My favorite movie genre has to be gritty crime dramas, especially ones where a serial killer is in play. The pinnacle are the Hannibal Lector movies. The Pledge does not quite live up to that billing, but it is a solid crime drama with an impressive cast. Quite a few of the bit players have gone on to lead films of their own.
A little research tells us that the original author wrote a TV movie and was forced to use a less believable, more happy ending. He then wrote a novella with a more realistic finale, which is where The Pledge is adapted from.
I do not want to give too much away, I just want any user who stumbles across any of my reviews to get an accurate idea of what they are in for and if they should invest their time into watching this movie. The Pledge starts off how all crime fans like - a cop brought in to examine a brutal crime. However, the movie then settles in for a long, slow, almost meandering middle. There are no chases, violence or action as the story builds to its conclusion.
This might turn off or disappoint viewers who expected more action. But I enjoyed the set up. Mainly because the Jack's acting is so good and I enjoyed the character. I have to admit some of his motivations were so subtly implied that I only realized them after researching the film afterwards.
What elevated this to an 8/10 for me was the unconventional ending. Your first reaction is disappointment, even anger. You want just desserts for the scumbags of the world or redemption for the heroes of the world or a clear resolution to the world's problems. But as we all know, real life is not fair. The ending will stick with me for a long time, it will not fade like all the other crime drama endings we have seen. True crime fans, give the movie a view. It's worth the long ride.
A little research tells us that the original author wrote a TV movie and was forced to use a less believable, more happy ending. He then wrote a novella with a more realistic finale, which is where The Pledge is adapted from.
I do not want to give too much away, I just want any user who stumbles across any of my reviews to get an accurate idea of what they are in for and if they should invest their time into watching this movie. The Pledge starts off how all crime fans like - a cop brought in to examine a brutal crime. However, the movie then settles in for a long, slow, almost meandering middle. There are no chases, violence or action as the story builds to its conclusion.
This might turn off or disappoint viewers who expected more action. But I enjoyed the set up. Mainly because the Jack's acting is so good and I enjoyed the character. I have to admit some of his motivations were so subtly implied that I only realized them after researching the film afterwards.
What elevated this to an 8/10 for me was the unconventional ending. Your first reaction is disappointment, even anger. You want just desserts for the scumbags of the world or redemption for the heroes of the world or a clear resolution to the world's problems. But as we all know, real life is not fair. The ending will stick with me for a long time, it will not fade like all the other crime drama endings we have seen. True crime fans, give the movie a view. It's worth the long ride.