Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant [Blu-Ray]

Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr

Release Date: June 20, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 8.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant follows US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Salim). After an ambush, Ahmed goes to Herculean lengths to save Kinley’s life. When Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, he must repay his debt by returning to the war zone to retrieve them before the Taliban hunts them down.

Please Note: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ joins US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) and his team who after losing their interpreter to a bombing must select a new recruit to join them and the dangerous missions they undertake while hunting for IED manufacturing. After selecting highly recommended new interpreter Ahmed (Salim) who is praised for his great instincts, although with occasional behavioral issues, the team becomes the victim of an ambush when raiding a supposed manufacturing plant. Severely injured while trying to escape, Sergeant Kinley’s life is put in the hands of Ahmed who shows unremarkable courage trying to save them both, but everything is only going to get more dangerous and each will need the other in the foreseeable future more than they could ever imagine.

Directed by Guy Ritchie (The Gentlemen, Wrath of Man) from a screenplay written by Guy Ritchie (Snatch), Ivan Atkinson (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) and Marn Davies (Wrath of Man), Ritchie does a tremendous job at the helm of ‘The Covenant’ guiding along this tense and touching tale with beauty, style and heart. The film’s cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal (Ambulance), Dar Salim (Loving Adults), Antony Starr (TV’s The Boys), Alexander Ludwig (TV’s Heels), Bobby Schofield (Don’t Breathe 2), Emily Beecham (Cruella) and Jonny Lee Miller (TV’s Elementary) who each offer generally solid performances for the most part in their respective roles.

‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ is a powerful, thrilling and massively enjoyable ride that’s as fast-paced and explosive as it is moving and touching, showcasing a tale of immeasurable courage and survival against all odds and the unbreakable bond that two men find in each other when nearly everything else seems hopeless or lost. It’s occasionally (and appropriately) somewhat brutal during the combat sequences which ramp up the tension once they really get going and nary let you catch your breath for some time thereafter, and even while some of the story within plays out in a by the book manner at times that leads to no shortage of predictable moments and outcomes, the heart and excitement that it exudes and never fails to focus on does a great deal to let the more generic aspects be forgiven.

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie does a commendable job guiding along this exciting tale which has some similarities to the director’s frequent style but is also a very different beast in many other ways that eases up on the cheeky humor when needed and never allows the fun to distract from the serious nature of the tale, instead utilizing it to complement the calmer moments on occasion.

Overall, ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ delivers an explosive, touching and often quite intense tale of courage and brotherhood between two somewhat unexpected individuals amid a terrifying fight for survival. It’s all nicely guided along by director Guy Ritchie and his work at the helm is greatly complemented by a well-selected cast that’s led by Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. ‘The Covenant’ is definitely highly recommended. It’s a moving tale of courage and a powerful bond between two men who each go above and beyond to save the other individual’s life when most dire. If you’re a fan of Guy Ritchie and Jake Gyllenhaal or simply tend to enjoy a solid military thriller with plenty of exciting action and heart then this one should be well worth a couple hours of your time and the price of a rental to give a shot.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks marvelous as a whole and delivers a wonderfully sharp and detailed presentation from start to finish. Everything within looks remarkably clean and stellar from characters to vehicles along with expansive outdoor landscapes and interior buildings, and it holds up flawlessly even during the various darkly lit and fast moving action sequences; never allowing anything that’s occurring onscreen to become negatively affected throughout. Overall, this is a fantastic high definition video presentation that should easily please first time viewers and fans of the film.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 channel compatible) soundtrack. Please note that this review pertains solely to the Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio presentation. This multichannel soundtrack serves up a crisp, clean and notably aggressive audio presentation throughout that never comes even remotely close to disappointing. It regularly takes full advantage of all seven available channels in order to send gunfire, debris and vehicle activity, along with nature effects, bits of dialogue and crowd chatter, plus plenty more consistently zipping throughout the various speakers, all the while never resulting in any dialogue or other simultaneously occurring audio elements becoming distorted or negatively affected along the way. Overall, this is a wonderful Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) soundtrack that delivers beautifully throughout and should easily thrill viewers.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ does not include any bonus content.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 8.5/10
Disc Rating: 7/10

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‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Metro Goldwyn Mayer & Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment

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