Came to see Jack Nicholson. This movie had me invested, I loved Jack's character and his major ideas to catch a killer. There's excellent character development. Easily was being one of the best catch a killer films I've seen. I would even say interesting ending, but I can not. Then, when the stage was set in the climatic finale, the writers thought it would be best to ruine the film. Terrible ending and it just ruined our main character. It's as if they knew our minds would know the ending we wanted when it was right in front of us, a masterpiece. They decided to pull the rug out from under us and disrespect Nicholson's movie career. I'd give this a half star if it weren't for Jack. Actually, the more I think about it....this movie was phenomenal until it was ruined. It's not something you'll want to re-watch thanks to the ending. This went from an incredible 5 star to a trash star.

Was off to an interesting start and held our interest. Unfortunately we were pretty frustrated and angry in the final 10 minutes or so. Ending was terrible and leaves you feeling like the movie was a waste of time.

Although the acting was good, the plot and terrible ending makes this movie come way short. Recommend you skip this one even if it has jack in it.

A waaaaay too long drama-thriller, with a poor ending. With a descent ending with some suspence, it would have been watchable, but still 20 minutes too long. A missed opportunity.

An ensemble cast supports Jack N. in a subtle performance as a retired detective trying to catch a serial chile killer. Strong points are the interaction of the various characters and the building sense of tension. The plot is a little thin and does next to nothing with the killer. Still a fun ride with Jack and the rest of the crew. I'm a sucker for minor characters and Benicio del Toro gives a brief but outstanding stint in a very challenging role.

This is one of those movies that not even the stellar cast can make it good. My BFF rented it because it was on a rack of Jack Nicholson movies and we’d never seen it. We were waiting for a to get better but all hope was lost and we will never get those two hours back.

Currently streaming with the other junk on Netflix. This is the story of the worst detective on earth. Anyone sitting in the audience will put together clues faster than he does. defies logic in so many ways. A detective promises the mother of a slain child he will find the killer, yet he completely forgets how to be a cop. I guess that has to do with Sean Penn’s outlook that the minute you turn 60 you go senile. This film is insulting to seniors. He identifies the perfect suspect in his own town who obviously fits everything of own description of the killer.… And does nothing. Just seems to merrily forget about it and go fishing. never bothers to follow up on what he finds. Extremely irritating to a moviegoer who are pounding their television screens saying, “hey why don’t you do something?” Lol He apparently becomes an abandoned pariah at the end for being “crazy,” although anyone with a half a brain could figure out that he was correct, afterwards, (himself included; apparently he doesn’t bother to try and exonerate himself and just hits the bottle). And never mind little things detectives might know about like collecting forensic evidence, establishing background or motive on the killer under his nose. Or even knocking on his door, although the killer is about as subtly crazy and creepy as Robert Mitchum in “the night of the hunter” (“X-Files” fan, special appearance by your favorite creepy “paper hearts” guy. I got a laugh when he appeared. ) The religious portraiture of the film is overkill. And although I’m not religious, Penn’s outlook is an insulting Believe in Jesus and you’re a white trash nut. Penns trying to direct with a deft hand and it’s simultaneously a sledgehammer and an axe - blunt and hackneyed. I basically wanted to punch Jack Nicholson, for being the dumbest cop in the world. And Sean, have you gone senile yet? You’re over sixty! Someone rated this as eight for the first half and four for the second half. That sounds about right except maybe seven for the first half.

A well intended retirement plan of a good honest humane police officer's ❤️‍🩹 heart breaking ending.

One of Jack Nicholson's best performances. The supporting cast is just excellent and the Direction by Sean Penn was as expected, meaning superb. This is not a murder mystery. This is a character study of a man's descent into madness and obsession. The irony in the ending is shocking and devestating. If you love film, good film, and know the difference between good film and just movies, this film is for you.

Horrendous movie. Just horrible. Probably the worst movie I have seen. Bad story line and the movie super slow for 1,5 hours only - in the end - to jump over important elements in a matter of seconds. The cinematography is dreadful, too - even with a 2001-standard. Do not watch it.

I thought it was a very good movie all the way up until the end which dropped it two stars. Ridiculous ending; very unsatisfying and disappointing.

Just like life, things are not always resolved and good people do stupid things.

Open end. 2 hours for nothing. No killer identified.

Terrible ending lol whole two hours just for that

Absolutely shite, nothing happens for two hours. Had a date round to watch it and she left straight after it ended and hasn't text me back since.

A lot of suspense, with a disappointing ending

Jack Nicholson, Aaron Eckhart, Dale Dickey, Sam Shepard, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton, Benicio del Toro, Mickey Rourke, Robin Wright Penn, and Costas Mandylor. Jerry is about to retire from the police force. But a call comes in about a young girl's murder in the snowy wilderness of Nevada. So he takes on the case hoping to catch the killer. The suspect is apprehended but shoots himself. Jerry then investigates the town next to where the crime occurred. He starts to bond with a mother and daughter but his fellow officers figure the case is done. There might be more though than what actually happened. A lot of this subject matter is very grim. Much of the movie is kinda lacking the thrills and just Jerry moseying about his retirement. But Nicholson's performance shines. I'd be lying if I said the scenery wasn't lush looking. I really expected to be wowed more by this. You have this stellar cast but a lot of them are just in the background. I was also very disappointed by the ending. Sean Penn makes for a good director though. The material should've been better even if it is based on a book.

This cliché-free film is a realistic symbolization of retirement, implemented in a creative twist of the well-known cat-and-mouse game. Nicholson is just fantastic, portraying a nice retired detective who struggles with his beliefs, emotions and old age. The movie is slow, even very slow, but attributes to the retired character. The viewer experiences his thought process step by step in a very focused story with a lot of details, accompanied by a fitting score by Hans Zimmer. Most coming back out of retirement movies do not feature the realistic dilemmas displayed in The Pledge. The direction of Sean Penn is very pleasant. However, the ending of this movie is a bit unsatisfying, even if the main goal is achieved. I think it would be better to leave the ending open to the viewer's imagination.

Jack Nicholson protagonista assoluto, tanto dismesso quanto fedele alla promessa fatta, interpreta un perfetto protagonista che sorregge una sceneggiatura sicuramente interessante quanto non esente da forzature e da banalità. La caccia ad un serial killer nascosto mostra una bella costruzione della passività e della durata delle ricerche, mentre invece è parecchio carente sotto il punto di vista dei personaggi secondari e soprattutto sulla poca importanza data allo sviluppo del villain. Alcuni passaggi poi sono evitabili, la relazione tra il protagonista e la giovane donna in primis. Il finale per quanto graficamente pessimo lascia un messaggio agrodolce che colpisce. Alcuni attori tra cui Helen Mirren sono davvero poco e mal sfruttati.

I really loved this movie. Jack Nicholson was so subtle and magnificent to watch. Jerry was such a great character! I loved his humility when he had to deliver bad news. His tenderness with Chrissy was so moving. I was yelling at the screen when he made some incredibly boneheaded decisions that showed his obsession with catching the bad guy had taken a turn that wasn't going to be good for anyone. Robin Wright was great as a tormented mom. Benicio Del Toro was haunting and his scene was so awkward, cringy and hard to watch. Helen Mirren! Vanessa Redgrave! Are you kidding me? What a treat they were. I loved how the movie showcased a wonderful cop and person being just put out to pasture. It made me feel so much sympathy. And the plot just kept me on the edge of wondering whether he was developing some mental health problems. I know the ending might disappoint but if you really look, you can see how Jerry's decisions throughout led to the end. Jack Nicholson's facial expressions are so perfect. You can see how he brings all his Jackness to round out that amazing character.