The Pledge

3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (212 customer reviews)
Oscar winner Jack Nicholson, John Malkovich and Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Vanessa Redgrave star in this tense '50s crimedrama.
  • Starring: Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro
  • Directed by: Sean Penn
  • Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
  • Release year: 2001
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
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Product Details
Synopsis: Oscar winner Jack Nicholson, John Malkovich and Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Vanessa Redgrave star in this tense '50s crimedrama.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro
Supporting actors: Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Robin Wright-Penn, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Lois Smith, Harry Dean Stanton
Directed by: Sean Penn
Genre: Drama, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Runtime: 2 hours 4 minutes
Captions and Subtitles: Details
Release year: 2001
Studio: Warner Bros.
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence and language
ASIN: B001TYTYTO (Rental) and B001TYMLRG (Purchase)
Rights & Requirements
Rental rights: 48 hour viewing period Details
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

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Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: January 19, 2001
  • MPAA: Rated R for strong violence and language
  • Production Company: Morgan Creek Productions, Franchise Pictures, Clyde Is Hungry Films, Pledge Productions, Epsilon Motion Pictures
  • Filming Locations: Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada | Hedley, British Columbia, Canada | Hope, British Columbia, Canada | Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada | Lillooet, British Columbia, Canada | Lytton, British Columbia, Canada | Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada | Merritt, British Columbia, Canada | Princeton, British Columbia, Canada | Reno, Nevada, USA | Thompson-Nicola Region, British Columbia, Canada | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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Customer Reviews

3.3 out of 5 stars
(212)
3.3 out of 5 stars
See all 212 customer reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
76 of 88 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars not for dolts September 27, 2001
By A Customer
Format:DVD
Anyone expecting to find a formulaic cops-chase-killers movie should immediately move on to the latest Hollywood idiot fodder flick. "The Pledge" is intelligent, thought-provoking, well-directed, well-acted, and a feast for the senses.
I know many people who felt let down by this film, possibly because they expected the usual chase and hero's triumph at the end, which does not happen here. I found myself to be curious and somehow astonished by the end, and anxious to see it again.
Jack Nicholson gives one of his best latter-day performances here, and touches on areas which are not normally "Jack". By the end of the film, he is stunned and totally confused; knowing he was somehow right, though strange twists of fate conspire against him. It's almost Hitchcock territory; the man wrongly accused, or the man who knows all the facts, and yet no one believes him.
Sean Penn is no clown director; he's not making mass-market cheap thrill flicks here. He lets the story develop with a total absence of Hollywood cliches and setups. By the end, though most people will feel somehow cheated out of a visceral release, I feel viewers with an open mind who don't expect their movies to be served up like fast-food will be quite pleased. It's one of those movies you can talk about all night long.
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25 of 29 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Thriller With Nicholson At His Best! June 28, 2001
By Barron Laycock HALL OF FAME
Format:VHS Tape|Amazon Verified Purchase
There is much to recommend in this complex and deeply layered psychological thriller featuring Jack Nicholson in what seems to have evolved into a continuing exploration into the dark side of human nature in his roles over the last decade. This is a gorgeously photographed and quite penetrating drama which on one level involves Nicholson as a dogged, troubled, and obsessed retired detective convinced the actual killer of his last gruesome juvenile homocide case is still at large, while on another level it is a stunning and all-too graphic portrait of what such single-minded concentration can do to a fragile and vulnerable personality. While it is not a movie I would recommend to the faint of heart, it is an absorbing exploration into this character's heart of darkness and the perils associated with such risky adventures.

The movie is set supposedly in Reno and the surrounding Sierras, and the natural scenery that provides the stage for this drama is simply breath taking, and is worth the viewing experience for this experience alone. I was, however, disappointed to discover by viewing the end credits that the movie was largely shot in western Canada. Wherever it was filmed, the scenery provides a curious backdrop to the ugliness and sordidness of human beings, and how their own experiences and personalities blind them to the beauty in others around them. Each has been branded by the character and limitations of his or her own reservoir of emotional experiences, and each is consequently sent spinning toward a seemingly irrevocable tendency to make snap conclusions about complex realities as a result.

Thus Nicholson is caught in the dilemma of not only his own troubles, but in the easy answers others have in attributin ghis actions and behavior to other motives and problems. Thus Robin Wright Penn, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Vanessa Redgrave, Harry Dean Stanton and a number of notable others blithely (and sometimes painfully) slip past the rather remarkable qualities in Nicholson's character as well as in Wright Penn's memorable turn as a woman with battered background and a beautiful little girl who lights up the screen and who also just happens to exactly fit Nicholson's bogeyman serial killer's profile.

Thus, his motives for the subsequent involvement are confused at best, yet he seems to genuinely care for the new family he adopts along the way. With this, the stage is set for potential tragedy, and while I found the conclusion emotionally and dramatically unpleasing, it was admittedly indeed in the scope of the characters and circumstance to have it so ended. I recommend this, but also caution against letting one's impressionable children watch this. Like "Silence Of The Lambs" or "Seven", this is hardly juvenile entertainment. Enjoy!

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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and Thoughtful....... June 14, 2001
By Stewart Axelrad
Format:DVD
First, let me say that I consider Jack Nicholson to be one of most underrated actors of his generation. His performance in "The Pledge" is nothing short of remarkable, not so much in the way his speaks the dialogue, but in those moments when he has none, and reveals the mind of a deeply tormented man. Other reviews have discussed the plot, so I'll dispense with that, other than to say that this is a movie about redemption and a lost cause. The pledge referred to in the title is one that Nicholson cannot assuredly keep, and thus forfeits his "soul's salvation". The Nicholson character is basically a lonely, desperate man, who hangs his hopes on catching a serial killer, and by a twist of fate, fails in his mission. The supporting cast is excellent, Benecio Del Toro, Robin Wright Penn and even Vanessa Redgrave (one of the best performances in the film, although a brief one-scene cameo). Sean Penn's direction is superb, with the intercutting of nature scenes with the main plot (watch for the symbolic flock of birds throughout the film). This is not a film for those who desire neat, tied-up endings but ones which mirror the real and unresolved tragedies of life. Truly a haunting and poignant story, with excellent character studies all around.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Nicolson
Another great film by the man himself .Rent buy you won't be dissapointed! Alot of strage twist and angles to the point you don't figure it out until the end.A-Plus on my list
Published 12 days ago by paul k powell
1.0 out of 5 stars This DVD would not play
I tried every type of device and the dvd would not play. It cost more to ship back than the DVD cost so I tossed it. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lindsay Campbell
2.0 out of 5 stars Nice kidnap mystery but ending is anticlimactic.
The suspense is built up well of a serial kidnapper who preys on little girls in small towns. However, the movie concludes without any resolution, except a vague circumstance.
Published 4 months ago by Zack Noble
5.0 out of 5 stars "The Pledge" - an overlooked crime film masterpiece!
Why it's taken so long to write a review on one of the best crime dramas of the 21st century escapes me. Could it be the release date of 2001? Read more
Published 4 months ago by SeanfromCALIFORNIA
3.0 out of 5 stars Time Passerby
The movies ending was not what I anticipated.

A couple of scenes had suspense built inconsistenly.

The movie is good enough if you need time to pass.
Published 6 months ago by watkd25
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Psychological Thriller
Jack Nicholson gives a solid performance in this crime mystery produced and directed by Sean Pean who also directed Nicholson in the film THE CROSSING GUARD. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Blue Leaves
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Full Hours of Your Life Gone Forever
An incredible cast with incredible acting lost completely in this drawn out droll of a movie. This looks to be a typical Sean Penn movie with a long, dedicated storyline leading... Read more
Published 7 months ago by F. Werner
5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece, Albeit a Forgotten One
The Pledge opens with Detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) mumbling to himself and begins to unfold in flashback. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Joshua Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Duerrenmatt
the movie reflects the harsh and brutal reality of Duerrenmatt's psychological thriller set in an american ambience. Jack Nicholson's portrait of the inspector is haunting.
Published 11 months ago by Anette Engel
4.0 out of 5 stars still thinking about the film
great performances all around. really great directing too. i'm still thinking about it a few weeks later and wishing i could find more films like this that I haven't seen.
Published 11 months ago by C.A.C.
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