The Pledge

The Pledge

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DVD Reviews of The Pledge

DVD Review: Solid Drama from Sean Penn
Summary: 4 Stars

Detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) of the Reno P.D. has come to the end of an illustrious career; it's time to pull the pin and go fishing. But Jerry's retirement party is interrupted by the report of the brutal murder of a young girl, whose body has just been found in the woods. Officially, Jerry only has six hours left on the clock, but he insists on being a part of the investigation. And it's a decision that is ultimately going to have a decided effect on the rest of his life; not only because of the heinousness of the crime, which creates the kind of image that will forever haunt even a seasoned professional like Jerry, but because Jerry makes a promise to Margaret Larsen (Patricia Clarkson), the bereaved mother of the murdered girl, that the individual responsible will be found and brought to justice.

Jerry's life takes an irreversible turn, however, when a suspect is apprehended and charged with the crime, but prevailing circumstances and Jerry's intuition lead him to believe they have the wrong man. By the cold light of the next morning, though, Jerry is retired, and the case is no longer his concern; but justice, and the promise he made to the girl's mother still is, and whether he wants it or not, Jerry's involvement with this case is going to follow him into retirement. No matter where he goes or what he does, it will always be a part of him, a constant companion. And sooner or later, it's something that is going to have to be resolved, with or without the help and resources of the department to which he dedicated so much of his life. One way or another, Jerry-- responding to some subconscious impetus-- is going to solve this case, and he's going to do it his way, and to his satisfaction. Until then, in his mind anyway, this case is still "open," and will remain so, until he deems otherwise and the forces compelling him at last subside. And leave him in peace.

As an actor, Sean Penn has demonstrated a range and depth of emotion that at times fairly implodes (as with his portrayal of Matthew Poncelet in "Dead Man Walking"), and with such strength that the outward reverberations of it have a decided impact on the film. And his subtle approach as a director has the same effect here. His studied presentation and deliberate pace creates an underlying tension that runs through the film like a wire being slowly drawn tighter and tighter until it is taut to the point of breaking, and his hand is constantly on that wire, controlling it-- allowing it some slack to effect a false sense of security, for example, before snapping! it back again, and making the drama of the story riveting in a way that definitely keeps the attention of the audience. He attaches you to Jerry Black as he quietly leads him through a field of emotional land mines, and it keeps you involved; indeed, as a viewer, you have no choice, and like Jerry, you have no respite from the situation, which enables you to relate to Jerry on a very personal level. And that connection is reinforced further by Jerry's involvement with a single mother, Lori (Robin Wright Penn), a waitress at a local diner; and as their friendship evolves, Penn twists that wire even more, and the tension escalates. This is commendable work by Penn, who has taken a basically good story (the screenplay is by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski, based on the book by Friedrich Durrenmatt) to a higher level and turned it into a penetrating, insightful drama.

The combination of Penn and Jack Nicholson makes for an effective collaboration, in that Nicholson approaches his character, Jerry, with that same sense of reflective introspection that Penn brings to the film as director. And it works splendidly; Nicholson creates a character who is always seemingly on the edge, and you can feel that ever present tension and sense of discontent that defines who Jerry really is and what he's all about. On a certain level, Nicholson's portrayal is reminiscent in attitude and perspective of the character he created so memorably in "Ironweed," Francis Phelan. This is a guy who plays the game of life with a perpetual poker face on; he maintains a reserved countenance that belies the constant roiling going on behind his eyes. And the fact that Nicholson can convey all of this so well, even in his (or Jerry's) most guarded moments, is what makes his performance so powerful and convincing. He plays it entirely from the inside out, and the result is an absorbing, unforgettable character.

The supporting cast includes Benicio Del Toro (Wadenah), Vanessa Redgrave (Annalise), Sam Shepard (Eric), Aaron Eckhart (Sam), Mickey Rourke (Jim) and Tom Noonan (Gary). Sean Penn has a way of telling a story that is uniquely his own, and it's that distinction that sets "The Pledge," apart and makes it so engaging. This isn't a "throw-away popcorner," but one you're going to want to mull over for awhile after the screen has gone dark.

Description of The Pledge

As in Sean Penn's previous work, this is an actors' piece. Nicholson plays Jerry with restlessness under his easy-going, smiling calm; his patient fisherman's heart leaps at every nibble while he casts for a murder suspect. And Del Toro, Helen Mirren, Vanessa Redgrave, and Mickey Rourke make striking impressions in their single-scene appearances. Penn is less concerned with the mystery than the emotional turmoil and Jerry's state of mind, interrupting moments of calm with jagged cuts and discomforting images (including some especially disturbing crime scene photos). Jerry's instincts and methods are sound and his sensitivity is real--he takes in a battered single mom (Robin Wright Penn) and her little girl, and develops a rewarding family life--but his passion for justice turns to unhealthy, destructive obsession. That's ultimately what we're left with at the conclusion of this often off-putting but ultimately fascinating film. The truth will not always set you free. --Sean Axmaker