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The Covenant — Review: A Highly Engaging War Film
by KJ Proulx
Guy Ritchie has always been a talented filmmaker. Do his films always turn out the best in my opinion? No, not always, but I have enjoyed films like The Man from Uncle, Snatch, or even recently Operation Fortune. His latest effort in Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant is quite possibly my favourite film of his. It almost felt like he wanted to make a nitty-gritty war flick while leaving his witty tendencies off to the side a little bit. Colour me surprised with how much I ended up liking this film and here’s why.
I went into this film nearly cold. I had only seen a trailer one time and then decided to give it a watch. I suggest you do the same if that is possible because I didn’t know about this true story and I was on the edge of my seat. John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) leads a team of men in Afghanistan during the war in 2018. After hiring a new interpreter for the team in Ahmed (Dar Salim), John and Ahmed find themselves to be the only survivors after an ambush and their new bond with one another will determine both of their fates. It’s hard to dive into what the actual story becomes without ruining the film, so I’ll just stop there. This is an intense ride that I couldn’t look away from.
Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic here, but the real standout was the performance that Salim gives. I don’t believe I…
