intelligent and exciting manner. The audience actually gets to understanding the sick motivations of the child killer. Van Berg's direction is not pretentious, and he accomplishes a lot with almost certainly a smaller budget. Sean Penn should seek instruction and guidance from Van Berg before he attempts another film.

Excellent! I want to give it 10 stars
A study into the depths of madness. Jack Nicholson delivers the performance of a lifetime as an obsessed cop who will do anything to catch the killer.

Does this film move at a slower pace? Yes. But it is extremely thought provoking and the ending leaves you stunned and mesmorized.

For those that do not like movies that make you think, I'm sure you can watch the mindless, dull and unoriginal spectacle that is the Lord of the Rings instead.

Absorbing and Odd
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.

Creepy
Jack Nicholson gives a very even keeled performance, restraining his natural essence to give a somewhat schizod personality to his character. Sean Penn lets the story unfold artistically, not giving away to much so we are surprised at what happens next. It is not a happy upbeat film and seems to be mainly a character study of a retired police cop, who really has not ever had a intimate relationship with anyone and hasn't gotten close enough to make friends with anybody in his force. They know him and respect him, yet there isn't that really cool camaraderie which goes with being really important to someone. The theme revolves around child sexual abuse and homicide, not a pretty picture. Jerry, Nicholson, becomes obsessed with the case and makes a pledge to the mother that he will find the killer. Intuitively, he knows that the wrong person got nabbed. A virtuoso performance by Del Toro and Eckerson. A real creepy confession, another artful turn by the director to take us off the beaten path. Jerry pledges to find the truth out and things seem to be going good, until a turn of fate, causing the cookie to crumble, a matter of speaking, I don' want to divulge to much, the cookie is Jerry. I really liked the film and recommend it.

(...) ... Read more

Reviews (177)

not for dolts
Anyone expecting to find a formulaic cops-chase-killers movie should immediately move on to the latest Hollywood idiot fodder flick. "The Pledge" is intelligent, thought-provoking, well-directed, well-acted, and a feast for the senses.
I know many people who felt let down by this film, possibly because they expected the usual chase and hero's triumph at the end, which does not happen here. I found myself to be curious and somehow astonished by the end, and anxious to see it again.
Jack Nicholson gives one of his best latter-day performances here, and touches on areas which are not normally "Jack". By the end of the film, he is stunned and totally confused; knowing he was somehow right, though strange twists of fate conspire against him. It's almost Hitchcock territory; the man wrongly accused, or the man who knows all the facts, and yet no one believes him.
Sean Penn is no clown director; he's not making mass-market cheap thrill flicks here. He lets the story develop with a total absence of Hollywood cliches and setups. By the end, though most people will feel somehow cheated out of a visceral release, I feel viewers with an open mind who don't expect their movies to be served up like fast-food will be quite pleased. It's one of those movies you can talk about all night long.

Rudolf Van Den Berg's Original 1994 Film is Vastly Superior
The 1994 original movie "The Cold Light of Day" is significantly better than Sean Penn's interpretation. I knew "The Pledge" was a bomb when a couple of viewers in different parts of the theater remarked on how lousy it was. The film left the Houston area about one week later headed for box office oblivion. Sean Penn made a horrible mistake in in keeping secret the identity of the sex deviate. This was frustrating to say the least and made the rest of the film seem pointless. Jack Nicholson did a good job as the alcoholic retired detective who pledges to a mother that he will find the killer of her daughter. However, Penn has Nicholson play the role of Jerry Black in such a manner as to suggest that the police officer committed himself to the case not so much as to solve it, but because the man has nothing better to do. Nicholson's character comes across as an existentially challenged individual who needs to find a purpose to make his life worth living. The murdered girl is merely an excuse to justifying getting up in the morning.

Penn's real life wife Robin Wright Penn is very convincing as the mother who accepts the generosity of the much older retired officer. Initially she seeks only a relationship which will secure a loving home for the young girl. A sort of romance soon develops between the two adults which seems only to bewilder and overwhelm the man. Wasn't the recent Academy Award winner Benico Del Toro, you might ask, also in the movie? Del Toro merely has about a five minute part indulging in histrionic mannerisms as a mentally retarded man falsely suspected of a vile crime. Penn essentially wasted this great actor's enormous talent. The other actors do little to balance out the deficiencies of Penn's directing.

I can give "The Pledge" only two stars. Only the true fans of Jack Nicholson will find it worth viewing. The previously mentioned "The Cold Light of Day," though, is highly recommended (four stars) as a something of a hidden gem. Rudolf Van Den Berg aptly directs this virtually unknown movie in an intelligent and exciting manner. The audience actually gets to understanding the sick motivations of the child killer. Van Berg's direction is not pretentious, and he accomplishes a lot with almost certainly a smaller budget. Sean Penn should seek instruction and guidance from Van Berg before he attempts another film.

Excellent! I want to give it 10 stars
A study into the depths of madness. Jack Nicholson delivers the performance of a lifetime as an obsessed cop who will do anything to catch the killer.

Does this film move at a slower pace? Yes. But it is extremely thought provoking and the ending leaves you stunned and mesmorized.

For those that do not like movies that make you think, I'm sure you can watch the mindless, dull and unoriginal spectacle that is the Lord of the Rings instead.

Absorbing and Odd
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.

Creepy
Jack Nicholson gives a very even keeled performance, restraining his natural essence to give a somewhat schizod personality to his character. Sean Penn lets the story unfold artistically, not giving away to much so we are surprised at what happens next. It is not a happy upbeat film and seems to be mainly a character study of a retired police cop, who really has not ever had a intimate relationship with anyone and hasn't gotten close enough to make friends with anybody in his force. They know him and respect him, yet there isn't that really cool camaraderie which goes with being really important to someone. The theme revolves around child sexual abuse and homicide, not a pretty picture. Jerry, Nicholson, becomes obsessed with the case and makes a pledge to the mother that he will find the killer. Intuitively, he knows that the wrong person got nabbed. A virtuoso performance by Del Toro and Eckerson. A real creepy confession, another artful turn by the director to take us off the beaten path. Jerry pledges to find the truth out and things seem to be going good, until a turn of fate, causing the cookie to crumble, a matter of speaking, I don' want to divulge to much, the cookie is Jerry. I really liked the film and recommend it.

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