Guy Ritchie's The Covenant

4/23/2023

Director Guy Ritchie is no stranger to crafting exciting action films, but his latest project is quite different than his previous work. The narrative is linear, there aren’t any montages, and the story isn’t about criminals, gangsters, or Brits. Fans of Ritchie will absolutely still recognize his visual style (hello, overhead shots) and testosterone-fueled themes, but “The Covenant” is a more dramatic, mature, and restrained work from the legendary director. Set during the war in Afghanistan in 2018, the film tells the story of U.S. Army sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his local Afghan interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim). Called a traitor by his people for helping the Americans, Ahmed has volunteered to seek revenge against the Taliban that killed his son. He has also been promis

5/16/2023

After Guy Ritchie’s last film, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, was an absolute disaster, I seriously considered skipping his most recent outing, The Covenant. However, I'm very happy I didn't because it's become one of my favorite films of the year so far. The direction is excellent, with amazing up-close shots and zooms that really add to the intense nature of the film. The first hour flew by with fantastic build-up and character development. The action was superb and brutally realistic, showcasing the true horrors of the War in Afghanistan in a respectable way. However, after this first act, the movie does slow down a bit, with a pretty substantial lull that lasted about 20 minutes in the middle of the film. It was not terrible, but something I definitely noticed. Performances were

5/21/2023

A staggering tale of an unhinged perseverance which is backed by a captivating screenplay. Air is a story so frivolous and flat , that the courage of Ben Affleck should be lauded with our hats down. A simple plot which would fit within 3 lines of a page is magically presented to us as a fascinating and appealing peace of history which changed the strature of business in sports in America and revolutionized a global culture, Nike's collaboration with the greatest basketball player in the history of the game, "Michael Jordan". The 2 hours doesn't feel long when you have a dazzling screenplay & a marvelous ensemble cast with their pragmatic conversations. Ben Affleck really puts in a fine effort to yield such sensational performances for the star studded cast. Brilliant is an underst

6/4/2023

Seems to be a growing trend nowadays to lead with the credentials of the director in order to get eyeballs onto a movie. That's what seems to have happened here, but once you're watching it turns out to be little better than a derivative vehicle for an unremarkable Jake Gyllenhaal who gets to tug at the heart strings on behalf of those vital interpreters (50,000 of them, apparently) who were abandoned to the Taliban when the allied forces quit Afghanistan. In this rather procedural effort, his guide "Ahmed" (Dar Salim) goes above and beyond to rescue his handler "Kinley" from ambush only to find that the American is flown home to safety, recuperation and a big steak on the barbecue. The latter man is left to reap the benefits of his sterling efforts by having a price on his head and so is

6/13/2023

This strikes me as a "feel good movie" pitched at US audiences. It ultimately makes all the right sounds about military honour and commitment, even when confronted by stubborn bureaucracy and indifference. That said, its only at the end, when you read the "fine print", (300+ interpreters and their families dead) you get to see the scope of the US's lack of commitment to those who collaborated with it, in Afghanistan. I guess the obvious elephant in the living room, is should the US have invaded in the first place? Looking at the facts, the answer is, of course, "no". So much of the misery and loss we see on the ground in this film, probably could have been avoided, had the US stuck to its own borders. The film itself is well made, well acted and directed. Its story does resonat

12/4/2023

Versatile, brutal and gritty - the right movie with the right Director and main actor. Guy Ritchie is well known by his frenzied and energetic filming style and this one not escape the pattern - as with Jake Gyllenhaal that is a well suited actor for action movies (ans strange to remember him in Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain to show as versatile as he can be). Gritty and realistic story (not based on a single story but in a collective of stories of true events), where a US MArine saves a Afghan interpreter life after they fall behind enemy lines. Expect a more realistic and tense movie till the end - if you like war movies this is for you. Filmed on Spain as the real territories of Middle East are dangerous to film into (with some exceptions as Jordania). Engaging enough to