While many great films are adapted from mediocre novels, at times the opposite can happen, resulting in mediocre film serving as basis for great novels. At least this is what Swiss author Friedrich Dürrenmatt believed after his experiences with the script for 1958 crime film It Happened in Broad Daylight. The main star Heinz Rühmann insisted on conventional happy ending and producers obliged, altering Dürrenmatt’s text, after which he used original version and added some of his own complaints about detective fiction in his 1958 novel The Pledge: Requiem for Detective Novel. The novel and the film became basis for number of adaptations and remakes – Italian 1979 film La promessa, Hungarian 1990 film Szürkület and Dutch 1996 film The Cold Light of Day. The last, and arguably the best known adaptation, was 2001 Hollywood crime drama The Pledge directed by Sean Penn.
Protagonist, played by Jack Nicholson, is Jerry Black, police detective from Reno, Nevada who is just about to retire when he is called to investigate case of Ginny Larsen, child that was viciously murdered. Jerry is forced to deliver devastating news to Ginny’s mother Margaret (played by Patricia Clarkson) who makes him swear that he would find the killer at all cost. Jerry’s colleagues quickly apprehend Toby Jay Wadenah (played by Benicio del Toro), young mentally impaired Native American who, after being subjected to intense interrogation, confesses the crime and immediately commits suicide. Police considers case close, but not Jerry who continues to investigate as private citizen and soon concludes that Ginny Larsen is just one of many victims of mysterious serial killer who is still at large. Obsessed with the idea of capturing him, he moves into small town where he would buy gas station. In local bar he meets charming waitress Lori (played by Robin Wright-Penn) with whom he would start a romantic relationship. He is, however, more interested in Chrissy (played by Pauline Roberts), whose age and physical appearance matches Ginny and other victims. Arrival of travelling preacher Gary Jackson (played by Tom Noonan) gives Jerry the perfect suspect, so he uses Ginny to set up a trap for him.
The plot suggests typical serial killer film, but The Pledge actually belongs to the genre of psychological drama. Sean Penn, one of the most talented actors of Hollywood, has, as a director, developed taste for films with content that allows his colleagues to display their talents and most of those films are very intense and utterly dark dramas about characters facing serious family and psychological problems. The Pledge isn’t different and seems like a good opportunity for Jack Nicholson to again show his great acting skills. He plays Jerry as character who starts as good and conscientious policeman only to succumb to obsession that would lead him to lose connection with reality and his own moral compass. Nicholson plays his role better than in The Crossing Guard, his previous collaboration with Penn. His efforts are helped by a very diverse and strong cast, including Mickey Rourke and Harry Dean Stanton who agreed to appear what to amounts to cameo performances. The Pledge benefits from cinematography by Chris Menges and soundtrack by Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer, which maintain elegiac atmosphere throughout the film. Unfortunately, Penn as director doesn’t seem that capable in maintaining right tempo, so two hours of running time seem excessive, while the ending is rushed and confusing. Dark tone, which makes this film not recommendable to people in depressive mood, is one of the reasons why The Pledge failed at the box office and even had difficulties with critics that would otherwise be enthusiastic about this kind of cinema. As a result, The Pledge is film that could be enjoyed mostly by those that appreciate Nicholson’s acting skill.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/ Leofinance blog https://leofinance.io/@drax.leo
Unstoppable Domains: https://unstoppabledomains.com/?ref=3fc23fc42c1b417 Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax y Bitcoin Lightning HIVE donations: https://v4v.app/v1/lnurlp/qrcode/drax Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e
BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
