Runtime: 124 minutes
Directed by: Sean Penn
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Tom Noonan (RIP), many others
From: Morgan Creek/Franchise Pictures
A belated RIP to Tom Noonan. While many-myself included-will remember him best as Francis Dollarhyde in the incredible Manhunter, I was always delighted to see him pop up in a film… even ones I didn’t care for like RoboCop 2 or The House of the Devil. The reason why I selected The Pledge: the impressive cast, the plot, and hearing a recommendation from-of all things-a Patreon episode of a true crime podcast that did something different one time and discussed underrated crime dramas rather than actual crimes & mysteries.
Police chief Jack Nicholson is on his last day before retirement but pledges to the mother of a slain girl (Ginny) he will find her murderer. Ginny was brutally assaulted then killed-the viewer sees some graphic images of her; that was more than enough motivation for him to work this case despite now being retired. The Pledge is the sort of film I should gravitate towards more frequently. A crime drama, character-driven, takes its time, full of famous faces.
As Nicholson will turn 90 next year, I should give my props to a legendary actor while he’s still alive. He was as magnetic here as ever; the role wasn’t flashy or bold yet his Jerry Black was still convincing as the determined officer who the viewer believes would be the honorable type that would keep such a promise… yet becomes consumed by obsession. The other famous faces seen throughout (no matter how small or large their parts were) included Patrick Clarkson, Mickey Rourke, Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mirren, Aaron Eckhart as-naturally-a police officer-Benicio Del Toro, Sam Shepard, Robin Wright, and Harry Dean Stanton. It was a treat to see all those actors.
The movie was made w/ Franchise Pictures; I won’t go down the rabbit hole of discussing who they were or their brief troubled history. I will note that I wasn’t surprised to read afterwards of money problems and scenes that weren’t filmed. This included scenes w/ Noonan-his screentime was limited yet effective.
Yes, Sean Penn is another guy I put in the “separate the art from the artist” category. However, as a director he did a swell job even w/ that story handicap. The music, the cinematography, the setting-much of this is rural British Columbia substituting for rural Nevada, my interest never wavered.
Some viewers have their issues w/ The Pledge, either feeling disappointed or downright disliking the movie, for reasons that obviously can’t be revealed without massive spoilers. That is understandable-what I recall from that podcast episode, hints were given that prepared me for certain things. Patient viewers and those accepting what the story was about after its final resolution… hopefully you’ll find the journey rewarding. Soon, the film won’t be on Netflix any longer but The Pledge has the rare distinction of also streaming on Peacock AND Hulu.
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