Guy Ritchie has had one of the most fascinating, under-discussed careers in cinema. The man pumps out a movie a year (sometimes two), and when those blank checks bounce, they usually bounce with a whimper instead of a bang. When they hit, they largely go unnoticed.
I think The Covenant is possibly the best Guy Ritchie movie I've seen in quite some time (dare I say, since RocknRolla?).
The tension in the first half of this film is pretty undeniable and it's clear that through his work on things like Sherlock Holmes, The Man from UNCLE, King Arthur, and Wrath of Man, he has codified a way of efficiently managing action set pieces in ways that still usually feel somewhat fresh. In the case of The Covenant, the military operations, the search for the IEDs, all the way through Ahmed's journey to save John, are pretty expertly crafted and displayed.
I have to give major praise to Dar Salim. He blew me away, and I found myself hoping to see him in more projects.
The film kind of feels like it loses that momentum after John makes it back to the states, and part of me wishes we could have gotten the extended cut of this, because the rescue of Ahmed really only takes 15-20 minutes, when in reality I'd have watched it take another hour. That's really the beating heart of the movie, the honor of the code, of paying your debt, of keeping your word, and all that. So to have that truncated down felt a little rushed. And while I'm at it, I needed those two men to get emotional at the end. I needed them to hug and not want to let go. The steely nod of acknowledgement wasn't enough for me. These two men, against all odds, are bonded forever, and they couldn't show any amount of human affection or appreciation other than a nod? Part of me thinks that one change would be enough to have raised this film to another level for me. The intensity with which John pleads to get Ahmed back home is cool and all, but Ahmed never sees that side of him. He doesn't see the way John is staying up at night, wishing he could repay the debt. He owes Ahmed his life. And yet there is like a "too cool to show emotion" thing happening at the end that didn't sit right.
Back to positives, I loved the score, with the bassy violins. I thought that was a neat choice and often accentuated the tension, like the scene where Ahmed sniffs out the traitor in their midst.
Overall, such solid work from a man whose a cut above a journeyman filmmaker, and with the work ethic like no other. If you had asked younder me, watching Snatch over and over on DVD, what Guy Ritchie would be doing at this point in his career, I think I would have had a much different answer, but I can't complain when occasionally we get something this taught and well-executed.
7.6/10
Guy Ritchie has had one of the most fascinating, under-discussed careers in cinema. The man pumps out a movie a year (sometimes two), and when those blank checks bounce, they usually bounce with a whimper instead of a bang. When they hit, they largely go unnoticed.
I think The Covenant is possibly the best Guy Ritchie movie I've seen in quite some time (dare I say, since RocknRolla?).
The tension in the first half of this film is pretty undeniable and it's clear that through his work on things like Sherlock Holmes, The Man from UNCLE, King Arthur, and Wrath of Man, he has codified a way of efficiently managing action set pieces in ways that still usually feel somewhat fresh. In the case of The Covenant, the military operations, the search for the IEDs, all the way through Ahmed's journey to save John, are pretty expertly crafted and displayed.
I have to give major praise to Dar Salim. He blew me away, and I found myself hoping to see him in more projects.
The film kind of feels like it loses that momentum after John makes it back to the states, and part of me wishes we could have gotten the extended cut of this, because the rescue of Ahmed really only takes 15-20 minutes, when in reality I'd have watched it take another hour. That's really the beating heart of the movie, the honor of the code, of paying your debt, of keeping your word, and all that. So to have that truncated down felt a little rushed. And while I'm at it, I needed those two men to get emotional at the end. I needed them to hug and not want to let go. The steely nod of acknowledgement wasn't enough for me. These two men, against all odds, are bonded forever, and they couldn't show any amount of human affection or appreciation other than a nod? Part of me thinks that one change would be enough to have raised this film to another level for me. The intensity with which John pleads to get Ahmed back home is cool and all, but Ahmed never sees that side of him. He doesn't see the way John is staying up at night, wishing he could repay the debt. He owes Ahmed his life. And yet there is like a "too cool to show emotion" thing happening at the end that didn't sit right.
Back to positives, I loved the score, with the bassy violins. I thought that was a neat choice and often accentuated the tension, like the scene where Ahmed sniffs out the traitor in their midst.
Overall, such solid work from a man whose a cut above a journeyman filmmaker, and with the work ethic like no other. If you had asked younder me, watching Snatch over and over on DVD, what Guy Ritchie would be doing at this point in his career, I think I would have had a much different answer, but I can't complain when occasionally we get something this taught and well-executed.
7.6/10
