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Movies / On DVD / 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

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; UK 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

Click to read the article

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

Empire Magazine

N/R

Derek Adams

Click to read the article

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

Time Out

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]

tomato
4/5

Matthew Turner

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 30 2002 08:30 AM

ViewLondon

tomato
3.5/4

Ian Waldron-Mantgani

While some developments are generally predictable, the movie ends up taking us on a thematic journey that is unexpected and shattering.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 17 2002 08:16 AM

UK Critic

N/R

Rich Cline

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 10 2001 06:35 PM

Shadows on the Wall

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 30 2001 06:39 PM

Guardian [UK]

splat
3/5

Nev Pierce

As enthralling as it sometimes is, there isn't any point to the relentless grimness.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 12 2001 03:06 PM

BBC

tomato

Richard Kelly

An elegant rejoinder to a tired genre, a consummate work of screen adaptation, and further evidence that there is precious little Sean Penn can't achieve on film, whether before or behind the lens.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 04 2001 03:00 PM

Sight and Sound

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
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

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

Eugene Novikov

Click to read the article

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

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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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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