THE PLEDGE ----------
When Reno homicide detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) leaves his own retirement party to assist at the remote mountain murder site of an eight-year-old girl, he doesn't know he's taking a life-altering step in "The Pledge."
LAURA:
"The Pledge" may begin with a couple of hoary movie cliches (a detective on the verge of retirement coupled with a potential serial killer on the loose), but from this jumping off point, the film takes few expected turns.
Jerry proves his worth and experience at the crime scene by advising his partner Stan (Aaron Eckhart, "Nurse Betty") to get the child's buttons bagged for fingerprinting purposes. The inept local cops have not only compromised the crime scene, but have dragged their feet on notifying the victim's parents. Jerry takes this duty on only to find himself making a solemn oath to Mrs. Larsen (Patricia Clarkson, "High Art") that he will find her daughter's killer.
When a suspect is quickly brought into custody, Stan gets the feeble minded native American (Benicio Del Toro, "Traffic") to confess, but Jerry isn't convinced. Under the guise of his retirement fishing trip, Black continues to investigate the crime, even purchasing a gas station at crossroads he's convinced the killer will visit. Jerry also forms an attachment to single mother Lori (Robin Wright Penn, "Message in a Bottle") and her eight year old daughter Chrissy.
Adapted from the Friedrich Durrenmatt novel by Jerzy Kromolowski and Mary Olson-Kromolowski, "The Pledge" is a character study of a man so obssessed with his mission that he loses the chance to make a life for himself. Director Sean Penn ("The Crossing Guard") has assembled an incredible cast to flesh out the story as he focusses on Black/Nicholson's journey. Penn gets the closest thing to a real performance out of the superstar that Nicholson's given in years. Unfortunately, Nicholson has become such a larger than life caricature of himself that when he attempts to shed his own persona you sometimes see the gears turning.
Support is almost an embarrassment of riches with some of the best in the business appearing in little more than one scene cameos. Firstly, Benicio Del Toro goes out on a limb with a strange interpretation of the feeble minded initial suspect and not only pulls it off but makes an indelible impression while doing so. Vanessa Redgrave is perfect as the Scandanavian grandmother of the victim who professes to be 'all business' when giving her granddaughter her piano lesson. (Great resemblance casting as well - Redgrave looks like the mother of Patricia Clarkson.) Helen Mirren is a psychologist Jerry goes to for help to interpret a drawing of the victim's. Mirren creates tension (ably assisted by Penn's multiple POV editting choices) by turning the tables on Jerry's motivations (which in turn present him as a possible suspect). Lois Smith ("Twister") is good as a disabled, elderly mother who may not see her son for what he is while Tom Noonan ("What Happened Was...") is creepily effective as the religious man with an interest in Chrissy. Mickey Rourke is the broken father of a missing girl. Harry Dean Stanton is the bored gas station owner who gets an unexpected windfall. Sam Shepard is Jerry's former boss.
In the larger supporting roles, Wright Penn captures a broken woman happy to just be just getting along, amazed when she gets something better. Aaron Eckhart makes Jerry's partner Stan a young Turk who can't wait to brush aside the older guy to step prematurely into the limelight.
Technically, Penn is supported by cinematographer Chris Menges ("A World Apart") and editor Jay Cassidy ("The Crossing Guard") who capture the gorgeous terrain (British Columbia, Canada, stands in for Nevada) and intimate interiors in unconventional ways (overhead shots, dissolves, overlapping time sequence edits). An early scene, where Jerry approaches the Larsens to deliver bad news, is staged amidst thousands of turkeys who drown out the (unneeded) dialogue - a unique and brilliant choice. The score by Hans Zimmer and Klaus Badelt ("Gladiator") enhances the story by using musical themes to denote character (native American drum percussion worked with piano, for instance).
"The Pledge" has a unique, albeit open ended conclusion which may leave some viewers feeling unsatisfied. Penn has clearly taken the artistic high road here, and while he doesn't always succeed, he's created a haunting piece of work.
B+
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