The Pledge: Critic Reviews

The performance, and the movie, remind us why Nicholson matters.

Penn as director shows how he can turn an ordinary movie scene -- how many times have we seen a jailhouse interrogation? -- into something inventively, thrillingly singular.

Penn can't be faulted for his work with the actors. Most of the featured players have only a scene or two, but they're indelible.

Mystery-thriller buffs, promise yourselves that you'll see The Pledge. And while you're at it, be sure to invite along Jack Nicholson fans and anyone who saw the first two movies that Sean Penn directed.

It's the rare -- and rewarding -- police drama that cares more for character than plot.

A moving and unmannered motion picture -- a convincing portrait of a man at the end of his rope.

A movie of impressive performances and intriguing visuals that are worth the effort needed to let the tale roll out.

Ultimately, the payoffs just aren't there, either psychologically or dramatically.

A fierce, fragmented, downbeat film.

Sean Penn's agonizing, angst-ridden "The Pledge" feels like a mystery less about murder and more about the inexplicable dangers of impulse and guilt. It's also a waning opportunity to see Jack Nicholson as anything besides a silver-haired hornball.

Its grip is on the mind but not the heart--a problem for a film that clearly aims for some emotional impact.

Nicholson rules over The Pledge with a shaky hand, and that's the source of his power here.

After two honorable failures, helmer Sean Penn makes a quantum leap forward with an intriguing murder mystery that's also effective as a psychological character study. Nicholosn's riveting turn compensates for deliberate pacing and downbeat tone.

Penn shows restraint and patience, letting the actors discover moments, rhythms, and quirks that make their characters believable.

E uma pena que nem todos tenham paciencia para tentar compreender melhor Jerry Black. Tenho certeza de que, no futuro, este sera lembrado como um dos personagens mais marcantes da bela carreira de Jack Nicholson.

Penn has moulded a patient but deeply unsettling character study, leaving the viewer with more questions than answers.

Emotionally powerful film of rare and grave subtlety.

The problem is Nicholson. He sleepwalks through the part in a cloud of ubiquitous cigarette smoke, stiff, uncomfortable, and looking like he wishes he'd never signed that contract.

Carnadas humanas, una historia obsesiva, y un tono lirico tremendo... grata combinacion que transforma una historia policiaca en algo humano, vivo y enteramente emocional.

Steeped in an almost unbearable sadness, dense with moral ambiguity it stubbornly withholds comfort at every startling turn.

Penn's task is well-served not only by a superb cast but the efforts of first-rate collaborators.

Never less than respectable.

The film's stately pace emphasizes Jerry's slow transformation, and there are a number of wonderful scenes, both visually and structurally.

Jack the character actor is back, and it's been well worth the wait.

While some developments are generally predictable, the movie ends up taking us on a thematic journey that is unexpected and shattering.