Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, oddly named to avoid confusion with the 2006 film, confused me. Looking back over his filmography, his usual fare splits into two categories. Memorable dialogue mixed in with spurts of violence, or trying too hard to be cool nonsense.
This isn’t either of those.
The Covenant is a film about debt. A film about bonds. Commitments. And about how people honour each other and the agreements, the covenant, they make.
I found it to be compelling, with well-staged bouts of action backed by two solid central performances. The central message – one which crosses geography and culture – is an interesting one. And I’m a sucker for a bromance, even an unconventional one. It’s not a deep story, but the universal nature of it means it will likely land emotionally.
I had concerns that Ritchie might go too far into COD territory whilst positioning the US Army purely as the heroes. I enjoy some modern war action, but fortunately he shows restraint on both fronts. Just about. The focus of the story remains on two men, their interactions, and how that affects them.
I didn’t know what I was getting into watching this film, but ultimately it holds up its side of the bargain. Ritchie films jump around in quality, but this is one of the better ones.
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