Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Review
★★★☆☆ Uneven but thrilling and emotionally stirring in salvos, Guy Richie’s The Covenant is a surprise hit.
Watch out, A-listers; Guy Richie has entered the room.
Reportedly retitled to avoid confusion with Renny Harlan’s similarly titled horror that no one remembers, the inclusion of Richie’s name in the title of his Afghan War drama feels more like a move to add prestige to a name that has long been associated with mid-budget, mid-quality movies.
And I can’t really blame him, to be honest. While far from perfect, Guy Richie’s The Covenant (yes, I’m full naming the movie throughout this review) is, by a country mile, the best thing the British director has made since Snatch.
Guy Richie’s The Covenant is a fictional story set during the final years of the War in Afghanistan. Tasked with locating and eliminating the Taliban’s weapons depots by any means necessary, veteran Special Forces Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) forms a powerful bond with savvy local interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim — Game of Thrones, The Devil’s Double) when a raid deep in enemy territory turns into a desperate struggle for survival.
On paper, a US war drama made by a bloke from the outskirts of London might seem like a strange combination. Richie makes it work, his trademark laddy bravado and rapid-fire banter a perfect fit for the military’s macho camaraderie, while his kinetic visual style lends well to the film’s intense action sequences.
For the most part, it’s a solid effort for the director, although there are more than a few instances where the gritty and grounded gives way to moments that feel overly manufactured. Try-hard sequences filled with slow motion, super serious facial expressions and really loud dramatic music, clearly trying to evoke feeling, but also coming across as more than a little indulgent and self-congratulatory on Richie’s part.
We get it Guy; you’re proud of this movie.
When he’s not lumbered with eye-rolling lines of overly dramatic and angsty dialogue, Gyllenhaal is reliably excellent as a dedicated veteran living with a great deal of responsibility to his comrades. Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting) and Antony Starr (Homelander in Amazon’s The Boys) also break out their convincing American accents in small but important turns.
But by far, the best thing about Guy Richie’s The Covenant is Dar Salim. Impressive in a multi-faceted performance, Salim is convincing as a man risking everything in a gruelling effort to do the right thing.
Military fans will undoubtedly eat this up. It’s a perfectly entertaining movie with some solid action, rootable performances and good surface-level messaging. A step in the right direction for its director, clearly angling for grander things. What a Guy.
Originally published at michaelkenny.uk
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