The Covenant – Movie Review

Gut Ritchie directs The Covenant, a movie about the war in Afghanistan.

The Covenant is an upcoming action-thriller from acclaimed writer-director Guy Ritchie. He is known for The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man, Aladdin, Sherlock Holmes, and Snatch. This film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. The additional cast features Emily Beecham, Antony Starr, Alexander Ludwig, Bobby Schofield, and Jonny Lee Miller. It will be in theaters on April 21st, 2023.

Synopsis

The Covenant follows US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Dar 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.

This movie follows two men from different backgrounds in war-torn Afghanistan in 2018. Being of Persian background, I enjoyed hearing the various dialects of Farsi spoken, especially by one of the stars, Dar Salim, a Danish-Iraqi actor. He has the most screentime with Gyllenhaal and delivers a standout performance. However, I was disappointed that Gyllenhaal probably attempted only two words of Farsi, but it makes sense since Salim is his translator.

Salim steals the spotlight by playing a strong character that only speaks when necessary and lets his actions speak volumes. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is forgettable, and only a little time is spent character-building outside our co-leads. The film felt like a disjointed two-parter due to its pace and editing. It takes a while until the plot unravels. The build-up until the squad is in peril adds unnecessary minutes to the film’s 2- and 5 minutes runtime. I would have preferred if the movie jumped into all the danger instead of spending trying to introduce characters that are just background actors with lines. Despite being a Guy Ritchie, it did not feel like any of his previous works. Yet he still manages to deliver a thrilling and powerful story about courage and commitment when guns are blazing.

Verdict

I give The Covenant 3 out of 5 stars. This film puts a rare spotlight on the relationships between soldiers and interpreters. Read more Reviews on Nerdtropolis and Subscribe to our YouTube.