Review of The Pledge (2001) by Evan S — 09 Apr 2009

It's pointless to speculate as to who the killer is or was, largely because as with all fiction, the characters and events exist only as we see them, or rather as the author meant them to be seen. In this case the whodunnit part of the plot is clearly left uncertain. Not that it seems that important. If you're worrying about who the killer was, you're missing the whole idea of this beautiful movie. All that's important is that the killer got his come-uppance.

The point of "the pledge" is the idea of something at work which is beyond man, something beyond "the personal". The repeated references to God, the church and angels etc would seem corny if they were not counter-balanced by references to the more primitive origins of man's longing for truth, justice and honour, expressed through the timelessness of the American wilderness, and also conveyed by the soul-wrenching song "Nwahulwana", which is heard while Jerry Black on his fishing trip.

Having just watched this film, I'm moved by it, but can't really say why. There's something very special about every scene. A very well crafted film with a beautiful overtone of universal justice.