Fans have described 2023 war film The Covenant as British director Guy Ritchie’s “defining showcase”.
Ritchie, known for comedy gangster movie Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels, both produced and directed The Covenant, with the screenplay co-written by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. The film features Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role, supported by Dar Salim, Sean Sagar, Jason Wong, Rhys Yates, Emily Beecham, and Christian Ochoa. Despite a production budget of around $55 million, The Covenant only managed to gross approximately $21.9 million at the global box office.
Originally titled The Interpreter, the film has an approval rating of 82 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. The synopsis on the review site reads: “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant follows US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Salim). After an ambush, Ahmed goes to Herculean lengths to save Kinley’s life. When Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, he must repay his debt by returning to the war zone to retrieve them before the Taliban hunts them down first.”
Critics have praised the film, with one reviewer stating: “Ritchie did not have to put his name in the title of the strongest, most impressive film of his career. It’s a defining showcase that liberates him from his genre. It is Gyllenhaal’s most assured role. A highly realistic war film.”
Another critic was deeply moved by the film, writing: “This gripping look at war gets under your skin.”
A third critic praised: “The Covenant is a well-crafted, action-packed and intense drama expertly directed by Guy Ritchie featuring career best acting work from Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. A film about the bonds of brotherhood that’ll move you, enlighten you and uplift you!”.
The Mirror US reports that, during an appearance on First We Feast’s Hot Ones with Sean Evans, Gyllenhaal opened up about his unique experience working with Guy Ritchie, revealing: “With Guy, it was unlike anything I’ve ever done. He said to me, ‘Don’t memorise any of your lines,’ and the script came in 50 pages. It wasn’t even a fully written script.”
The star of Brokeback Mountain elaborated: “Usually, scripts are like 110 pages, and I was like, ‘What is this?’ when he first sent it, and then he said, ‘You come to set, and we’ll work on it on the day, and then you’ll go shoot your thing.’ And it was one of the most inspiring, creative experiences I’ve ever had because it asked for total let go.”
The film, directed by Guy Ritchie, has garnered a staggering 98 per cent audience approval rating. One viewer expressed their immersion in the film: “This is the kind of movie that has you feeling like you are right there in the world of the movie, there’s not many movies that fully immerse me like this one that have been made recently, this one’s a really good one. The plot is solid, and the acting was some of the best I’ve seen recently. Very good movie to the point where I made a Rotten Tomatoes account just to review it.”
Another fan couldn’t contain their enthusiasm about Gyllenhaal’s performance, stating: “This is a tremendous must see film. It’s one of the best films of the last few years for sure and Jake Gyllenhaal’s best work. If you haven’t seen it, watch it now.”
For those in the UK, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.