DVD Corner

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Blu-ray Review

“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” is one of Guy Ritchie’s best films. 

Set in 2018 during the War in Afghanistan, the Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies scripted story centers on U.S. Army Sgt. John Kinley and a newly appointed Afghan interpreter named Ahmed. While out on a mission to search for a Taliban weapons cache, Kinley’s unit becomes ambushed by Taliban forces. Kinley and Ahmed manage to survive the bloody attack and are out on their own in enemy territory trying to survive. As the 2 attempt to reach safe territory, Kinley becomes severely wounded leaving Ahmed to bravely and miraculously save his life. When Kinley becomes conscious again, he learns of Ahmed’s heroics and tries desperately to secure visas for Ahmed and his family whose lives are now in danger. Kinley decides to risk it all and travel to Afghanistan to find Ahmed and his family, get them visas, and bring them safely to the U.S.

“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” (AKA “The Covenant”) is an under the radar 2023 film that deserved more attention. This film may run a bit long at 123 minutes, but it’s a hard-hitting and emotional character story about loyalty, sacrifice, and honor. Ritchie, who tends to be known for quirky gangster films, goes outside of his comfort zone here and creates something very different from the rest of his filmography with this wartime drama/action-thriller. The English filmmaker tends to revel in elaborate and sometimes over-the-top action sequences, but with this entry he shows surprising maturity in dealing not only with the characters but the intense action scenes. It’s a nice change of pace from the norm for Ritchie and it would be nice to see him dip his toes into other genres in the future. 

Ritchie is aided by an excellent cast here with Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim leading the film. Gyllenhaal is one of those actors who can really transform themselves and take on any role and his performance as John Kinley is no exception. Gyllenhaal delivers a heartfelt, introspective, and bold performance. Dar Salim may be a relative unknown to most, but this performance should put him on the map to be sure. He’s the heart of the movie.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.39:1 1080p. How does it look? Expect a sharp hi-def transfer with nice bright colors.

Audio Track: Dolby Atmos. How does it sound? The Atmos track is nothing short of active (especially during action scenes).

The only extras are a Digital copy and a DVD copy.

June 17, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, Guy Ritchie's The Covenant Blu-ray Review, Jake Gyllenhaal, The Covenant, The Covenant Blu-ray Review, War Movie