Jerry Black (Jack Nicholson) is retiring from the police force. A little girl's body is found, and he's asked to go in for one more case. When the girl's mother (Patricia Clarkson) asks him to find the killer, she forces him to take a pledge. When brash cop Stan Krolak (Aaron Eckhart) gets a mentally weak Indian (Benicio Del Toro) to confess, Jerry isn't so sure and continues to investigate despite nobody believes him.
It's obvious that director Sean Penn called in a lot of people. This is filled wall to wall with top ranked acting talents. Every character is played by great actors no matter how small the roles.
This movie takes its time. Maybe it takes too much time. It sets an interesting tone. It's moody. But the pace suffers. Sean Penn has an actor's instinct rather than a storyteller. He gets great performances from great actors. But the story meanders. It's more of a character study as the Jerry character oscillates from a superior police mind to a paranoid father figure. The character study culminates in an unusual ending.
It's obvious that director Sean Penn called in a lot of people. This is filled wall to wall with top ranked acting talents. Every character is played by great actors no matter how small the roles.
This movie takes its time. Maybe it takes too much time. It sets an interesting tone. It's moody. But the pace suffers. Sean Penn has an actor's instinct rather than a storyteller. He gets great performances from great actors. But the story meanders. It's more of a character study as the Jerry character oscillates from a superior police mind to a paranoid father figure. The character study culminates in an unusual ending.