What are you doing?
On a recent trip to Afghanistan, Sergeant John Kinley teams up with interpreter Ahmed to survey the area. When their unit is ambushed while on patrol, Kinley and Ahmed are the only survivors.
As enemy fighters chase them, Ahmed risks his life to carry the injured Kinley to safety. Back on American soil, Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family have not been given the opportunity to enter the United States as promised. Determined to protect his friend and repay his debt, Kinley returns to the war zone to retrieve Ahmed and his family.
who is he with
This new feature marks director Guy Ritchie’s first collaboration with Jake Gyllenhaal, who returns to the war film genre eighteen years after Jarhead.
Although Sam Mendes’ film is set during the first Gulf War, Pact is set in a near-modern era, in the final months of the war in Afghanistan.
In addition to Jake Gyllenhaal, the film’s cast includes several well-known headliners, including Alexander Ludwig (Vikings) and Anthony Starr (The Boys), as well as Danish comedian Dar Salim (Borgen) as the translator Ahmed, with whom the film’s main character is involved. The movie makes friends.
Is it worth checking out?
Guy Ritchie’s films follow each other but are not alike. Just a few months after delivering a James Bond pastiche with Operation Fortune: Russia of War, the English filmmaker returns to us with a more serious-toned war film called The Covenant.
With this film, Guy Ritchie wanted to focus on the dramatic aspect of war. Still, The Covenant includes some stunningly realistic action sequences, less to impress the audience than to create the climate of constant danger necessary for the story.
Agreement contains the best and worst of Guy Ritchie’s cinema. While his previous film Operation Fortune took the form of self-parody, this new breakthrough allows the English director to step aside in favor of his story.
In this way, the serious and dramatic tone of the film contrasts with the more ironic atmosphere and hard-hitting dialogues that have given its cinema specificity, especially thanks to the success of Snatch and Arnaques, Crime and Botany.
The sensibility of the story is often marred by dramatic effects that sometimes border on the grotesque and interpretive. up by Gyllenhaal. In Guy Ritchie’s film, wanting too much to reach the audience, there is a clear lack of sincerity that ultimately prevents us from being truly moved by the dramatic themes of his story.
A filmmaker in an identity crisis
Despite a thirty-year career, Guy Ritchie seems to be in an identity crisis. The 54-year-old director, who made his debut with cop comedies, most of which star Jason Statham, has recently gone on a veritable shooting binge, with no less than six films in the past four years!
From parody comedies (Gentlemen, Operation Destiny) to live-action Disney (Aladdin and soon Hercules), the latter also tried their hand at drama, notably Anngry Man (Conveyor’s remake) and thus The Covenant. His first war film.
His next film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare with Henry Cavill has already been shot. This new WWII feature will hit theaters in 2024 (and possibly live in France, like his two previous achievements).
First look at the ungentlemanly Ministry of War, Guy Ritchie’s next film
With a string of films both complementary and divergent, is Guy Ritchie really in the process of abandoning his auteur status? Unlike Quentin Tarantino, to whom he is often compared, should the British filmmaker have retired, rather than end his career with films devoid of ideas and identity?
The Hollywood industry can still congratulate itself on having a director of such caliber, who can shoot quickly and efficiently, and whose notoriety allows him to surround himself with the big names of cinema.
But fans of Snatch and Swindles, Crimes and Botanicals will definitely have to decide to expect more from Guy Ritchie’s films…
The Covenant starring Jake Gyllenhaal is now available on Amazon Prime Video.
Discover the list of all movies currently available on the platform!
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
