The Pledge
2001 · 124 min · Director: Sean Penn
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
On the night he retires as a Reno, Nevada detective, Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) pledges to the mother of a murdered girl that he will find the killer. Jerry doesn't believe the Police arrested the right man. He discovers that this is the third incident in the area in the recent past with victims young, blonde, pretty, and small for their ages. So he buys an old gas station in the mountains near the crimes in order to search for a tall man who drives a black station wagon, gives toy porcupines as gifts, and calls himself "the wizard", all clues from a drawing by the dead girl. Jerry's solitary life gives way to friendship with a woman and her small, blonde daughter. Has Jerry neglected something that may prove to be fatal?
Emotional fingerprint
The Pledge (2001) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Anxiety 30%, Tension 25%, Sadness 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Anxiety30%
- Tension25%
- Sadness20%
- Confusion15%
- Disturbing10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Anxiety, Tension, Sadness. Genres: Drama, Mystery, Crime. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Anxiety, Tension and Sadness. Its IMDb rating of 6.7/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 69/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Tension
- Empathy
- Sadness
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Joy
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Tension | Empathy | Sadness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | 18 % | 0 % | 5 % | 3 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 9′ | Joy | 43 % | 12 % | 18 % | 15 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Disturbing | 70 % | 36 % | 43 % | 44 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Sadness | 78 % | 52 % | 62 % | 60 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Disturbing | 77 % | 64 % | 59 % | 49 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 34′ | Tension | 78 % | 60 % | 59 % | 49 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Sadness | 72 % | 40 % | 58 % | 55 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Tension | 63 % | 37 % | 50 % | 51 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Sadness | 56 % | 36 % | 44 % | 43 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Joy | 40 % | 22 % | 27 % | 26 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Sadness | 43 % | 30 % | 23 % | 25 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Tension | 54 % | 46 % | 28 % | 30 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Joy | 53 % | 40 % | 36 % | 27 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Empathy | 57 % | 35 % | 51 % | 30 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Joy | 54 % | 34 % | 44 % | 21 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Tension | 56 % | 47 % | 35 % | 9 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 102′ | Tension | 76 % | 73 % | 45 % | 10 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 109′ | Tension | 88 % | 84 % | 56 % | 27 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 115′ | Sadness | 88 % | 81 % | 65 % | 53 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 121′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Oedipus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Pledge. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Rudy
Resort Owner
Bus Driver
Details
- Directed by
- Sean Penn
- Written by
- Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2001
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Country
- United States, Canada
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Anxiety
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
Free
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