|
I used to love watching old Hopalong Cassidy movies on TV when I was
a kid. I still do. If there’s an old black and white cowboy
movie on, I’ll sit down and watch it. Sure, I’ve seen the same
tired story a hundred times over and the acting is usually hokey at best, but
there’s just something fun and innocent about those movies.
Evidently, I’m not the only person with a fondness of old
gunslinger films: writer Jim Byrnes must have been, too…although
he wisely removed any signs of singing cowboys and goofy sidekicks
in favor of a little more violence and drama. Unfortunately,
much like the 2001 Jack Nicholson film of the same name, The
Pledge (2008) is a bit of a bore. That isn’t
to say it’s a bad film…quite the opposite in fact (even
for a television movie)…it’s just that, well, I found
myself completely unable to get into it. The made-for-TV western
drama stars Luke Perry as Matt Austin, a disillusioned sheriff who
ventures out on a tortured quest to find the escaped convict who
brutally murdered his wife and son.
Matt’s day takes a turn for the worse when he discovers
he’s working for the big bad wealthy villain of the story:
a guy named Horn who (naturally) wants to take over some land from
a widowed woman and her son (and whom is played by Soul
Man C. Thomas Howell, the star of numerous direct-to-video
rip-offs of Hollywood A-List movies).
 Aside from its utilization of several Simi Valley locations and
buildings, The Pledge (2008) (also known as A
Gunfighter’s Pledge) also manages to give us a rarity:
decent acting. Granted, I was never interested enough to actually
pay attention to the dialogue but I can say with the utmost
certainty that the actors and actresses were able to deliver said
dialogue with a sufficient amount of credibility. I would
also like to point out that good ol’ Luke Perry’s acting
ability has improved by leaps and bounds over the years, and that
the look and sound he incorporates into his character is convincing
(not to mention refreshing). C. Thomas Howell on the other
hand hams it up big time as Horn and loves every minute of it (and
the fact that he looks a bit like a disturbing cross between John
Waters and Hugh Laurie here makes his part that much more amusing).
 Another nice thing about The Pledge (2008) is
that it’s short - real short - and the brisk 79 minute
running time reminds me of some of the old black and white B-Westerns
that helped inspire it (it’s amazing how long a TV movie is
once you remove those damn commercials).
The Pledge (2008) co-stars a venerable who’s-who
cast of familiar faces including Kim Coates as the assailant of
Austin’s family, Jaclyn DeSantis (the widow and potential
love interest), Wyatt Smith as the token kid-who-admires-gunfighter,
Christopher Guest’s brother Nicholas, Jorge Pallo, and James
Keane as the spineless preacher who turns the other cheek to the
rich bad guy’s evildoings (eat your heart out, Pat Robertson).
 Presentation
Genius Entertainment brings us a nice-looking transfer
of the RHI-produced television movie in an anamorphic
widescreen 1.78:1 ratio and, while it isn’t perfect, it isn’t half-bad
either. The English 5.1 Surround Sound suffices, but rarely
makes full use of its potential.
Extras
The only Special Features on this disc are a couple of
Previews for Lonesome Dove: 2-Disc Collector’s Edition, Aces
N’ Eights, and the Lou Diamond Philips vehicle Lone
Rider. That’s it (a pity, as I would liked
to have seen some cast interviews for once).
The Bottom Line
Pretty standard TV western stuff, kids: if that’s your cup
of tea, pick it up - if not, skip it altogether.
|
