“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” (2023)

I have always been a fan of Guy Ritchie, but I must admit that after his takes on “Sherlock Holmes”, “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” and the live-action remake of “Aladdin”, I was worried that we would never get the Guy Ritchie movie that I loved so much. However, since “The Gentleman”, I am pretty happy with what we are getting from him.

“The Covenant” is yet another movie that I feel fits his narrative choices, even though it is pretty different from the style that made him famous. It has the action, the character building, and that raw style that makes this movie feel interesting.

The other thing that this movie got perfectly was the casting. Jake Gyllenhaal is always great, no matter what you give him. He elevates it and makes it his own, but he does this better when he has someone on screen with him that can match his talent and energy. Dar Salim is that guy. Salim has a very contained performance for most of the movie, but that makes it more powerful and impactful when he lets his rage and emotions take control of his character.

The way they draw from each other makes these characters feel real. At points, I asked myself if this was a true story because it did feel like it. This is a movie with a lot of action, but it’s never stylized or filmed in a way to glorify it. It is shown as just an everyday element these men have to deal with, and it is in the quiet moments that they really make us feel this movie is different.

Ritchie has been on fire. He released two movies in 2023 and has another 3 or 4 projects coming out in the next 2 years. Hopefully, he will keep the quality from his last couple of projects and not just the quantity.

Have you seen “The Covenant”? What do you think of it?

What actors would you like to see in a Guy Ritchie project?”