“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” tells the story of a U.S. sergeant (Jake Gyllenhaal) being honored by an Afghan interpreter (Dar Salim), and like most other films, it ends in It begins with a failed 20-year effort to suppress the Taliban. Aerial footage of parched mountains, sudden outbursts of violence, old-fashioned classics, his rock laments revealing the unfulfilled ambitions of a younger generation, juxtaposing war photography with those originating from Vietnam. make it possible. Sincerity is a rare tone for director Guy Ritchie, who specializes in youthful shooters. Here, Richie is more than just serious. He is morally outraged by thousands of Afghans who believed they had obtained special immigrant visas when promises were broken and abandoned to protect themselves. Without a doubt, this ferocious and raunchy film has been tugging at the conscience for days, making a powerful case for returning the attention of the American public to a conflict they would rather forget.
John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) teams up with former heroin trafficker Ahmed (Salim) on his fourth tour of the countryside in search of bomb makers. During his stretch of this not-war-hell opening, Ritchie and his co-authors Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davis noted that most soldiers, in particular, refer to Ahmed as “the interpreter,” as if he were a tool. Familiarize your audience with your language usage. , not a person. On the field, John is brief and authoritative. Ahmed, intuitive and polite. “I believe you, but they need to believe you,” he advises a local. Back under the zany dramatic flickering lights of Bagram Air Force Base, Ahmed challenges John to the difference between “translation” and “interpretation” with the insight and pronunciation of a Cincinnati lawyer. (Growing up in Denmark, Salim doesn’t wear an accent.)
Then the film rolls. In act two, two men are stranded in hostile terrain. Ahmed saves John’s life. Back in California, John vows to save Ahmed after finding out his guardian has been forced into hiding. John explains to his wife (Emily Beecham), “I’m in trouble,” and Gyllenhaal’s tear-blue eyes brimm with embarrassment as John confronts the State Department’s Byzantine-style telephone directory. , he quickly becomes enraged and grabs a beer and a hammer. The ensuing pretentious rescue attempt is the most bitter form of desire fulfillment.
Richie’s action scenes are plagued by combat gamification. The hero fires first, grabs the dead man’s gun, and repeats. The number of bodies increases unconsciously. Yet we ultimately succumb to the primordial awe of the film’s complex, almost dialogue-free escape sequences, driven by Christopher Benstead’s meaty, hand-slapping score. Looking at Ahmed Shoulder John exhausted in the mud and fog while sharing a long opium pipe for pain, one can’t help but superimpose images of Samwise of Mordor and Frodo. Gyllenhaal’s character is so stoned that the movie rewinds his first adventure in flashbacks to as soon as he’s sober. For once, Richie might not want the audience to chuckle. But for now, I’m relieved that I can.
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
R-rated for gruesome violence and situational language. Running time: 2 hours 3 minutes. at the theater.
