The Pledge

The Pledge
Cast: Jack Nicholson
Studio: Warner Bros.
Rating: 5/10

In the 1950’s a policeman in a small mid-western town promises the mother of a murdered child that he will capture the killer, and he soon finds himself devoting all his energy to fulfilling this pledge.

Well, that is the quick tasty morsel the studio wants you to eat. But it’s not all that clear cut or entertaining. I don’t know how good the book is, but I hope it’s better than the movie.

Jack Nicholson plays Jerry Black, a detective who is trying his best to accept retirement. Then a vicious crime once again finds him making a promise he’s not sure he can fulfill, and he’s willing to lose it all not to do as he had once in the past.

The crimes revolve around young girls being killed. Honestly, I couldn’t quite stomach the pictures used in the film. I mean, we see enough violence as it is and I’m no wuss, but seeing children depicted so horribly is hard to take. So it may be a reality, but do I need to pay eight bucks to have it rubbed in my face? It was just too much.

As vicious as the crime is, the thrill isn’t there like it should be. You don’t really know who did it, you’ll never guess. But it doesn’t matter, because by the time you get to the point of discovery you could care less. You are just begging that they dispose of this horrible individual as soon as possible.

The story gets tangled, gets lost, and almost completely stalls somewhere in the middle where Jerry picks up a family, and you know exactly where that is going. The only nice tangle is seeing Jerry going through phases of coping with his ending life and the lives that had ended so quickly for the young victims. It would be better if Jack Nicholson had a better vehicle to bounce around mental in, but The Pledge is no such ride.

Jerry just ends up going too far, and that could have been great, but this is no Shining. In the end, it’s almost insufferable.

Side note: Benicio Del Toro is one of the most talented actors out there, but here he provides the worst piece of character acting I’ve ever seen.

+ charlie craine


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