Every day, AlloCiné recommends a film to (re)watch on TV. Tonight: Sean Penn’s third film as director.
Recognized and recognized actor since the early 1980s, Sean Penn embarked on a career as a director in 1991 with The Indian Runner, for which he also wrote the screenplay. Four years later, he directs Jack Nicholson as a vengeful and desperate family man in Crossing Guard.
The two men then met again in 2001 on The Pledge, a crime drama adapted from the novel “The Promise” by German author Friedrich Dürrenmatt. The famous actor this time lends his features to Inspector Jerry Black, who receives the gift of his dreams from his colleagues on the day of his retirement: a plane ticket to go fishing in Mexico. But, at the same time, the body of an eight-year-old girl is discovered, half buried under the snow, in the mountains of Nevada. Determined to investigate, Jerry solemnly promises the mother of the young victim to find the murderer.
After dealing with guilt and forgiveness, Sean Penn picks up the thread of his obsessions by painting a portrait of an America in crisis. In a sticky atmosphere at will, he thus emphasizes the character of the investigator and the ultimate consequences of his commitment, rather than the character of the killer in. At the heart of this dark, sometimes disturbing thriller, Jack Nicholson delivers a very sober performance, far from the crazy roles that made him successful.
The Pledge by Sean Penn with Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright, Aaron Eckhart…
From 12 years old
Tonight on Arte at 8:55 p.m.