A police chief, about to retire, pledges to help a woman find her daughter's killer.
Acting
Nicholson's most restrained, devastating performance.
Direction
Penn's patient, punishing formal control.
Cinematography
Bleak Nevada landscapes as psychological state.
Director
Sean Penn
Jack Nicholson
Jerry Black
Helen Mirren
Doctor
Aaron Eckhart
Stan Krolak
Robin Wright
Lori
Sam Shepard
Eric Pollack
Benicio del Toro
Toby Jay Wadenah
Patricia Clarkson
Margaret Larsen
Mickey Rourke
Jim Olstad
Vanessa Redgrave
Annalise Hansen
Lois Smith
Helen Jackson
Eileen Ryan
Jean
Costas Mandylor
Monash Deputy
Harry Dean Stanton
Floyd Cage
Tom Noonan
Gary Jackson
Beau Daniels
Rudy
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Penn fought the studio for that crushing ending; they wanted resolution, he gave us eternal uncertainty.
The porcupine drawing became an unintentional meme, but it's genuinely crucial visual storytelling.
US
