Rating of
2/4
Loses its way
Andrew - wrote on 06/04/12
The Pledge starts out with a bang. A girl is murdered, and Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) a soon to be retired cop makes a pledge to the girl's parents that he will find her killer. After apprehending a suspect (Benicio Del Toro), the police question him and get him to "confess". However, he escapes and kills himself with a cop's weapon. This is the high point in the film.
The rest of the film doesn't live up to the beginning. It drags at a snail's pace as Black attempts to find the killer. He takes up a romance with Lori (Robin Wright Penn), which is the only thing that really happens in the latter part of the film. The ending is a great disappointment and without giving up too much information, the film's title is a bit misleading.
The acting is quite good, Jack Nicholson is quite compelling in his role as the mustachioed cop. The supporting cast is effective but not spectacular. The scenery is also great, showing the different seasons and providing a great backdrop for the story. But, the major issue is that this film loses its way in the middle and gets a chance to redeem itself at the end, but fails. A mediocre film overall, not worth going out of your way to see.
