MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Neo-Noir Psychological Mystery Drama/Stars: Jack Nicholson, Patricia Clarkson, Benicio del Toro, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Robin Wright Penn, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Harry Dean Stanton, Dale Dickey, Costas Mandylor, Michael O’Keefe, Lois Smith, Brittany Tiplady, Eileen Ryan/Runtime: 123 minutes

I think it is a fairly safe bet to make that if you asked 50 people what they thought the 5 most stress-inducing jobs out there in that big wide world of ours were, it would not surprise me in any way, shape, or form if the majority of that group put the career known as “law enforcement” somewhere on their respective list. Of course, I can’t really say I am all that surprised dear reader. I mean not only are you dealing with perhaps the worst of the worst that humanity has to offer on a daily basis, but you also have no idea if you will be coming home at the end of every shift, you are constantly being scrutinized by a public that can’t decide whether they love or hate you, you have to operate at the absolute pinnacle of your physical abilities which (when factoring in the exertion necessary to do so) can eventually come back to bite you later in life, you work incredibly long and draining hours, and (perhaps worst of all) you are never guaranteed that the coffee and doughnuts available to you and your fellow officers at the station/precinct you work out of is even remotely fresh. Ok so I might have been joking a bit with that last item I mentioned on that list, but even so there really is no denying that law enforcement can be quite the taxing and daunting job for anyone who looks at it as a possible path to embark upon in their professional life be it for 5 years or a lifetime. Yet what if, in addition to 98% of the items I mentioned in that distinct list, an officer in the twilight phase of his career found himself making a simple promise he had undoubtedly made countless times before then only to have a series of circumstances cause this particular promise to start chipping away at him on the inside to the point that it really does start to threaten him with the possibility of completely and utterly unraveling on a psychological level? Indeed, and in case you hadn’t quite guessed it yet dear reader, it is this core supposition that was at the heart of a slice of cinema from 2001, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today, known as The Pledge. A film that when I first saw this I must admit that I was a bit perplexed by it. Not because it wasn’t good, but because it honestly wasn’t what I was expecting it to be though that could be due more to what my film preferences were at that time than anything. Fortunately, I have had the opportunity to see it at least 6 times since then and I can honestly say it has definitely grown on me with each viewing. To be sure, it is not a perfect film nor is it one for everyone, but with the aid of solid work on both sides of the camera The Pledge is definitely one slow burn cinematic effort that is sure to sink its hooks into you and then leave them there long after the credits have begun to roll…..

The plot is as follows: Based on the 1958 novella The Pledge: Requiem for the Detective Novel, The Pledge “01” gets its intriguing story underway at a most unusual place. That being at a rundown and desolate gas station where we witness as a broken, slightly off-kilter, and perhaps even a wee bit inebriated man is acting a bit on the strange side right down to constantly muttering to himself about…something. From there, the film proceeds to flash back a fair amount of time to the locale of Reno, Nevada where we are properly introduced to the man during what seems to be a better time in his life. It seems the man’s name is Jerry Black and, as our story is getting underway, he is in the midst of a very significant transition period in his life. One that takes the shape and form of him at long last retiring from his job as a fairly skilled detective with the Reno Police Department. Yet whilst we see that a great many of his colleagues are content to just see him head off into the sunset and spend the rest of his days fishing and relaxing, it might not be too much of a stretch to say that our hero isn’t entirely onboard with that idea just yet. Perhaps this is why Lady Fate, in that rather distinct and mysterious way of hers that she deploys so well, has her own little retirement gift in store for the good detective. One that soon makes itself known when, while at his retirement party, we see as our intrepid hero learns that a little girl by the name of Ginny Larsen has just been the tragic victim of a most horrific homicide and decides to go with a fellow detective out to the scene to investigate figuring he still has a little bit of time left on the clock before he is set to hang up his spurs so to speak for good. Yet it is when Jerry winds up being the one to have to deliver the bad news to her parents that we see him confronted by her mom who makes him swear on a cross made by the late child that he will do whatever he can to find her killer and ensure that he is brought to justice for his crimes. Now normally such a promise might seem like a routine part of the job at best and at worst just another reason why members of law enforcement go through significantly higher amounts of stress than the majority of us. In the case of Mr. Jerry Black however, we see that it also functions as a seed that has just been planted in a corner of his mind. As for what that particular fruit that seed manages to bring forth in the life of our dogged detective to say nothing of how it leads him to become the man we’ve already seen at the beginning that is something I will let you uncover for yourself…..

Now right off, it should be said that this slice of cinema is very much a blessed recipient of some truly potent and hard-hitting work done behind the camera by an undeniably skilled group of professionals all operating at the pinnacle of their respective abilities and then some. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with the work done in the director’s chair by Sean Penn (as in Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and this is some undeniably skilled work he is giving us here. Indeed there are at least a couple of things that Penn does here which really distinguish his talents as a director on this film. The first is that Penn is able to do a magnificent job here of brilliantly conjuring up a genuinely ominous and suspenseful atmosphere right from frame one that he then is able to maintain courtesy of a tempo that might be a bit too slow for some of you, but trust me when I say that it definitely is able to ensure that the film is able to keep you consistently riveted and intrigued as to where this particular story will go. Along with that, we see that Penn makes the wonderful creative choice to avoid letting things go over the top like they easily could have in a film of this type and instead decides to utilize a more subtle approach to telling the story instead. By doing so, we see that this level of subtlety is able to aid the many levels of the narrative unfurl for us in a manner that feels a bit more organic and truer to life than something that screams of being fictitious in practically every way. Besides the undeniably skilled work done by Penn at the helm, this slice of cinema also features some truly jaw-dropping yet also hauntingly beautiful work from Chris Menges (1984’s The Killing Fields, 1986’s The Mission, and 1996’s Michael Collins among others) in the cinematography department. Indeed, through the utilization of the striking yet barren landscapes that can be found in the state of Nevada, we see that Menges is able to brilliantly reinforce the grim and dreary tone that exists in the rest of the movie whilst also utilizing lights and shadow in such a way that it helps to strengthen the key concepts of obsession and desperation that the film is operating with. Lastly, I feel that this section would not be complete if I didn’t take some time to focus on the work done by Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt on this movie’s score. Indeed not only does the score do a fantastic job of working alongside the other departments behind the camera to conjure up a vibe of unease, but it also reinforces the bleakness and potency of the story being told perfectly. Suffice it to say that when you also take into account extremely well-done work from the editing department as headed by Jay Cassidy, and an extremely well-written screenplay by Jerzy and Mary Olson-Kromolowski that manages to be both gripping in terms of how it really places you smackdab into the middle of our troubled hero’s mindset while also being equal parts intriguingly ambiguous and delightfully frustrating in regards to how it (without going into spoilers of any sort) doesn’t really adhere to the conventions of this genre in key ways among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might not be for everyone, but for those able, or willing, to synch up to its distinct wavelength I can promise you that the work done behind the camera will most assuredly reward you for choosing to do so.

Alongside the undeniably solid work being done by the different departments operating behind the camera, this slice of cinema also manages to be the blessed recipient of a collection of equally as potent performances in front of the camera by a stacked and, without question, immensely talented group of individuals. Far and away, this starts with screen legend Jack Nicholson in the lead role and, big surprise coming your way here dear reader, he is absolutely fantastic here. Indeed as Jerry Black, we see that Nicholson does a wonderful job of giving us a character who might seem at first glance like your typical grizzled and gruff, to say nothing of older, law enforcement figure whose moral compass always points north and who is trying to solve that proverbial “one last case” before walking off into the sunset. As the film goes on however, we see that Nicholson is able to give us a man who is more vulnerable than we might have initially thought to say nothing of someone who is haunted by his experiences as a long-time law enforcement officer with a helping of regret and desiring closure thrown in good measure. Suffice it to say that it is a truly gripping and pathos-driven performance from one of the best of his (or any for that matter) generation of acting talent. Backing up the stellar work done by Nicholson in the lead role is an impeccable support cast of individuals even if, in all fairness, most of them are only given perhaps a scene or two throughout the film’s 123-minute, including credits, runtime. This starts with Robin Wright (Jenny from Forrest Gump) in the role of Lori. Indeed Wright does a heartbreakingly good job of giving the film a vulnerable character that is very much meant to serve as a personification of the peace and happiness that Jerry could have in his life if he is willing to just put this one case aside and move forward rather than keep looking back. Alongside the work done here by both Nicholson and Wright, this film also provides us with a spot-on turn from Aaron Eckhart in the role of Stan Krolak. Indeed Eckhart does a wonderful job of giving us a guy who is both deeply devoted to doing his job to the best of his ability, despite crossing a few ethical lines here and there at times, while also being someone who over the course of the movie gets more and more exasperated/concerned with Jerry and his behavior despite the respect he has for him professionally. Lastly, I feel like this section would definitely be lacking if I didn’t talk about the crushingly potent work done by none other than Mickey Rourke in the brief role of another grieving parent whose child’s disappearance might have ties to Jerry’s case. Indeed, much like his work on 2008’s The Wrestler, we see that Rourke puts his heart and soul into the role and, as a result, is able to give quite the effecting and haunting turn despite only being in the movie for 5-10 minutes. Suffice it to say that when you also throw into the mix welcome efforts from such screen presences as Sam Shephard, the always delightful Helen Mirren, Vanessa Redgrave, a wonderfully suspicious turn from Tom Noonan (1986’s Manhunter, and 1987’s The Monster Squad), character actor icon Harry Dean Stanton (Brett in the first Alien movie), character actress Lois Smith, Michael O’Keefe (Danny from Caddyshack!), Patricia Clarkson, Costas Mandylor (Mark Hoffman in the Saw franchise), and a brief yet powerful and pivotal role from Benicio del Toro (The Collector in the MCU and Fenster in The Usual Suspects) among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might not be a flawless outing by any means, but the work done by this incredibly skilled group of performers definitely does what it can to make up for those issues.

All in all and at the end of the day is The Pledge a spotless slice of cinema that is practically perfect in every way and then some? Sadly no though by no means is that an insult toward what the cast and crew of this film have managed to achieve all the same. With that in mind is this the worst slice of cinema for either the talented cast or crew involved to say nothing of the respective genre of movie magic that this film is a part of? Thankfully and happily I can confirm for you that is most assuredly not the case either. Not by a long shot. To be fair, this slice of cinema is not going to be one that is universally adored by every single person who decides to give it a view. Not just because of the slow-burn nature style of the story being told, but because of the fact that the story being told isn’t exactly the most upbeat or happy go lucky in the world. Should that be your cinematic bill of fare however I do believe that such movies are available on your friendly neighborhood streaming service in abundance. On top of that, it should also be said that this slice of cinema does have a few missteps here and there including the fact that the pace, for as methodically slow as it is, can drag at points to say nothing of the fact that the vast majority of the absolutely fantastic cast of players assembled here really are not given all that much to work with in terms of either screentime and/or narrative substance. With those detriments in mind however, there is also no denying that the work done in the director’s chair by Penn is solid, the cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, the screenplay riveting and thought-provoking in equal measure, the score bleak yet elegant, and all of the cast of stars in front of the camera manage to shine in their respective roles despite the aforementioned deficiencies of screentime and narrative material respectively. As it is, The Pledge “01” might not be perfect nor will it be for everyone, but trust me when I say that if you are the kind of movie goer that can get behind it, I promise that this is one film that is sure to leave you hooked from beginning to end and every gripping minute in between and that dear reader is a promise that, unlike the one made by our intrepid hero, is one that is most assuredly worth making. Make of that what thou will dear reader. On a scale of 1-5 I give The Pledge “01” a solid 3.5 out of 5.