I 100% agree with you there. The Pledge, in my honest opinion, was one of the top three pictures of 2001. Sean Penn, who is one of my favorite actors, did a wonderful job directing here, even surpassing his job on 1995's The Crossing Guard. I love how he doesn't surcome to Hollywood convention. Character driven right until the stunning and clever ending, this is one of the best pictures I have ever seen. Interestingly, I showed it to four of my friends on my Movie Night and they were quite divided. Two loved it and thought all of the great things I thought about it were true. The other two (not big film buffs) thought it was too slow and the ending made them angry; they were hoping for another one of those Hollywood endings. Oh well. Anyone who hasn't seen this and wants to see a genre picture with a twist, please give this a try. I beg you. Peace
