The Pledge
|
Our Price: $49.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Pledge
Movie Review: INTENSE!....
Summary: 5 Stars
Bravo to Sean Penn for bringing us a psychological thriller that is both intellegent and unpredicatable.If I could only use one word to describe this film I would have to say INTENSE!
Jerry Black(Jack Nicholson) is about to retire from his duties as a homicide detective in Reno, Nevada. Nicholson's portrayal of this cop is so strong, that we can see what he is feeling and thinking by one raise of those famous eyebrows.Already we can see that he is regretting his retirement. Amidst the retirement party his fellow offficers are throwing for him, word comes of a horrible crime. A little local girl has been brutally assaulted and murdered. Jerry cannot help but to become involved with this case.He is the one who must tell the parents the devasting news, at which point he makes a solemn promise to the girl's mother, that he will not rest until this deranged killer is caught!
All evidence points to one suspect. The suspect confesses, and in a bizarre twist takes his own life. Jerry though has instincts that tell him this was not the murderer. He becomes obssessed with finding the true killer,he puts his life on hold and at the risk of alienating all his friends, devotes himself to the task. He also meets and falls for a woman who has a daughter around the age of the murder victim and becomes obssessed with protecting her as well.Jerry falls deeper and deeper into his own dark world, as the tension mounts.
Nicholson has given us many fine performances over the years to be treasured, this one though, to me, was his best character study since "Five Easy Pieces". Penn has done a brillant job behind the camera, and also has chosen a well seasoned cast to add to this fine film. It includes Benecio Del Toro, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shephard, Harry Dean Stanton, Vanessa Redgrave Lois Smith, and Robin Wright Penn.A brilliant screen play by Jerry and Mary Olsen-Kromolowski.
Add to that a haunting score by Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt and incredible camera work by Chris Menges, which takes in the snowy scapes in sharp contrast to the murder and you have a story you won't soon forget.
I would reccommend this film to anyone who has a taste for something out of the ordinary. It is not for the sensitive viewer though.
If you've seen the film already and know you like it, you can count on a good transfer by Warner Bros, to the DVD. It is a crisp and clear picture presented widescreen. Colors and sound(Dolby 5.1 surround) are outstanding as well.It may be viewed in French(also in the 5.1)and has subtitles in English and French(Dubbed in Quebec) as well.Other than a theatrical trailer you will not find much in the way of extras. But you might just want to start the movie over and watch it again.
Go for it...Laurie
also recommended:
Just Cause
Love Liza
Jack 3-Pack (A Few Good Men / Easy Rider / As Good as It Gets)
Movie Review: Hyper-realism marred by a history of Hollywood.
Summary: 5 Stars
Jack Nicholson. Sean Penn. Benicio Del Toro. These three names alone will bring mainstream viewers to this film; however 90% of them will be expecting Hollywood and 90% will walk away from this film because they have just watched something closer to art-house cinema than the A-list Hollywood affair that it promotes.The Pledge is akin to watching something like Dead Man Walking minus the Hollywood plot devices or Spike Lee's Summer of Sam without the pace. It certainly is not like Silence of the Lambs, Seven or Psycho as some have been thinking. If your expectations are Hollywood, then forget it. You will only be disappointed. If you are looking for a serial killer film that moves in a more realistic fashion with non-mainstream plot elements then The Pledge will deliver.
There are a number of things that make this film different. Nicholson's character is more obsessive and paranoid but keeps his cool for the most part of this film. He also befriends a woman half his age and this is not your typical Hollywood bonding. The actual investigation of the serial killings is more or less played out in a very realistic way, often boring and never really seems to amount to much. The crime evidence is hard to obtain and the investigation leads are miniscule (as with most real-life cases). For this reason Nicholson's character is mostly trying to grasp at straws which leaves him on the ignore list at his former police department. In retirement he buys a filling station and tags cars that he believes could be connected with the crimes. The crimes themselves are brutal and VERY GRAPHIC. There are a number of scenes depicting child murders that are very disturbing.
The film's realism is what makes it so good. It is slow and often may seem boring, but this is daring and the director should be appreciated for not doing what WE HAVE SEEN A HUNDRED TIMES BEFORE. The fact is that most serial killer flicks are clichéd driven but here Penn takes us on a very different journey from a lot of different angles. In short, this film is much closer to a real-life hunt for a serial killer than any other mainstream Hollywood murder mystery flick.
The ending will annoy some, but personally I love it. I think that the ending is very suitable for the material at hand because in most cases serial killers, who are not caught, are either - dead/have gone insane/have been locked up for another unrelated crime. So this film really does play out the realism very well. I also like the fact that certain plot elements are left unknown to many of the characters. This is a very good character device and you do not see that done very often.
This is a very original movie that stays on rational ground. The scene where the cops decide to tell the parents of a dead girl what has happened is absolutely one of the most troubling things any human being can do and it is just done so well in this movie. I can not see how this film fails to engage anyone with a heart. This is a touching film - a touching journey into the darker crossings in life that some do go through.
This is a very good movie with some "reservations" for those who hate anything less than "mainstream" murder mysteries.
Movie Review: What a Film!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Not since Dolores Clairborne, did a film manage to totally captivate me like The Pledge did. It is a totally engrossing film that will take you on a dark journey of the soul, the soul of one retired detective seeking justice he believes was not served , and at the same time battling his inner demons of loneliness and obsessions.What makes great actors? actors whose speech or expressions will stay with the viewer for a long time? It is their ability to totally be the character without visible effort or 'acting', and at the same time, pulling the viewers with them into the world they have created.
Jack Nicholson is one such actor..How many of us still remember that manic face with these immortal words 'Here's Johnny' in The Shinning? or the hard military man under interrogation in A Few Good Men, or the eccentric and sad world of Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets, I think many..
In the Pledge, Nicholson manages it again, offering a very powerful performance worthy of any award..His anguish, loneliness, obsession to find the 'killer' while at the same time trying very hard to cope with his retirement and finding his peace of mind, these elements are interwined and part and parcel of the person he has become, and the failure of any will fail the other, and hence his final deterioration.
Although the film is about the killer/killing, and some of the crime scenes are very harrowing, (I am surprised how they passed the censor's normally twitchy fingers), it becomes more of a character psychological study of a man on the verge of collapse..We enter inside Nicholson's mind, and we see his suspicions and increasing tortured soul, and we too become uncertain as to the identity of the killer..can it be the one that the police initially caught and who killed himself at the station (an excellent Del Toro), or another man like Nicholson strongly believes? It does not matter at the end.
It is not about catching the killer anymore, and more about the failure of an old frustrated cop to seek his personal redemption.
The mood is slow, but never boring, rather reflecting perfectly the mood of a retired but gradually obsessed Nicholson.
Like Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn proves that he is an excellent director, doing a wonderful job behind the camera, and not only he is an actor's director, but quite visual too, as the cinematography is top class,and the scenery breathtaking (Penn allows time to linger on it inan almost meditative eye).
The score is haunting and complements the scenes perfectly.
And the amount of top actors in small supporting roles is very interesting and adds a lot of weight to the film: Del Toro, Mikey Rourke (in a very short but well acted scene)Vanessa Redgrave, Harry Dean Stanton and Helen Mirren, whose character as a psychologist offers the viewer the first hint of Nicholson's tortured existence in a very memorable scene.
The Pledge is therefore an excellent underrated film that is a feast to the eyes and most importantly to the soul, to be added the collection of every 'cinema' lover.
Movie Review: The best movie of the year
Summary: 5 Stars
This by far the best Jack Nicholson movie. It is completley misunderstood. I don't know why people didn't lke it. It sent out a great message. Det. Jerry Black(Nicholson) is going to retire then a case that he couldn't throw away came along. A young girl is kidnapped and murdered. The whole story takes place up in Reno, Nevada. They cought this guy who is menally retarted. He kills himself and then there is nothing else to do. So Jerry goes up into the mountains with a picture that the little girl drew of a giant and a black car tying to find out who it is that did this. After he swore to a victims family that he would find out who it was he cant put it away. He meets this woman who has a little girl and he tells her to stay with him for a while. Sean Penn did an excellent job directing this story. Nicholson has a good respectable character. People should understand the dangers out there and appreciate the importance of this disturbing story. It is a great movie. Nicholson and Sean Penn do another excellent teaming since 1995 The Crossing Guard. It has a terricfic cast to go along with the tale. I really liked this movie a lot and I'm sure you will. I don't know why it didn't do good at the box office. People underestimate sometimes movies like this. It might disturb you but it sends out a great message. Jack Nicholson was perfect for this character. Like I said this is his good hearted performance. It also has a twisted ending. Great cinemetography. Great directing.This movie brings out the best in this cast such as the scene with Nicholson and the prison inmate which is played by Mickey Rourke.Sam Shepard has and ppearance as Nicholsons boss. Check out the book by Freidurik Durrenmont. The reason why it's called the Pledge is because He swore on his soul salvation that he would bring justice and find the man who was responsible for killing her daughter. Once again give the movie a chance it is a great good hearted story. Best Supporting actor of the year Benicio Del Toro under pounds of make up does a superb and scary job as the first killer who is caught. I am so honored to review this movie which is inspiring. I went to see this and knowing theres not a lot of good movies I was very pleased with this one. I loved the brilliant score done by composer Hanz Zimmer who also did Hannibal. Robin Wright is terrific as the woman that stays with Jack Nicholson while he tries to find out who the murderer is. Watch the movie carefully it is twisted. And You'll love this outstanding thriller brilliantly directed by Sean Penn. I haven't done this good of a review since I gave my critique of Schindlers List. It was that good. I can't believe that I'm comparing it to such a brilliant masterpiece. Be safe,hopefully this movie gives you a good moral in it's wonderful style. Rated R for violence and adult language Director: Sean Penn Written by Sean Penn and Freidrik Durrenmont Produced by Senn Penn Music by Hanz Zimmer Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Jack Nicholson,Tom Noonan, Robin Wright, and Sam ShepardMovie Review: Widely misunderstood
Summary: 5 Stars
I gave up reviewing movies on Amazon.com for the most part, but in seeing some of the reviews for "The Pledge" I feel compelled to put my two cents in. My opinion may not matter to anyone else but myself, but this movie had me riveted the entire time I watched it with a packed house at a matinee showing. I only mention that because after it was over I was stunned at how many people were walking out of the theater bashing it. I wondered if we were watching the same movie. I think the problem with "The Pledge" is that people came for one of two things. 1) A suspensful thriller about a serial killer that would keep them riveted to their seats in the same way "Seven" or "Silence of the Lambs" did. Or 2) A Jack Nicholson movie. What I mean by that is a film in which Jack smirks and cracks wise for two hours in the same way he's been doing the last few years. "The Pledge" is not in the same vein as recent serial killer movies because it isn't about the killer, the crimes or even the effects of the murders - it's a deep psychologocial character study of one man's using his own unrelenting hunt for absolution and justic as a means for getting up in the morning. And Jerry Black (Nicholson) is not clever Jack - he's acting Jack. Director Penn gives the film a deliberately slow pace that starts out with a bang and then BUILDS to a complex and stunning climax. The audience wants to solve the mystery, but the filmmakers are not interested in who the killer is, the filmmakers are intrigued by the perverse lengths Jerry Black will go to give himself a reason for being. Believe it or not, the main thrust of the movie (the serial killer) is more like a sub-plot, it's Black's personal descent that is the focus of the movie. I personally am a fan of both intense mystery/thrillers and deep character studies, so having a really profound look at the typical "cop" role was fresh. Nicholson shines in the role of Jerry Black, the only problem being that no matter how great an actor Nicholson is, he's still Jack Nicholson, and in the back of every viewer's mind they won't forget that he's still Jack. That makes some of Black's questionable behavior and motives even more uncomfortable, because even if an audience is used to seeing Jack smirk his way through questionable moral territory, they've never seen him REALLY bathe in it with a serious face. Yet, the film has to stand on it's own, despite any pre-conceived notions a viewer might have regarding it's content or genre. For me, it was a breath of fresh air, and the DVD release will supply more oxygen during the long summer of Michael Bay and his filmmaking brethren suffocating us with abundant special effects and hula-hoop plot holes. "The Pledge" is an emotional investment that, depending on how one likes their movies, may or may not pay off. It certainly did for me, and if nothing else just watch it for what is the defining moment of this phase of Jack Nicholson's career.