Morgan BellREVIEW: The Pledge
March 29th 2008 17:05
Directed: Sean Penn (The Crossing Guard, The Indian Runner)
Written: Jerzy & Mary Olson Kromolowski (from the novel by Friedrich Durrenmatt)
Starring: Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt, A Few Good Men, The Witches of Eastwick), Robin Wright-Penn (Empire Falls, Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride), Benicio Del Toro (Traffic), Helen Mirren (The Queen, Gosford Park), Vanessa Redgrave (Girl Interrupted, Mrs Dalloway), Mickey Rourke (Sin City)
The Pledge is a film about the ethical dilemmas facing a police officer who promises the mother of a murdered girl that he will not rest until he finds the killer. The little girl is killed on the eve of Jerry's (Nicholson) retirement party and he continues to pursue the case unofficially in his retirement. A suspect is apprehended and the case closed but Jerry cannot move on. Jerry becomes obsessed with tracking down the truth of who the real child-killer is through clues from one of the little girls artworks and believes he has discovered a serial killer when it turns out there were disappearances of similar looking girls in nearby counties. He begins dating and eventually living with a woman (Wright-Penn) who has a similar looking daughter to the original victim, and then he starts allowing the daughter to be used as bait without the mothers knowledge. Jerry must decide whether it is right to endanger the life of a young girl who now considers him as a father figure. This is a thought-provoking film with a lot of tension and controversy. The Pledge asks the age old question of whether the ends justifies the means and we are left contemplating if Jerry is really in control of the situation, or even his own mind. It is hard to tell at times whether his motivation is to catch the killer or to simply know the truth or know that he was right to continue to pursue the case. This is about as slow-paced and arty as you would expect an independent film to be but Nicholson is superb and determined in this Captain Ahab style role and the ending is powerful. Strong performances from all supporting cast. If you enjoyed Capote you will not want to miss this film.
Written: Jerzy & Mary Olson Kromolowski (from the novel by Friedrich Durrenmatt)
Starring: Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt, A Few Good Men, The Witches of Eastwick), Robin Wright-Penn (Empire Falls, Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride), Benicio Del Toro (Traffic), Helen Mirren (The Queen, Gosford Park), Vanessa Redgrave (Girl Interrupted, Mrs Dalloway), Mickey Rourke (Sin City)
The Pledge is a film about the ethical dilemmas facing a police officer who promises the mother of a murdered girl that he will not rest until he finds the killer. The little girl is killed on the eve of Jerry's (Nicholson) retirement party and he continues to pursue the case unofficially in his retirement. A suspect is apprehended and the case closed but Jerry cannot move on. Jerry becomes obsessed with tracking down the truth of who the real child-killer is through clues from one of the little girls artworks and believes he has discovered a serial killer when it turns out there were disappearances of similar looking girls in nearby counties. He begins dating and eventually living with a woman (Wright-Penn) who has a similar looking daughter to the original victim, and then he starts allowing the daughter to be used as bait without the mothers knowledge. Jerry must decide whether it is right to endanger the life of a young girl who now considers him as a father figure. This is a thought-provoking film with a lot of tension and controversy. The Pledge asks the age old question of whether the ends justifies the means and we are left contemplating if Jerry is really in control of the situation, or even his own mind. It is hard to tell at times whether his motivation is to catch the killer or to simply know the truth or know that he was right to continue to pursue the case. This is about as slow-paced and arty as you would expect an independent film to be but Nicholson is superb and determined in this Captain Ahab style role and the ending is powerful. Strong performances from all supporting cast. If you enjoyed Capote you will not want to miss this film.
The Pledge (2001)
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Comment by Anonymous
I'd have a drink with Sean any day.
Not a lot of people have seen Indian Runner (Sean's directorial debut). Not a lot of people realise it was a film based on a Bruce Springsteen song, 'Mr State Trooper' from his most excellent and exceedingly haunting album 'Nebraska' which he produced himself in his room with just his 'gee-tar' and his harmonica'.
Bruce rocks! He's America's answer to Jimmy Barnes.
I'd have two drinks with Bruce 'The Boss' anyday. He's a man's man. Patty Sciafa whinges that he loves his music more than her. But who pays the bills? Women say they wouldn't whinge if they had millions of dollars, but they still do. It's in their genes. It's their job description. Heather Mills is testimony to that immutable truth.
I'd like to spend a weekend with Sean and Bruce and just chew the fat. Get totally shitfaced and write a few songs and movies.
I'd marry you. You're pretty. Or as Bruce would sing, '... hey you're alright.'
Sometimes I read what you write. But usually I just stare at your profile pic. You're pretty. And you write really nicely.
David ...
PS: I learnt to dumb down recently, and I''m doing a damn fine job of it. It's the only way I'll keep my job. I have to pretend I know less than my bosses. Otherwise they feel threatened, steal my ideas, and give me a hard time.
Isn't life itself a wonderful experience? We only get one life, regardless of what those who believe in reincarnation think. I hope they all come back as gnats.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I love all of Penn's powerful Directorial works and this is no exception.
I love the way that it manipulates the serial killer genre and makes the actual killer inconsequential to the inner turmoil of Jack.
The ending is a corker, we the audience are the only ones who know the truth.
Comment by Anonymous
I just want to say hello to an old friend. Well he's not that old. He's really a spring chicken compared to me, but you know what I mean by that expression.
Hey John Doe (7), How are you doing man? After your Trekkie wedding? Is marriage treating you okay? I'm sorry, I no longer have a blog on here so you can respond personally, but Megan won't mind. She's a nice woman?
She's probably pegged me as a psycho by now. But that's okay. So has everyone else on Orble?
I still like Jon and Charles though. They're a couple of fine young men in my estimation.
David ...
Comment by Morgan Bell
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John Doe, your comments are extremely insightful as always, this was a really refreshing take on the serial killer story and i also enjoyed the ending, jack nicholson is truly outstanding in conveying that inner turmoil and the morality of the film left me thinking about it for weeks after
so whats all this about a trekkie wedding? haha if i was a cat curiousity would have killed me long ago!
thanks for the comments guys!
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
yes it's true I did get married on the bridge of the USS Enterprise which is docked in the basement of the Las Vegas Hilton. Click HERE to see a few pics and post.
Hi David,
Insanely brilliant to see you! Really miss your wit and repartee around here. How is your writing career going outside of orble? I know if you stick at it someone with power will recognize your obvious genius.
The wedding was a surreal journey, bringing my fictional existence into reality.
Married life is no different than before, probably because it was all done in fun and we have been together for 10 years prior.
Hope to see you around the jdm site and keep well.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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*the penny drops*
is THIS the David that is the topic of so many tribute posts recently?
CLICKHERE for fog
CLICKHERE for D
hey it only took me a month to join the dots!
internet personas, tricky stuff hey? i barely recognise my own diplay pic some days . . .
Comment by Cheryl J
Funny Videos
Rhythmatism
Zentertainment
Great review.
Hey maybe now that David has shown up on your blog we can start a petition to bring him back. After all the stuff that has been written about him he sounds like someone we need on here. If you're reading this David, come back!