Guy Ritchie The Covenant 2023 Movie Review
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim
Music: Christopher Benstead
Editor: James Herbert
Cinematography: Ed Wild
Synopsis:
A former U.S. Army special operations sergeant and Afghanistan War veteran, John Kinley, returns to the country to rescue the interpreter who once saved his life from the Taliban.
Guy Ritchie The Covenant 2023 Movie Review:
When Guy Ritchie out-Guy Ritchie’s a Guy Ritchie film and finally again gives us the great filmmaking that made Guy Ritchie a great filmmaker. I can forgive Ritchie now for his Operation Fortune nonsense action film.
It could’ve ended at that hour and I would’ve been fully satisfied, impressed, and entertained. Then we get the bonus last hour of a separate recon and rescue mission mostly undertaken by one soldier, another epic film on its own.
Combine both stories, and you get a flawless film from every aspect, one that is timely and hits home with a reality check on a bond, a
pledge, and a commitment.
From the stellar directing to the perfect screenwriting, excellent cinematography, spot-on score, and stellar casting with outstanding performances by everyone especially Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. The running time and pacing were perfect – I wanted more. The two hours were pure adrenaline as the remarkable and highly emotional journey unfolded.
Also, Read Renfield 2023 Movie Review: Watch the trailer, and skip the Ridiculous movie.
This film had everything and more, and even some surprising laugh-out-loud moments: I like what you did with your hair. pacing is certainly unorthodox, as over half the runtime is dedicated to set-up for an unexpectedly brisk final act.
But all of it was so thoroughly investing that it didn’t bother me. Gyllenhaal is great as always, but the show-stealing star of this film is Dar Salim as Ahmed.
He gives this film its emotional teeth and causes its hook of tension to sink into you and not let go till the end. The pulse-pounding musical score and Ritchie’s refreshingly restrained direction allow this film to truly have far more staying power than most run-of-the-mill war films.
I’m a fan of a few other Guy Ritchie movies, my favorites being The Man from U. N. C. L. E. And Sherlock Holmes, and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. This film is very different in that it is serious in tone, realistic, and not whimsical at all. Yet, there is a subtle stamp of creative intentionality woven into the directing and cinematography that elevated this.
It’s risky to put your name on a film, but he chose a great one. The action shots are great and fairly realistic, but what sets apart this film from other war movies is that it isn’t just another war movie.
Also, Read Ghosted 2023 Movie Review: Painfully Contrived RomCom with Zero Chemistry Between Main Leads
It may still be U. S.-centric in its main character and POV, but The Covenant does a good job of honoring the local interpreters who risked their and their families lives to help those fighting the Taliban.
A lot of the dialogue is in Afghani languages (maybe Dari or Pashto), showing just how out of the water the U. S. soldiers are. A couple of enlightening Afghan cultural elements are included, which I appreciated.
Verdict:
Guy Ritchie just out-Guy Ritchied, a Guy Ritchie film. Sheer brilliance from every angle. An epic must-see film and a perfect 10/10 from me. This one will be in my all-time greatest film collection for sure. It has a hook in me.
One that you cannot see. But it is there.
