The Pledge (2001). * * * ½
Directed by Sean Penn. Starring Jack Nicholson, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Vanessa Redgrave, Sam Shepard, Benicio del Toro, Patricia Clarkson.
A little girl is brutally murdered. When a suspect is quickly identified and apprehended, the case seems to be clear. It becomes even clearer when Detective Krolak (Eckhart) forces a confession out of a retarded Indian (del Toro). When the latter decides that he doesn’t want to be a guest of the state for the rest of his life and shoots himself with a cop’s gun, the case is closed. Not for Jerry Black (Nicholson), though, an elderly Detective one day shy of his retirement. He assumes the duty to inform the girl’s parents (Clarkson and O'Keefe) and promises the mother to find the killer - a pledge that keeps him occupied for the rest of the film.
This is a slow and quiet film. With a run time of almost two full hours, director Sean Penn (yes, the actor) takes his time without stretching our patience. There was not a single minute where I lost interest in the progress of the story. One reason for that: many famous names in the cast. Almost all of them (see below for the only exception) are good choices, and Nicholson is the perfect actor to carry us along with him. His transformation from an excellent cop to a family person to a drunkard is totally believable, and the scenes between him and little Chrissy (Pauline Roberts) are as heart-warming and touching as those with Lori (R.W.Penn). His growing obsession to find the real killer culminates in final thirty minutes which are amongst the very best ever filmed.
This is not your run-of-the-mill Mystery Thriller. It’s based on an excellent book by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, it has a great script, masterful direction, and a fine cast. The last half-hour is as non-Hollywood as you can get. Highly recommended. Half a star deducted for a ridiculous performance of Mickey Rourke.