A 2001 crime drama starring Jack Nicholson has made a quiet comeback on Amazon Prime Video, attracting new attention from viewers and reigniting debate around its polarising ending.
The Pledge, directed by Sean Penn, was released with relatively modest fanfare at the time, but it has steadily gained a cult following over the years.
The story follows Jerry Black, a veteran detective in rural Nevada who’s on the cusp of retirement. At what should be the end of a long, commendable career, he finds himself drawn into one final case: the brutal murder of a young girl in the snowy hills outside of town. When Jerry makes a solemn promise to the girl’s grieving mother that he will catch the killer, it becomes clear he cannot walk away from police work just yet.
As his obsession deepens, he becomes entangled in a maze of suspicion, surveillance and personal turmoil. The film unfolds slowly, with a quiet intensity that mirrors Jerry’s descent into solitude and uncertainty.
The Pledge isn’t concerned with providing a tidy resolution – it focuses on what happens when good intentions, trauma, and a thirst for justice spiral into something more ambiguous.
Jack Nicholson leads the cast with a layered performance that draws sympathy without romanticising his character’s flaws – a man haunted not just by the crime, but by the nature of his beliefs.
Surrounding him is an impressive ensemble that includes Aaron Eckhart, Sam Shepard, Patricia Clarkson, Robin Wright, Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mirren, Harry Dean Stanton, Benicio Del Toro and Mickey Rourke. The Pledge had its screenplay adapted from the novel by Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt.
After its release, critics praised Nicholson’s performance and the film’s refusal to follow a conventional path, but its slow pacing and unconventional ending divided opinions then and now.
Online, many have praised the film’s emotional depth, strong performances, and the slow-burning tension that builds throughout. One user reviewed: “Absolutely excellent film. I love the pace, the scrubby character played by Jack Nicholson. I wanted to change the station at times, but something held me to the end… and when it ended, I was angry, thinking: how could it end that way?”
They went on to explain how the film lingered with them, even days after watching, adding: “It’s a tragedy yet a masterpiece in my eyes… I can’t explain it, but I love it.”
Others, however, felt let down by the conclusion, describing the ending as “unsatisfying” and “unfinished”.
Some feel the film’s final scenes undo much of the tension built earlier in the story, while others argue that the ambiguity is the point – that it reflects the emotional complexity and real-world uncertainty not frequently seen in Hollywood crime dramas.
However, there is one thing most watchers seemed to agree on, with comments online echoing thoughts of: “Jack Nicholson is as brilliant and convincing as always”.
The Pledge (2001) is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.