On the eve of his retirement, Nevada homicide detective Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is drawn into the most horrifying crime of his life - the battered body of a little girl has been found and it has all the markings of a serial killer. Black is the one chosen to tell the little girl's family of her tragic fate. He promises the distraught parents that he will find the killer no matter how long it takes and whatever the toll. This pledge will change his life forever.
To the rest of the force, a suspect has been found and he has confessed before taking his own life. The case is officially closed. End of story. But instinct tells Black that the killings have not ended. Driven to seek the truth, Black will also be driven to the point of obsession. Where does duty end and obsession begin? And what price will this pledge exact on Black and all those around him?
Harrowing, gripping and deeply moving, The Pledge is no ordinary psychological thriller, it explores terrain other thrillers fear to tread. And it will make you witness what you dare not see. Teaming for the second time with Jack Nicholson since the critically acclaimed 'The Crossing Guard', director Sean Penn has assembled a superb ensemble cast (Benicio Del Toro, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Robin Wright Penn, Vanessa Redgrave and Sam Shepard) to create one of the most strikingly original and emotionally powerful thrillers of our time.