Gripping! Guy Ritchie's, The Covenant (2023) || Movie Review.

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A covenant, they say it's a pledge, a commitment, a tapestry of devotion and also an oath, that forever stays intact, if it is not being fulfilled. It becomes a debt or a hook that holds one ransom, unless the debt is paid. Watching this movie made me think again, who is Guy Ritchie again? Though this movie was not based on a true story but was inspired by some event circumstances, it hits hard and lingers in the heart after turning it into a provocative message to whoever watched it.

I don't like war movies because they trigger a lot of memories for me, but so far so good, "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023)" is the best war movie I have watched in all my years. Ritchie took a long break from film production and came back with the most phenomenal movies to our screen. Ritchie continues to hold a big space in my heart for his works. He has never disappointed since the first time I came across his work.

"Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (2023)"It's an action, war and thriller film that was produced, co-written and directed by Guy Ritchie with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures as its distributor. This movie's budget is higher than the total amount it grossed at the box office, I wonder why? However, this movie starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim as the two main lead characters with other supporting characters like Antony Starr, Alexander Ludwig, Sean Sagar, Bobby Schofield, Emily Beecham and Jonny Lee Miller.

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As I said earlier, the story of this movie was inspired based on some circumstances surrounding true events. It revolves around a sergeant, John Kinley who is in Afghanistan for his last tour with his unit. However, his unit was paired with a new local interpreter Ahmed after their unit was ambushed few days ago by a lorry bomb attack arranged by the vicious Talibans during a routine vehicle inspection at Lashkargah. This horrific event claimed the life of their formal interpreter.

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After Ahmed integrated with John Kinley's unit, they all went on an undercover capture mission where John discovered that his strong-willed interpreter had previously been a Talibans member but left the vicious group after his son was murdered by the Talibans. Afterwards, Ahmed proved where his loyalty lies when he saved John's unit from the planned Taliban ambush which was secretly organised by a compromised Afghan National Army soldier because his family were held captives by the Talibans.

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John and his unit went in search for explosive factory raids a little bit far from their base, Bagram Air Base. This raid didn't go well according to their plans, it was a blood bath. All John's units members were killed by the Talibans reinforcement groups except for John and Ahmed. As they fought for their survival, John and his interpreter managed to escape the Talibans by going deep into the hilly terrain. Will John and Ahmed survive the Talibans? You have watch this movie to know what happens next.

My Review And Rating.

My experience with movie was super intense and gripping. I enjoyed this movie because the story of this movie was told in a unique way that captures the attention of every viewer and hooks them to the screen up till the end. Everything about this movie from, the producing crew, the cast, the plot, the locations, the settings, scenes, script and the action hits hard and it was phenomenal. It is a movie that the story was attached with amazing sentimental values that nowadays is difficult for people to emulate.

The director of this movie, Guy Ritchie, did an exceptional job with this movie. I am starting to think that this movie is one of his best. The scene arrangements was excellent, the action scenes were portrayed amazingly well, the location and setting of the movie was well done. All these made the movie linger with so much resonance at the end.

The beginning of the movie was engaging, simple to understand and makes the story telling flow smoothly, thereby achieving rich storyline up till the end. There was no moment of boredom, from the beginning till the end, I was hook and on the edge of my seat. If you know Guy Ritchie you would know I am not over exaggerating.

The plot is was well written and vividly expressive that each character in the movie were solidly built to give the movie a strong arch. The script and dialogues were written well, engaging, interesting and relatable. The subject matter in the story of the movie was well addressed.

It's just sad that a lot of people and government have Covenant or promise debt hanging over their head that they yet to fufill. If I can't fufill a promise, I don't make it, I rather surprise the person unexpectedly in my own time. It is why we all humans have trust issues these days. I have trust issues too because promises and pledges made to me have been broken multiple times that now, I believe no one.

The Cast of this movie is excepcional. We all know that Jake Gyllenhaal is good at what he does. Before I didn't really like his works until last year that I watch Ambulance, then he won my heart. I was surprised when he acted well here. His performance good and natural. I was able to relate with his character but to honest the star of this movie is Dar Salim. This man stole the spotlight with his performance by portraying good emotion, charismatic behavior, strong-willing, resilient, and showing us a picture of a man of dignity. I enjoyed his performance, it was intense that I was literally scared for his life. He has won my heart, because I intend to see him in other roles. All the other supporting did well, especially the Talibans.

Rating this movie, I will give it 4.8 out of 5 stars. I really enjoy this movie, my first time enjoying a war film all thanks to my favorite director Guy Ritchie. It was an amazing experience for me and it was worth my time. If you haven't watched this movie yet, do try to watch it soon.


All images above are from the movie screenshots

Poster image source

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18 comments
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I want to see this movie, so I'll wait to read your review after I see it sometime this week. Maybe you'll get a thumbs up from me 👍 or maybe some rotten tomatoes 🍅 😆

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😀That's alright, I will be waiting for your feedback. I hope you enjoy the movie. Thank you for stopping by 😊.

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Saw tbe trailer of this movie just yesterday and downloaded it same yesterday.
Would have finished reading this review but I don't want it to spoil the fun for me.
So, I may just get back to this when I'm done seeing it.
Till then though, thank you😊😊

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That's good. I hope you enjoy watching it. Hope see your review soon. Cheers!

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The movie is amazing, in fact it was my last review haha.

From beginning to end the intensity, tension and expectation that it generates is very great, it doesn't let you leave the screen. In addition to the suspense of being in a constant chase. I agree with you, the best I've seen in a long time in this genre.

Cheers!

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(Edited)

Haha, nice! From your comment here, It seems you enjoyed the movie very much as I did. I agree with you. The tension and the intensity of how the story was told was phenomenal. The best War movie I have seen so far. I guess Ritchie surprised us. Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your visit. 😊

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I share your opinion about war movies because I don't like them either, but "The Covenant (2023)", with your review has caught my attention and also for having Jake Gyllenhaal because he has made interesting and very varied decisions for his characters, and many times it has been very accurate and showing a good performance, especially in films with more serious plots as it is the case.

I'm going to reblog your post to keep her in mind for upcoming films to watch.

Thanks @esther-emmanuel

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I can assure that Jake would impress you by the time you watch this movie and you would proud you made a good choice of movie to watch. Thank you for this lovely and Visit. I appreciate it.

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I totally agree, for me it was also an intense movie, exciting in its three parts, well differentiated, but the viewer is always attentive, waiting for everything to go well for the protagonists.

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but the viewer is always attentive, waiting for everything to go well for the protagonists.

This was me all through the duration of the movie. The ending was satisfying to watch. A wonderful movie!. Thank you for support and comment. I appreciate your visit. 😊

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I think I was told about this film recently and as I like war themes I think I'll see it. It is also linked to the honour and the word that many have lost in these times.

I only know that the director was Madonna's husband but I hope he is ok. Thanks for sharing the review. Regards.

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It is also linked to the honour and the word that many have lost in these times.

It is indeed and it was portrayed in such a wonderful way that will easily resonate with you deeply. You would enjoy this movie, I can bet on it. Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it.

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Several weeks ago I could see it and liked it, Guy Ritchie I consider him a good director and this time he does a great job again in a story of the need (and not the obligation) to do the right thing, to fulfill an agreement and that is exactly what the character played by Jake Gyllenhaal does.

Just Jake's performance seemed good to me; days ago I wanted to give an opinion on how at the time of being in his country, at home to save, he must deal with many things, especially with post-traumatic stress from being part of a war and that does not leave him in peace and he must return to help a friend, I think I failed to express that in the brief review I made of that film.

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I agree with you that Guy Ritchie is a talented director, and he continues to impress with his latest films. I am not surprised that Jake Gyllenhaal's performance left a positive impression on you, he did a fantastic job. This movie didn't only explores the theme of fulfilling agreements and doing the right thing but also delved into the character's struggle with post-traumatic stress so we can relate to everything the character's perspective, like seeing through his eyes. It hits hard.

Thank you so much for your comment. I appreciate your visit. 😊

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Uhh, esto es lo que nos gusta consumir a mi padre y a mí juntos, películas de acción sobre soldados en la guerra. Excelente recomendación, buscaré verla con él este finde.

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Es muy agradable oír eso. Tú y tu padre deberíais ver esta película este fin de semana. Ambos disfrutarán y puedo asegurarle que su padre quedará impresionado. Gracias por la visita. Se lo agradezco.

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Finally got to see this movie last night. The Afghanistan withdrawal was an unmitigated disaster, and this movie captures some of the issues that were not properly dealt with in all the mayhem. You covered the key points on the cinematography and the plot, how well they work to weave the narrative. So you get two 👍👍 from me. :)

You do mention that the movie didn't do so well. For me, I think the film's Achilles heel is the pace of the action. the movie was slow in parts. The beginning of the movie had me nodding off because the dialogue did not grab me right away. The dialogue is meant to add more depth to the film, but at times I felt that it was not advancing the plot. The film ramps up slowly and becomes more suspenseful and action packed later. I think that if Ritchie had tightened up the movie a bit more, like editing down the scene with the cart trek across the mountains, then the film would've been more gripping.

So overall the film was interesting for me but I think it need more depth and a bit of trimming.

Thank you for the review. It encouraged me to check out this film and think more deeply about it than I would've otherwise.

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(Edited)

Yaay! You came back, hehe.

I am happy you were able to see the movie and actually enjoy it except for some few things you didn't like and didn't add to your experience with the movie. For the slow pace scenes of the cart trekk across, I think that was when the audience can connect with the character's perseverance for saving the sergeant's life. Though I still agree it could have been made shorter to create more intensity like you said.

It's always rewarding when a movie prompts us to reflect and analyze its various aspects. I like it. Thank you for sharing your perspective, and I'm glad I could contribute to your film-viewing experience. I appreciate your comment 😊.

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