00s Movie Review - The Pledge

Director: Sean Penn
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Mystery
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright, Aaron Eckhart, Sam Shepard, Benicio del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Harry Dean Stanton

Description: A retired police detective (Jack Nicholson) pledges to catch the killer of a young child.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 8: A MOVIE DIRECTED BY AN ACTOR
 
Review: On a cold winter day, a boy stumbles upon the lifeless body of an eight-year-old girl. Soon they find a suspect for the murder, but for recently retired homicide detective Jerry Black the case isn’t settles. As far as he is concerned, the real killer is still out there. He promises the victim’s family to find the killer of their little girl and to fulfull this promise, Jerry is willing to use any means necessary.  

Sean Penn is not just an amazing actor, he is also an excellent director. He proves that with “The Pledge” a lesser known film starring Jack Nicholson.

At first sight, “The Pledge” seems like a standard thriller. But it has much more to offer than the clichéd whodunit. In fact, finding the killer is not so much the main focus; the film clearly addresses more important, more profound themes. Therefore, do not expect spectacular action scenes, as the somewhat slow film has to rely mainly on its dialogues, well-developed characters and tension.   

This all makes the intelligent “The Pledge” highly recommended for those who want to see a less conventional thriller for a change.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 54: The Man with One Red Shoe

Director: Stan Dragoti
Genre: Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Tom Hanks, Jim Belushi, Carrie Fisher, Dabney Coleman, Lori Singer, Tom Noonan

Description: A man (Tom Hanks) picked randomly out of a crowd is made the target of CIA surveillance and pursuit.

Review: Tom Hanks plays Richard Drew, a violinist. He is randomly picked out of a crowd to become the target of CIA surveillance.
It’s Tom Hanks in his early comedy days. The film is definitely not a masterpiece or one of the better comedies. But it’s a perfect view for a Sunday afternoon. It’s just a fun spy comedy, that only works because of Tom Hanks brilliant comedic timing. It’s watchable, but never laugh-out-loud-comedy.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 132: The Monster Squad

Director: Fred Dekker
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Family/ Horror
Runtime: 82 minutes
Year: 1987
Starring: André Gower, Robert Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, Tom Noonan, Brent Chalem, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Mary Ellen Trainor, Michael Faustino

Description: A young group of monster fanatics attempt to save their hometown from Count Dracula and his monsters.

Review: “The Monster Squad” is a mix of a lot of things. It’s “The Goonies” meets “The Lost Boys” meets “Ghostbusters” meets “The Little Rascals”. Especially eighties kids will love this movie, because it’s full of nostalgia.
Count Dracula and his groups of monster sidekicks is ready to take over the world. But they didn’t know about “The Monster Squad”, a groups of school kids that love monster stories.
“The Monster Squad” is for us geeks, it’s a fun eighties flick that will entertain you during the entire runtime. I think this film gained a cult status over the years. It’s also obvious that the ‘80s were more tolerable, because there is a lot of swearing and there are sexual references in this family movie.
For anyone that is from the eighties, this will be a treat.

Rating: 4/ 5