Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant

Name: Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Released: April 21, 2023
Duration: 123 min
Rating: 63
Cast: Alexander Ludwig, Antony Starr, Bobby Schofield, Dar Salim, Emily Beecham

2023

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Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 64 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 64 Ratings

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The Covenant

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Movie Details & Credits

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: April 21, 2023 | R

Starring: Alexander Ludwig, Antony Starr, Bobby Schofield, Dar Salim, Emily Beecham, Fahim Fazli, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Wong, Jonny Lee Miller, Rhys Yates, Swen Temmel

Summary: After an ambush, Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim) goes to Herculean lengths to save US Army Sergeant John Kinley's (Jake Gyllenhaal) 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.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 123 min

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Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman

Apr 18, 2023

In “The Covenant,” Guy Ritchie tells a story of two men, but he’s really giving this war that never succeeded a kind of closure. He uses the power of movies to coax out the heart that fueled our actions, and that made our loss so hard to bear. Read full review

The Daily Beast Nick Schager

Apr 21, 2023

A sober military thriller that excoriates Joe Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan in 2021 and, in the process, to strand the thousands of local interpreters who had risked their lives to aid the American cause. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

Apr 19, 2023

Hey, I never said The Covenant wasn’t manipulative. It is — skillfully, entertainingly and at times almost overbearingly so. But oh, boy, does it work. Read full review

Johnny Oleksinski

Apr 20, 2023

The duo’s journey is gripping, but long stretches elsewhere in the film drag and it feels much longer than two hours. Read full review

Jesse Hassenger

Apr 19, 2023

Ritchie’s film is less infatuated with displays of All-American bodily sacrifice than movies like Lone Survivor and 13 Hours, but it still keys into a kind of performative, manly anguish. Read full review

Kyle Smith

Apr 20, 2023

Mr. Ritchie has fashioned a simple, meat-and-potatoes action thriller, in the same category as “12 Strong” (2018) and “Lone Survivor” (2013). Yet unlike those films, this one is pure fiction, which both untethers it from reality and imbues it with a certain free-floating meaninglessness. Read full review

Greg Nussen

Apr 18, 2023

The film bangs the drum loudly on behalf of American exceptionalism. Read full review

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User Reviews

BeefstewOnyou

Apr 22, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Guy Ritchie is a guys guy. A man of brute wisdom. A cashmere caveman. This isn’t so much a graduation for him in his film making direction, but a gentle reminder that he is THAT man. Jake, phenomenal as always. Ínstense, funny, continuously showing us there is no character he can’t play. Dar is the Dwayne the Rock Johnson in Denmark. Well, hello world. Meet your new Hollywood hero. Dar was the eye of the hurricane in this film and brought both intensity and vulnerability. Bravo. The lads that played the Special Forces squad were on point. We’ll cast group- all solid in their performance. Would have loved to see more of them, but movie must go on.

Tommy Lee Miller, Alexander Ludwig and Anthony Starr, all loved and respected for their own characters on their own shows was a smart casting by the GR team. Bringing in the fans of The Boys, Vikings, Trainspotting (thought I was going to say Elementary didn’t ya?). On point.

Cast was great. Story got to the point. Hollywood action that Tom Cruise keeps trying to bring back into the cinemas- GR DID.

Would love to see if Guy is really up for the next Bond film. Would love to see his take. Snatch meets the Covenant would be prime.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

Jerm2

May 10, 2023

This is genuinely one of the best films I’ve seen in years. The story is engaging, intense and played out well with great acting. Dar Salim was made for his role his this movie. Jake Gyllenhaal was as great as usual. 10/10 couldn’t recommend this movie enough.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

GreatKLL

May 31, 2023

Great movie! As a girl who hates gun-shooting movies, I truly enjoyed it. No shaking camera in action scenes is a great deal.
The film delivers a great message with an engagingly written plot. No matter which political view you are having, while in 2023 a lot of virtues have been a distantGreat movie! As a girl who hates gun-shooting movies, I truly enjoyed it. No shaking camera in action scenes is a great deal.
The film delivers a great message with an engagingly written plot. No matter which political view you are having, while in 2023 a lot of virtues have been a distant memory, Guy Ritchie's the covenant delivers a great story as suggested in its title.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

gingerninja11

May 19, 2023

a surprising and emotional journey that hints at the atrocities of US engagement in the middle east and how poorly we honored agreements with those that supported us, yet also making us believe that there may have been some who went above and beyond to protect those foreigners who gavea surprising and emotional journey that hints at the atrocities of US engagement in the middle east and how poorly we honored agreements with those that supported us, yet also making us believe that there may have been some who went above and beyond to protect those foreigners who gave everything to support us. felt like a bit of whitewashing, but it was a beautiful story and really struck home when thinking about my friends who have served in the military and how much their word meant to them.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Apr 28, 2023

Guy Ritchie steps out of the comfort zone in which he had settled with his last three films and opts for a different path of action unlike anything he had done before.

Right off the bat, it has to be admitted that its plot is more of a simple excuse for the action to unfold than anythingGuy Ritchie steps out of the comfort zone in which he had settled with his last three films and opts for a different path of action unlike anything he had done before.

Right off the bat, it has to be admitted that its plot is more of a simple excuse for the action to unfold than anything else, but there are far worse players in this film game, and they are more easily forgiven because they are more accustomed to doing the same thing instead of this director and his star.

If memory serves me right, this is the first warfare movie that Jake Gyllenhaal has starred in since Jarhead and it's clear that he's a better actor than those who usually only do combat action movies.
So it goes without saying that, both in terms of its workmanship and its leading man, The Covenant is above average.

It will hardly leave an impression beyond a few days after seeing it, but I found it a better film than Operation Fortune, The Wrath of Man, Aladdin and his King Arthur. And that's plenty enough.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Mystichydra

May 13, 2023

It's ultimately disappointing. The screenplay was just awful, and a good amount of the actors did poorly. It's also largely unbelievable, and the 'brotherhood' or whatever they are trying to portray felt really contrived. Lame and cliche lines like 'you never buy me dinner first', just soundIt's ultimately disappointing. The screenplay was just awful, and a good amount of the actors did poorly. It's also largely unbelievable, and the 'brotherhood' or whatever they are trying to portray felt really contrived. Lame and cliche lines like 'you never buy me dinner first', just sound like a first draft. The soundtrack is probably the best thing about this movie. Awesome string work, and it created more tension than any visual thing did. Guy Ritchie has obviously made some classics. But don't forget, this is also the same writer and director who made Swept Away.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

MetacriticOnur

May 14, 2023

bad
[ bad ]

adjective, worse, worst;(Slang) bad·der, bad·dest for 36.
not good in any manner or degree.

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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