The Pledge

The Pledge is about the hard-working and perceptive police detective Jerry Black, who is about to retire. Retirement does not seem particularly enticing, for he has no one to share it with. So it is not surprising that he finds it hard to let go of his last case, the brutal murder of a little girl. He promises the little girl's parents that he will catch the killer. A mentally retarded oddball confesses under pressure, but Jerry continues his own investigation, to the open irritation of his old colleagues.

Jerry discovers that other little girls have been violated and murdered in the surrounding area, and that these murders have several points in common, but there is still no support to be had. So Jerry puts his investigation on hold. Instead he buys an old petrol station, and later he moves in with a sweet but sorely tried waitress, Lori. She has a little daughter, and one day a diabolical idea takes shape in Jerry's head. Lori's daughter is to be the bait, and since the film is marked by blunt realism and an ominous atmosphere, one can only be apprehensive about this plan.

The Pledge is more than just an atmospheric thriller about the hunt for a killer. It is also a psychological drama with credible and nuanced characterisation.