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Summary:
Synopsis
Front and Back DVD cover of the Film: The Pledge
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Rating: 10 out of 10; What the rating means in my system: "A must see for
everyone with a serious or casual interest in film and anyone else who is not
averse to or doesn't otherwise philosophically object to the genre."
I'm sure you've heard of Easy Listening music. The term is usually reserved for artists like Sinatra, Doris Day, Johnny Mathis, etc.--performers from an older generation who specialize in catchy tunes that don't stretch envelopes and that don't contain any `harsh' or unexpected sounds. It's quality music, but it's, well, easy listening. You may have heard of `Difficult Listening' as well, which is just as you might expect given the description of Easy Listening and a knowledge of antonyms--cutting edge or avant garde music (not necessarily new chronologically) that either takes lots of unexpected turns, contains `harsh' or discordant sounds, or that like old-school minimalism (Steve Reich, Philip Glass, etc.) and some of its more mainstream influences (Brian Eno, say), is, well, difficult to listen to in some way, at least at first--until you come to know it better.
I bring this up for the sake of analogy. The Pledge, controversial Hollywood icon Sean Penn's third directorial effort, is really, despite superficial appearances to the contrary, Difficult Viewing. I suppose the analogy, and the use of the term to name something about art in the first place, is somewhat dangerous in that it's likely to automatically turn some potential consumers off. There's a sense of `difficult to experience' that implies `problematic because undesirable.' There's also a psychology that intentionally avoids difficult things whenever possible. Neither of these facts really capture (although neither is completely wrong, I suppose) what those of us who like `difficult to experience' works mean. As in The Pledge, what `difficult to experience' really refers to is that, to approach understanding the film on any but the most superficial level, the consumer has to make an effort, has to concentrate, has to actively participate in interpreting the material as it unfolds.
Superficially, Jack Nicholson is Jerry Black, a Reno, Nevada cop who is about to retire. His colleagues and friends throw him a `surprise' farewell party. While the party is taking place, Jerry notices that a few attendees are being called away from the revelry for police business. As a dedicated, life-long cop, this is more interesting to him than the party, even if he is about to retire. He ends up at the scene of a child molestation/murder. While there, they discover that no one has yet informed the parents. Jerry ends up performing this challenging task, and while there, makes a pledge to the mother that he will find the killer. The Pledge is, naturally enough, about Jerry's attempt to keep that promise.
The story, based on a novel by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, is certainly interesting enough, but in many ways, the story doesn't matter--this is a film that's almost all subtext, style and symbolism. That this is so is obvious enough from the opening, which features a tacit, nearing-homeless-looking Nicholson, achingly looking towards the heavens as a semi-transparent layer of birds fly around him. While a lesser film would have narration here along the lines of `I wasn't always like this. I used to be focused and determined . . . let me tell you how it all began,' (Affliction is an example), Penn thankfully makes you figure this out for yourself.
Much of the subtext is about Jerry's psychology, which we'll get back to in a minute, but some of it is about Nevada, the West, and a sparse style of life. Penn employs some beautiful cinematography, especially some shots of mountains that are almost otherworldly and a few tree-lined country roads, but oddly, bleaches much of the color from the film. By doing this, he brilliantly achieves a kind of dual commentary--in many ways, being in the Western wilderness environment is like being in the lap of the gods, but in just as many ways, it's lacking and monotonous. The latter part isn't totally negative--as minimalism shows, there can be great beauty in monotony, too. Penn's depiction is more realist than an `everything's coming up rosy' approach would have been.
Jerry is a very complex character, a reflection of his environment. He's admirable and ethical and noble, but he's not pretty. He's been through two failed marriages, he's taking up chain smoking and although he likes fishing, he doesn't seem to want to retire. Besides fishing, he really doesn't know what else to do with his life, and fishing isn't enough for him. Although The Pledge has elements of a more traditional mystery/suspense flick, you can easily read it as just about Jerry--they really did catch the killer early on and Jerry just can't cope with retirement and what he considers the failures of his life, so he becomes increasingly neurotic, obsessed and paranoid until he approaches a final breakdown with his final, most tragic failure.
Penn, as a less bombastic but just as eclectic Oliver Stone in the director's chair, makes the film much deeper yet. All of the odd and `effects' shots are there as philosophical commentary on Jerry's, and our, life. Among some of the messages in these Stone-like shots are that time keeps ticking away, apparently slowly, but quicker than we think (the clocks), chances dissolve into the past if we don't grab them, although at the same time, every missed opportunity is a door to new ones (the airplane and the subsequent dramatic developments), and the yearning for (spiritual) freedom (the birds). There are countless others, but that gives you the idea.
There are more than a few parallels to another film starring Nicholson--The Postman Always Rings Twice--which is a good gauge for whether you're likely to enjoy The Pledge. This is not a `fast,' MTV-generation film by any means. You shouldn't miss it, but you should come prepared to think.
The Pledge
Starring: Jack Nicholson
Format: Color, Closed-captioned
Studio: Warner Studios
DVD Release Date: October 30, 2001
DVD Features:
Number of discs: 3
DVD Easter Eggs
Two (2) Cast Bios
From the main menu, go to special features. Now got to cast and crew. As soon
as it pops up there will only be two names with explorable features. Go to the
top and highlight them and press enter to see bios.
The
Pledge
4 out of 5
The
Pledge
- Jack Nicholson .... Jerry Black
- Patricia Clarkson .... Margaret Larsen
- Beau Daniels .... Rudy Karin
- Benicio Del Toro .... Toby Jay Wadenah
- Dale Dickey .... Strom
- Wendy Donaldson .... Resort Owner (as Wendy Morrow Donaldson)
- Adrien Dorval .... Sheriff (as P. Adrien Dorval)
- Aaron Eckhart .... Stan Krolak
- Shawn Henter .... Bus Driver
- Kathy Jensen .... Store Clerk
- Taryn Knowles .... Ginny Larsen
- Nels Lennarson .... Hank
- Costas Mandylor .... Monash Deputy
The night he retires as a Nevada sheriff, Jerry Black pledges to the mother of a murdered girl that he will find the killer. Jerry doesn't believe the police arrested the right man; he discovers this is the third incident in the area in the recent past with victims young, blond, pretty, and small for their age. So he buys an old gas station in the mountains near the crimes in order to search for a tall man who drives a black station wagon, gives toy porcupines as gifts, and calls himself the wizard: clues from a drawing by the dead girl. Jerry's solitary life gives way to friendship with a woman and her small, blond daughter. Has Jerry neglected something that may prove fatal?
Synopsis
The Pledge The PledgeThe Pledge
