The Pledge

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The Pledge

R

2001

2h 4m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

125 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

On the day of his retirement, detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) accepts a gift -- an airline ticket to Mexico. But when the body of a murdered eight-year-old girl is discovered in the mountains, Jerry offers his expertise at the crime scene. When an ambitious younger cop wrenches a dubious confession from a simple-minded suspect, the case is closed... but not for Jerry.

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Critics Consensus

Though its subject matter is grim and may make viewers queasy, The Pledge features an excellent, subtle performance by Jack Nicholson.

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Jeff Strickler

Minneapolis Star Tribune

11/06/2002

3.5/4

Mystery-thriller buffs, promise yourselves that you'll see The Pledge. And while you're at it, be sure to invite along Jack Nicholson fans and anyone who saw the first two movies that Sean Penn directed.

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Peter Rainer

New York Magazine/Vulture

09/26/2002

Penn can't be faulted for his work with the actors. Most of the featured players have only a scene or two, but they're indelible.

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

03/22/2002

2.5/4

Ultimately, the payoffs just aren't there, either psychologically or dramatically.

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

03/05/2021

Penn has accommodated himself to the political and artistic status quo in an unfortunate manner.

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PJ Nabarro

Patrick Nabarro

12/02/2018

4/5

Penn intrinsically understands that there can be no epiphanies nor catharsis, as important portents and clues go unanswered as Black drifts into the mire of his obsession.

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Blake Howard

Graffiti With Punctuation

04/09/2017

4/5

It's "one last ride" for our leading character Jerry Black (Nicholson), until he abandons the case and retires. It examines a man trying to relinquish his deduction instincts in exchange for a slippery grip on a 'normal' life.

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Laurie E.

@Laurielye Nov 29

I hated the ending. It felt unfinished and unfortunately, that ruined the movie for me.

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Steve T

Nov 28

The movie starts out very interesting and is well presented. The viewer is led to believe that Jack Nicholson is correct after the first suspect commits suicide after a confrontation that looks bad. Then a long story begins on how Jack believes he is on the right track to finding the killer. The ending is a big letdown. The ending should have been a success for Jack. Crafting it that way would make the movie enjoyable.

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Kenneth P

Nov 26

With this all star cast I thought it would be a great flick. Unfortunately Sean Penn's directing made most of the actors look like like rank amateurs. Jack Nicholson's expressions in some spots didn't fit the dialogue. Benicio Del Toro's depiction of a mentally challenged man was could have been done better by some kid in a high school play. Way overplayed and embarrassing. I found it hard to watch and blame Sean Penn for his horrible attempt at directing. What a waste of talent. Find something better to do and avoid this mess.

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Joe W

@JoeWasik Nov 23

Not too bad, but not a must-see. Nicholson and others put on a decent performance. Nice story, but a little bit of seen-it-before. The premise of catching the bad guy near the end was not believable

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Dave K

Nov 19

Sean Penn tries way too hard and it’s obvious. Forced scenes, forced drama - nonsensical situations, even by Hollywood’s standards. Leaves you with a cluttered mess of a movie and bizarre ending asking yourself "why did I sit through that??"

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Horror fan 4

Nov 15

This movie started off strong. The killing of a little girl and Jerry's motivation to catch the killer drives this movie until the last 15 minutes. It ultimately comes to a screeching hault. Terrible ending. Tim Treakle

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Synopsis

On the day of his retirement, detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) accepts a gift -- an airline ticket to Mexico. But when the body of a murdered eight-year-old girl is discovered in the mountains, Jerry offers his expertise at the crime scene. When an ambitious younger cop wrenches a dubious confession from a simple-minded suspect, the case is closed... but not for Jerry.

Director: Sean Penn
Producer: Sean Penn, Elie Samaha, Michael Fitzgerald
Screenwriter: Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski
Distributor: Warner Bros., E Stars Films
Production Co: Morgan Creek Productions, Warner Bros., Pledge Productions Inc., Franchise Pictures, Clyde Is Hungry Productions
Rating: R (Sexuality|Language|Some Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 19, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $19.7M
Runtime: 2h 4m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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