The Covenant (2023)

The Covenant is a military drama, set in Afghanistan, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Guy Richie.

Written and directed by Guy Richie, the Covenant tells a story many men will relate to. The feeling of owing someone a debt and paying that debt back. The writing is tight and contains a lot of meaningful dialogue that I feel many military individuals and enthusiasts would appreciate. The direction has many throwbacks to other military adventures but also some of his earlier movies like Wrath of Man and The Gentlemen. It's certainly better than both as well.

Gyllenhaal is a perfect choice for this and the role itself adds to his reputation and challenges him to perform in a different way than typical. He really has done a lot of different roles now at this point since the performance is vastly different than some of his earlier work. Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain, and Ambulance are such diverse roles that make him under-appreciated.

I had never seen Dar Salim in another performance and was completely surprised by his performance. It is a shame he will continue to be overlooked. He was the perfect cast for the role he plays as the interpreter.

I really enjoyed The Covenant and would recommend this to most people. Result: B+

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