Guy Ritchie, the director of films like Snatch and Wrath of Man, and franchises like Sherlock Holmes and The Gentlemen, is getting much-deserved love on the streaming landscape. Though movies like Aladdin are obviously his most popular among audiences, the director’s newest streaming hit is one of his least successful movies at the box office. The action war epic climbing the streaming charts is actually Ritchie’s highest-rated movie ever.
Three years after its release, The Covenant (also known as Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant) is gaining traction on streaming, with FlixPatrol reporting that it’s jumping in and out of Hulu‘s list of most popular titles. Released in 2023, the film starring Jake Gyllenhaal failed to make a huge impact at the box office. It only grossed nearly $22 million against a hefty $55 million budget, and its transition from theatrical to digital streaming took less than three weeks.
However, the critical reception was entirely different from its box office fate. The Covenant has long been perceived as one of Ritchie’s best movies, and though audiences didn’t flock to theaters to catch it on the big screen, they showed their love on Rotten Tomatoes. Today, it sits at a whopping 98% on the audience score, while the critics’ score sits lower, at 82%. But as “low” as that score seems when compared to 98%, it is actually the director’s project with the highest ranking on the critics’ website.
The film follows Special Forces Sgt. John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) as he’s forced to deal with a new interpreter during a mission in Afghanistan. Ahmed (Dar Salim) had ties to the Taliban, but after they killed his son, he decided to defect. Kinley doesn’t entirely trust him, but after an ambush kills his entire unit and Ahmed saves him, Kinley decides he’ll do whatever it takes to help the translator.
To do so, he defies government authorities, who have decided Ahmed doesn’t deserve protection in the United States. Realizing he’s alone in the operation, Kinley goes on a high-risk mission to retrieve his new brother in arms and his family, as they’re all being hunted by the Taliban to ensure Ahmed pays for his betrayal.
The Covenant is a standout in the war genre – especially when it comes to modern war films, which often rely primarily on action. Nevertheless, the battle sequences are impressive, and Ritchie tones down his usual stylistic approach. It almost doesn’t feel like a Guy Ritchie joint, given the film’s conventional approach. Then again, this isn’t a regular action war movie. It is more of a drama with a conflict as a backdrop for its story.
But don’t get us wrong. The drama component is very well-written and quite strong in execution. It provides a powerful story backdrop to a movie that inevitably flows into a brilliant display of action tropes. This narrative device is not common in modern war films, regardless of whether they are based on true stories or not. In The Covenant, the emotional core feels essential, and without the more sober side of the story, it would be completely devoid of soul.
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incredible movie and extremely moving. I watched it 2x and will likely watch it again. Jake was fantastic.
That’s a stupid shot that ruins a movie for me. A rifle is sighted with the scope on top. You tilt it and you are sure to miss. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, enjoy the movie but it is for dumbass amateurs and little kids.
The movie is absolutely boring. Lots of action scenes, sure, but the comedy doesn’t land and everyone is walking around as if they’re just there to cash in a paycheck
Did you even watch the film?
It’s not a comedy so I’m not even sure why you’d say that, unless you were expecting a military version of Snatch?
Everybody I know, who has seen it, all highly rate the film.
The film is set around the two main characters so the remainder of the cast are deliberately downplayed to keep focus on those two.
Perhaps you should watch it again, without prejudice, and take note of the message in the story.
lol sir what comedy? I don’t remember laughing at any point of this intense dramatic race against time / beyond enemy lines action / drama / thriller. There is no comedy placement anywhere near n any site for this movie. It was amazing it was a different war perspective and showed the harrowing journey of repaying a debt.
Phil exactly I’m like COMEDY? Where? I didn’t find any parts funny about it that movie was intense and heartfelt.
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