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Written by: Friedrich Dürrenmatt (book), Jerzy Kromolowski & Mary Olson-Kromolowski (screenplay)
Directed by: Sean Penn
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Robin Wright, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Harry Dean Stanton
Rated: R
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Plot
A retiring police detective pledges to catch the killer of a young child.
Verdict
This is about a cop that can't let go of a case with a lot of the typical plot elements that follow that. This story is more grounded that a lot of cop movies as this isn't a rogue cop recklessly tearing through the city. Jerry is operating in a gray area, but it's the conclusion that makes this movie notable. It's not a happy ending, but it's just how far this movie takes it that will make you remember this.
It depends.
Review
This feels like a much older movie with the opening, slower pace, and being shot on film. With the pacing, I admittedly wanted this movie to get going. There are quite a few indulgences on the artistic side, with zoom shots and overlays. The problem is that each time it happened I wondered why. A good shot shouldn't make you stop.
Jerry (Jack Nicholson) is a retiring cop that reluctantly makes a promise to find a killer. The cops find a suspect, but Jerry doesn't think he's the guy. Despite retiring, Jerry can't let go of this cage. His friends on the force indulge his off the books investigation, but only so far.
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| Jack Nicholson plays Jerry |
Jerry buys a gas station in the same area as the murder. I wasn't sure if he just wanted something to do in retirement or he was running the long game to catch a killer. That's one of the things about this movie, I was never quite sure of Jerry's intentions. Did he offer the bartender a place to stay because her daughter matches the victims of the killer he's chasing? Some of this stuff you could see as just a coincidence, but on the whole you begin to wonder how far Jerry will go. He seems to be using the daughter as bait, but then gets upset when the plan works and it attracts his suspect. I reached a point where it was too much for coincidence.
Jerry can't let go of this case, and the ending of this movie is not happy. Everyone is convinced Jerry's suspicions were wrong, and even Jerry doesn't know just how close to being right he was. It's a devastating defeat that has far ranging consequences for Jerry. Jerry was so close, but no one will ever know, not even Jerry.
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