I had rather low expectations for The Pledge - even though I've admired Penn as an actor (Dead Man Walking, Racing With The Moon, etc.) I really didn't care much for his writing/directing attempts (Indian Runner and The Crossing Guard) so I finally got around to watching this on cable and I was not prepared for how intriguing, intelligent and emotionally powerful the movie was. Yes, obviously, from other people's comments, this isn't every one's cup of tea. Fine. You want quickie thriller, wall to wall action - go watch Con Air or something. Popcorn movies are fine. People need to turn off their brains and escape every now and then (Unfortunately for big budget movies - its more NOW and very rarely THEN)> So that is why I really enjoyed the slow pace and the ambiguity of the plot - it left things out there for you to find, to discover, to ponder. Nicholson - who is so capable of just phoning it in lately or just doing a gig for a paycheck (Anger Management - YIKES!!!) - but here he really delivers a strong, aching performance. He is surrounded by excellent actors (especially Del Toro, Eckhart and a very impressive tiny scene from Mickey Rourke). I know there are huge fans of the German book and the movie - I will seek them out. But I have watched this film twice and it is even more powerful the second time. One CAN be driven mad by NEVER knowing something so ghastly, something so important.

My summary is NOT because I disliked "The Pledge". However, two things about the movie make it very tough viewing. The story is about a sicko who rapes and murders children. This is NOT an easy thing to watch. Additionally, there is an absolutely horrific scene...and my wife bailed on the movie following it...and she's not especially squeamish. You see what looks very real as a man shoots himself in the head...blood and all! Be forewarned...this is not an easy picture.

Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is a police chief who is retiring. His final case involves the rape and murder of a second grader...and he takes the parents anguish to heart and pledges to find the killer. Although he's now retired, he spends his retirement searching for the person responsible...and it appears as if they've killed several times already.

There is much more to the story than this and the bulk of the film is Black post-retirement...and his life and the plot unfolds very slowly and lovingly. You really like the guy and care for those around him. And, that brings me to a disappointing thing about the picture. I really loved it to this point (despite the suicide and the squicky plot)...the finale really felt unsatisfying and vague. The reasons for this are in the IMDB trivia...the studio ran out of money! This also might make it tough to watch...or at least frustrating. It's a real shame, as I really, really liked the performances and the actors deserved better.

Jack Nicholson is in one sense a throwback to the old time studio system of actors in like stars such as Cary Grant or James Cagney he's so identifiable, impersonators have made whole careers of doing Nicholson. But the usual Nicholson is not really present here. Director Sean Penn kept the usual Nicholson shtick carefully in check in The Pledge, but did get a great performance out of him as a cop who just can't let the job go. Happens in many jobs when you are conscientious and care about what you do.

On the eve of his retirement Nicholson who is at his retirement dinner goes out with the rest of the detectives and uniforms on a crime scene of a brutal rape murder of a child. A mentally challenged Benicio Del Toro is arrested and a confession is wormed out of him. But rather than go through the system DelToro steals a cop's gun and it's suicide by cop.

Nicholson isn't satisfied and he thinks he has found a pattern of a serial killer. He also befriends Patricia Clarkson who has a little girl of the same type as the one this serial killer is supposed to like.

Clarkson is a good soul who has had it rough and she and Nicholson start developing a relationship which under normal circumstances might go somewhere. But even in retirement Nicholson is a cop first and foremost. That fact kills any chances he'll have of happiness and completion.

Sean Penn assembled a good cast that gives great performances, especially those I've mentioned. No Nicholson shtick here like you find in such classics as Chinatown and A Few Good Men, but a really good acting job.