(rated R, 120 mins)
Jack Nicholson is a police chief who’s about to be retired. It’s the night of his retirement party and he’s supposed to be permanently gone fishin’ for life, but instead winds up fishing into a case of a little girl, brutally raped and killed. Pledging a promise to the young girl’s bereaved mother, Nicholson takes on the long and laboring case that grows more depressing, especially if you’re a parent. What saves the movie is superb acting by an ensemble cast including Helen Mirren as a psychiatrist, Aaron Eckhart as Nicholson’s partner, Benicio Del Toro and Robin Wright Penn as a town local and mother to another young child. What doesn’t make sense is Nicholson’s obsession with the plot, when suddenly he’s no longer solving the crime, but instead living it. Midway through you’ll ask why? Predictable is an understatement but on a lighter note, Sean Penn works magic behind a camera and should stick to directing.
