Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant

Available now on Amazon Prime

Given how bad Guy Ritchie’s previous big-budget release on Amazon Prime (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) was, my expectations for this thriller, set during the height of the war in Afghanistan, were pretty low. 

Picture my surprise when I found out that The Covenant is actually some of the director’s best work in years. The screenplay, which Ritchie co-wrote with frequent collaborators Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, is centered on Jake Gyllenhaal’s special ops sergeant and the bond he forges with his interpreter, who is played stoically by an impressive Dar Salim. 

Unlike much of Ritchie’s recent work, The Covenant does not rely on cheap laughs or high jinks to grab its audience’s attention, instead focusing on the respective arcs of its two lead characters, which makes for a rewardingly intense viewing experience.

The film is not without its flaws, with its final act descending into the sort of gratuitous, all-action affair that Ritchie cannot help but indulge in. However, Salim and the ever-dependable Gyllenhaal’s committed work ensures that The Covenant remains engaging from beginning to last, reminding viewers such as myself that a dose of pre-viewing cynicism can in fact be a good thing.