User reviews

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant is a great movie with an interesting story on an important subject matter. It has some intense action scenes and many moments of suspense. The music is fantastic, elevating every scene. That's now three movies where I've noticed a great musical score by composer Christopher Benstead, along with Wrath of Man and Operation Fortune.

Jake Gyllenhaal gives a great performance as usual. The surprise stand out is Dar Salim, who did a great job of getting me invested in his character and wellbeing. I wish Antony Starr (The Boys, Banshee) had a bigger role, but it was cool to see him have scenes with a star of Gyllenhaal's caliber. He's such a great actor and I continue to wait for him to get major movie roles.

I'm impressed with the subject matter covered here. It's so sad and needs to be addressed. It's not the first time the American government has broken promises or shirked responsibilities resulting in catastrophic outcomes for the people who put their trust in them. Some people will immediately call you unpatriotic for even bringing this up. But wrong is wrong, regardless of who does it.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday 4/20/2023)

I no idea how strongly Guy Ritchie genuinely feels about the grave wrongs that the US and UK military have done to interpreters in both Afghanistan and Iraq in recent conflicts but, if The Covenent is anything to go by, he's pretty pissed. And rightly so. The promises made to these individuals in an effort to get them to behave against the best interests of both them and their families needed to be honoured. In this story and in many real life cases, they weren't. That is shameful.

Jake Gyllenhaal is his usual reliable self, turning in a performance dripping in both commitment and duty. He's a good man and he's gonna do the right thing, no matter how far that necessitates he goes. Dar Salim - a new name to me - is an utter revelation as Ahmed, the bitter but pragmatic interpreter who puts his life on the line countless times to...yes, do the right thing.

The impact that war and each other have on these men's lives is at the very heart of this story. Though not based on any real incident to the best of my knowledge, this movie is testament to many real life situations that I have no doubt still keep men awake at night. It's an important movie and almost certainly a career high for all involved.

I was in OIF 2007, and we had a awesome interpreter in our platoon. I can't say his name but he was a family man and he wanted to help his country by helping us.

This movie reminded me of him and what he sacrifice for us. He's still alive and well.

This movie had me on the edge of my seat the actors, camera work, plot and suspense was a perfect mix though out the entire movie.

The only thing I kinda cringed about was the two vehicle Convoy(down range it's usually 4 minimum) and the unlimited AK ROUNDS in the first 1/2 hr. But besides that great movie. I remember the smells of from the middle east and the dry air .

That's all I really got to say about this movie... the first act in itself was amazing, but added together with the second and third, this movie was absolutely gripping. I rarely find myself verbally willing the characters on in movies, but this one had me muttering 'cmon, CMON!!!' every single time the action ramped up. I love Jake in just about everything he does, and although this was no exception, it was the interpreters performance that took me by surprise. Balancing calmness and urgency, Dar Salim absolutely took me by surprise. I cannot recommend this one more than I already have so I leave you with one last phrase... SEE THE MOVIE!

The Covenant is one of Guy Ritchie's most meaningful films. It's a story that has a purpose and a message. While he's known for his unique visual style he puts that aside for the most part here to focus on the characters and their environment. This movie primarily focuses one two main characters. A Sgt. And an interpreter while in Afghanistan. A lot happens and the two become bonded and become committed to each other in the process. The movie has pacing issues as it starts out fairly slow. It picks up in the second act with some meaningful moments but the third act is where the movie kicks into high gear. The message is one that needs to be shared and the movie does a good enough job on this front. I don't think it's perfect by any means but it's serviceable and does it's job.

You cannot go wrong with Jake Gyllenhaal. He should have won an Oscar by now as he is every bit as intense and talented as Leonardo DiCaprio. "The Covenant" starts out as what seems to be a garden-variety war movie, but with interesting off kilter shots and soundtrack, compliments of Guy Ritchie. Then it takes you to its main act, which capably veers away from action scenes to emphasize something human, honorable, and heartfelt. A surprising twist from a brutal, violent movie is that instead of the usual revenge theme, this is about "paying your debts" and doing something that redeems one's integrity. The journey to get there is quite intense, and Gyllenhaal finds himself an equally dramatic match with Dar Salim portraying Ahmed. His deep eyes say so much even when he is not saying anything.

That was intense.

The thing is, I went to this movie expecting a fast paced tipical guy ritchie style action military movie, and what I saw was different, guy really outdone himself with this one, it was an extremely entertaining and sometimes hard movie to watch, I was on the edge of my seat through the entire movie, there are a few guy ritchie moments but you wouldn't notice them unless you're a die hard guy ritchie fan.

I don't think I need to speak about jake, he is a phenomenal actor and he gave a beautiful performance in this movie, one of the things that made me happy is watching anthony starr, this guy is so underrated and I am glad to see him in different roles, the story is not that unique but the execution makes it incredibly interesting and very pleasing to the eye, even though you're watching people die but the way these shots were filmed was brilliant, it captured the brutality as well as the bond between the characters, emotionally brutal is the perfect description for it.

In this straight-faced turn from Guy Ritchie, the 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.

And although a great deal of that set-up feels too rote, too similar to the many other war films seen in the last 20 years, The Covenant quickly carves out a thoroughly distinct feel for itself as it establishes its central theme of the indebtedness that comes with a spiritual bond people feel to each other.

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.

This was a good movie! We were prepared to be let down like we were with Khandahar (even tho who doesn't love Gerard Butler). But Covenant was really good, the character build up you got to see from. Both sides but not at the same time so that was special

It was exciting and tense and emotional but mostly just really efficient and event filled. The only thing that bugged a little for me, was Jake gyllenhall, I like Jake and I liked his character John Kinley BUT he was very wooden in his voice and a little too stoic, he did great in all of the action scenes though. Dar Salim (Ahmed) was wonderful.

All in all a good sand box movie (which aren't usually my favorites) we'd definitely watch it again. The best part was - it just was what it was and told a story as it was without having to push or add anything that wasn't there or needed to be, if you know what I mean. So yay, obviously not Disney or Netflix or Prime Video writing!!!

I'm a huge fan of Guy Ritchie and was very curious if this venture into military action story would be entertaining.

It's a decent simplistic one dimensional story that obviously is not based on a true factually storyline but Jake and Dar do great acting jobs. The film could have been a lot better instead of this pseudo Lone Survivor meets Rambo the Interpreter story that is almost laughable at some parts.

It's highly unrealistic and the typical good vs bad guys attempting to portray a country being invaded by foreigners to liberate them after 9/11 - is a rather pathetic misunderstanding by Ritchie of the facts for the invasion. But there are some great action sequences and it is a unique perspective for a film maker to focus on the risk some interpreters took in helping the invading forces. And ends ironically with the Taliban and Afghans recapturing their country one month later - so the entire escapade feels rather like a bleak of an ending and no idea why Ritchie decided to make this film rather than a documentary about the subject.

If you like Top Gun or Lone Survivor this film is a nice attempt of glamorizing the US military coming to save the day from the bad guys. Very predictable with hardly much back story yet great action suspense shots and as always solid music score - a solid 6.

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 actually forgive Ritchie now for his Operation Fortune nonsense.

The first hour of this film alone was a great war-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, and 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 near-perfect screenwriting (aside from nicknaming soldiers in the opening scene with ridiculous names, when those same soldiers become insignificant after half an hour into the film), excellent cinematography, spot-on score - especially the last 15 mins, and stellar casting with outstanding performances by everyone especially Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. The running time and pacing were perfect - I actually wanted more. The two hours were pure adrenaline as the remarkable and highly emotional journey unfolded. This film had everything and more, and even some surprising laugh out loud moments: I like what you did with your hair.

Alas, Guy Ritchie just out-Guy Ritchied, a Guy Ritchie film. Sheer brilliance from every angle. An epic must see film, and a well deserved 10/10 from me. This one will be in my all-time greatest films collection for sure. It has a hook in me. One that you cannot see. But it is there.

Click my username to see more of my 1,600+ reviews, 3k ratings, and my film rating system - after you see this incredible masterpiece.

I did "4" tours in Afghan. That's four years.

My question is, why not speak with ONE soldier who was actually there?

The US Military NEVER...NEVER operated convertible Humvees in a freaking war zone in Afghanistan.

The interpreters were "embedded" with us! They were advised in advance...you sleep with us, you will NOT be allowed ANY comms while you serve with us. Yet, the interpreters were going home at night and living with their families. DID NOT happen.

The helicopters arrive and gather bodies and search for survivors. No comms with the air support? BS, the radios and GPS beacons would have been lit up. They would have immediately rescued the two survivors.

You want to make a film about what ACTUALLY happened and express the genuine loyalties and comradity we had with the interpretors? Fine, just do it right. Your laziness turned me off big time.

The least Guy Ritchie film Guy Ritchie has ever directed and I mean that in the nicest way possible, The Covenant (or officially Guy Ritchie's The Covenant for those that may not have known otherwise) is the British director's second box office bomb of 2023 but unlike Operation Fortune this Afghanistan set war thriller is Ritchie on top form, delivering a thrill a minute Hollywoodized romp that is one of the most well-rounded of the directors recent works.

A far cry from the likes of Snatch or The Gentleman, The Covenant is Ritchie dialling many of his trademarks way back while still managing to embed his Jake Gyllenhaal vehicle with the same type of energy, editing wizardry and character quirks that made him one of the most well-liked directors in the industry.

A completely fabricated tale inspired by work of local Afghani interpreters during the allied occupation of the country that lasted 20 years from the early 2000's until recent times, The Covenant is a white knuckle experience that follows Gyllenhaal's committed and no fuss Sergeant John Kinley and Dar Salim's (in a real breakout role for the performer) local interpreter Ahmed on a treacherous journey behind enemy lines when a seemingly routine operation their squad heads out on turns into a deadly battle to survive.

Delivered by the drone discovering Ritchie, backed by a rollicking score from composer Christopher Benstead and founded around the charismatic and committed turns from its two leads, The Covenant is far from a typical American war movie that is far more concerned with its characters than endless firefights and preaching and while those moments come and are undeniably well-staged by Ritchie and his team, its the small moments that make The Covenant more than just another big-budgeted Hollywood thriller.

Another addition to his wildly unpredictable and enjoyable new career phase that has moved on from quiet Oscar contenders and the odd bigger project to fully fledged Michael Bay/Road House remake era, Gyllenhaal brings his A-game here as Kinley and whether its shouting at an unfortunate phone operator or quietly pondering recent traumatic events in the wilds, Gyllenhaal is typically solid here and Salim matches him with the quiet but feisty Ahmed, both actors creating a likeable double bill of players that are hard not to be captured by.

A perfect Ritchie film for long time fans or those that may have never previously enjoyed his unique stylings or creativity, The Covenant may be easy to dismiss on face value but it's top notch Hollywood film-making in many ways and deserving of a much bigger audience than it was afforded in its cinematic run.

Final Say -

A rip-roaring war thriller with great lead turns that rarely lets up across a two hour runtime, The Covenant is in many ways a new type of film for Guy Ritchie that marks a new potentially exciting career move for the director to prove he's more than what many have pigeonholed him to be.

4 on hold phone calls out of 5.

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)

Guy Ritchie's "The Covenant" proves to be a compelling choice for viewers, boasting a well-crafted narrative that resonates. At its core, the film weaves a heartwarming tale of camaraderie between a dedicated US soldier, portrayed with finesse by Jake Gyllenhaal, and an Afghan Interpreter, brought to life by the talented Dar Salim. The loyalty that Gyllenhaal's character exhibits toward the interpreter is endearing and genuinely portrayed.

In this standout performance, Gyllenhaal delivers one of his career-best portrayals, breathing life into his character with remarkable depth and realism. Dar Salim's casting as an Iraqi-born actor signals progress in addressing Hollywood's historical challenges with accurate ethnic casting.

What sets "The Covenant" apart is its ability to convey a sense of authenticity and believability while creating a fresh take within the wartime genre. Despite being a work of fiction, the film masterfully depicts the harsh realities of the war in Afghanistan, engulfing viewers in an emotionally charged and convincing tale.

While this movie is a bit of a slow burn, "The Covenant" remains a must-see for those in search of an authentic, engaging, and entertaining viewing experience.

Not much to say without spoiling the movie, but the strongest impression is how every single moment was extremely predictable and every single thing the main character wanted he got by stating the obvious and raising his voice. I've watched cartoons with more complexity than this.

Emotional scenes are just slomo struggle or blind rage that feel like a cut scene in a $20 PC game.

What makes this not a 3/10 movie is somehow this childish movie has great effects and acting crew, which I find perplexing.

Will you enjoy it? Probably, but even TopGun 2 was more mature than this one and had more to offer than simple tropes.

A movie that starts semi-uninteresting, foggy, vague laced with unknowingness, but gradually takes beautiful shape, commitment, camaraderie, hidden pledge deep from the heart, backed by Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim's charismatic acting, superb and haunting photography & filming, supersonic tech and weaponry and moments of intense despair, frustration and anger.

My initial reserve, doubt and thought of clichéd repetitiveness quickly melted like snow in the sun. More than 85% of the movie seems and is realistic and that's an achievement by itself. Liked it very much and recommend it to any person with a deep sense of honor.

When you think the end is near, a glimmer of hope bathes you in its light.

• Screenplay/story: 7
• Development: 8
• Realism: 8.5
• Entertainment: 8
• Acting: 8
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 8.5
• Visual/special effects: 8.5
• Music/score: 8
• Depth: 8.5
• Logic: 7
• Flow: 8.5
• Action/thriller/war: 8
• Ending: 8.

I have always liked Guy Ritchie movies. The way this story was told and executed was excellent.

But the only thing that lets it down is the propaganda portraying America as the good guys coming to make Afghanistan a better country. Kind of like the mindset of typical Fox News and CNN viewers, which does make you feel like you've lost a brain cell when absorbing the story.

But credit given where its due. If we put politics aside and just watch this as an individual story it was really well put together. The best scene was Ahmed carrying Mckinley up the mountain roads on a cart, you could feel the frustration and emotion in this scene, the music used was perfect. Well done Guy Ritchie for trying something different.

First, actors - you can't go wrong with Jake Gyllenhaal. But all others did a great job! It is a realistic movie, with excellent action moments. What is a sad thing to know is that this is someone's reality! I will not play idealist and dream of a world of peace, but my goodness, thinking this is someone's day, week, .... year! Uh! The movie is produced at the highest level. From gear to each and every element. Actors probably had training of some sort. You can see it when and how they hold a gun, move in close combat... This is one fantastic movie. The soundtrack brings sadness, and some scenes with a translator... This is a well-made movie, a true army flick, made by real men for men! War is never good, but friendship and valor are always worth of admire.

EDIT: Dar Salim - P H E N O M E N A L!

In hostile places any favours always welcome, if you've been battered, bruised, smashed and contused, struck down and become numb, a helping hand to make escape, to help you get out of a scrape, to leave you close to home, not in a tomb, with a future to reshape but; what if tables are then turned, the hand that freed is then interned, has to dive into the shadows, living in places, can't be exposed, every day a greater chance, those with a grudge will make advance, would you pay the debt you owe, would you fight that tidal flow.

Not usually a fan of the director, or the selection of actors he usually collaborates with, but on this occasion something seems to have gone wrong as he's conjured an engaging, albeit atrociously edited story, that is genuinely quite good.

I didn't know what to expect when I bought my ticket, I'm glad I did. This is not your normal "war" movie, it' an insightful look into the unsung and forgotten heroes in a war that dragged on to long. One of the words I would use to describe this is frustration. Frustrated at the depiction of the decision makers of the government that refuses to pay the debt of promising a new life in America for the translators who put everything on the line, against their own people, to support our troops. I was deeply affected by this movie, Jake was very good in this, he may have been the star but the role of the "interpreter" makes this movie very special. I highy recommend this movie.

The movie dives straight into business, there isn't much build up to get you to terms with what's going on(not hard to figure out though) or to get you acquainted with the characters. Dialogue's great but feels a little unnatural at times, like the movies trying to find quotables, especially in the first 30min or so.

However, the movie excels in creating tension and delivering captivating action scenes without going overboard. It keeps you on the edge of your seat while maintaining a sense of realism. The acting is superb, with Dar Salim leaving a lasting impression as the standout character. He stole the spotlight whenever he graced the screen. Jake Gyllenhaal also delivered a solid performance. Despite being the main character, didn't have an overly demanding role; simply needed to make it all believable, and he succeeded. I loved the dynamic the two had, they didn't magically just click.

It's not the most complex or mind-blowing film; it's simple and intentional. Love that it was well-paced and didn't get lost in too many side plots and quests. It's unostentatious and just delivered on what was needed. In the end, everything comes together seamlessly. It might not have blown me away, but it's a solid and passionate thriller, far better than I expected.

Guy Ritchie has done it again with his latest movie, "The Covenant." This movie is a cinematic masterpiece that leaves a lasting impact on the viewer. With its powerful storytelling and exceptional performances, it's no surprise that many are hoping it will receive an Oscar nod. The film's themes and message are so overwhelming that they stay with you long after the credits roll. It's a testament to the filmmakers' skill that they were able to create such a powerful and memorable experience. Jake Gyllenhaal delivers a strong performance, as expected, but the real surprise is Dar Salim's portrayal of Ahmed. He manages to draw the audience in and make them care about his character's fate. The movie is based on a heartbreaking true story that sheds light on the consequences of broken promises and the failure of the American government to uphold its responsibilities. It's not just about a bond between soldiers, but also about the integrity of the promises made to people who trusted and put their lives on the line for us. The film tackles the horrors that the people of Afghanistan have been facing, especially those who were promised visas to America and who risked everything to help rid their country of religious extremists. However, when the time came for the US to honor its commitment, we failed to hold up our end of the bargain, leaving these brave people and their families in danger. The subject matter covered in this movie is crucial and needs to be addressed. After watching the credits, I was left feeling angry knowing that after the US left Afghanistan, 300 interpreters were killed and 3000 more are still in hiding from the Taliban. Overall, "The Covenant" is a must-see film that delivers powerful acting, a captivating story, and a poignant message. It's a solid 9/10 and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the human cost of war and the devastating impact of broken promises.