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The Pledge

2001 · 124 min

A slow, brooding descent into obsession, carried by a weary, haunted performance and a pervasive sense of dread.

Directed by
Sean Penn
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Starring
Jack Nicholson, Helen Mirren, Aaron Eckhart
Tagline
Detective Jerry Black has made a promise he can't break, to catch a killer he can't find.
Overview
A police chief, about to retire, pledges to help a woman find her daughter's killer.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Sean Penn
Genres
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Starring
Jack Nicholson, Helen Mirren, Aaron Eckhart
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • guilt
  • justice
  • isolation
  • redemption
Places
  • small town
  • countryside
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror3
Humour1
Realism8
Romance2
Tension6
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, drama, mystery, thriller
Directed by
Sean Penn
Written by
Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski
Starring
Jack Nicholson, Helen Mirren, Aaron Eckhart, Robin Wright, Sam Shepard, Benicio del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Mickey Rourke
Music
Klaus Badelt, Hans Zimmer
Cinematography
Chris Menges
Runtime
124 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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