{"id":26365,"date":"2023-04-20T00:32:19","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T07:32:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=26365"},"modified":"2023-04-20T00:32:19","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T07:32:19","slug":"guy-ritchies-the-covenant-leaves-a-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=26365","title":{"rendered":"GUY RITCHIE\u2019S THE COVENANT Leaves a Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Running Time:  123 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is scheduled to be\nreleased in cinemas on April 21st<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan came to a grim\nand close recently with little success over the course of a conflict that\nlasted more than 20 years. Guy Ritchie\u2019s<\/em> The Covenant<\/em> takes a\nlook at one aspect of the conflict that many in this part of the world may be\nunaware of. The movie addresses reneged promises made between members of the US\nArmy and the Afghan translators who served with them. It depicts an unexpected\nbond formed between two men from different backgrounds to help bring that idea\nacross. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The story introduces viewers to Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake\nGyllenhaal), who is deeply frustrated by the lack of help from superiors like Colonel\nVokes (Jonny Lee Miller) in locating and eliminating Taliban weapon-making\nsites. After bad intelligence results in another failed raid, Kinley agrees to take\non new interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). Ahmed has a criminal past and isn\u2019t the\nfriendliest personality. The two initially butt heads, but after Kinley learns\nabout the man\u2019s past and witnesses his ability to read people, he comes to appreciate\nhis new team member\u2019s expertise. Kinley and Ahmed soon find their lives on the\nline in battle across enemy lines. The horrifying experience that follows burdens\nKinley, especially after they are separated and the sergeant learns that the US\nVisa promised to Ahmed and his family hasn\u2019t been delivered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early sequences attempt to drop viewers directly into the hectic\nmilitary world that Kinley inhabits. A great many characters are introduced and\ntechnical references are made so quickly and frequently that captions are used\nto identify individuals and explain what is being discussed. Initially, this\napproach feels too slick and stylized, with the many soldiers trading barbs in between\nexposition. One understands the need to get things moving in a timely manner,\nbut with all the fast-cutting during the numerous introductions and rapid-fire dialogue\nit\u2019s hard to get on the movie\u2019s wavelength and connect to these soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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However, as the story focuses on Kinley and Ahmed and two\nleads Gyllenhaal and Salim take center stage, things improve dramatically. Both\nare exceptional and there is plenty of interesting and believable conflict\nbetween the men as they try to get used to each other and work effectively\ntogether. Ahmed seems difficult and frustrates Kinley, but there\u2019s a reason for\nhis behavior. As Ahmed sharply explains to his superior, he has been hired to\ninterpret and not merely translate those being interviewed. Of course, with everyone\u2019s\nlives on the line, the differing opinions on display add tension to the story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When violence does break out, it is nerve-wracking to witness.\nKinley never knows what to expect from strangers whose sites he is investigating.\nWhen the protagonists find themselves suddenly outnumbered and being attacked by\nTaliban members, the film effectively conveys how quickly things can go south for\na small unit. Additionally, a great portion of the second act depicts a seemingly\nimpossible trudge through hostile territory. It\u2019s very effectively conveyed and\none feels the literal exhaustion of the figure involved. There are also effective\nmoments with Ahmed and his family on the run after they are left to fend for\nthemselves. All of the action is well-handled and one does experience a\npalpable sense of jeopardy throughout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Admittedly, not every aspect about the production is smooth,\nparticularly involving supporting characters. Things are also tied up in a neat\nmanner, but the two leads are excellent and the majority of time that is spent\nfocusing on their particular ordeal is compelling. The movie effectively draws\nattention to the many Afghans who worked for and helped the US Army, yet have been\nleft behind with their families to certain death at the hands of the Taliban.\nIn the end, Guy Ritchie\u2019s The Covenant<\/em> (or simply The Covenant<\/em> as\nit will likely be written on the theater marquee), is a solid war film that\nalso sheds light on the bleak horrors that many left behind in the country\nstill face.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Running Time:  123 minutes This film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is scheduled to be released in cinemas on April 21st. The US fight with the Taliban in Afghanistan came to a grim and close recently with little success over the course of a conflict that lasted more than 20 years. Guy Ritchie\u2019s The Covenant takes a look […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[213,805,5195,6251,8755,10179,13732,13737,19399,20344,20345,20346,20347,23959],"class_list":["post-26365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-213","tag-afghanistan","tag-dar-salim","tag-drama","tag-guy-ritchies-the-covenant","tag-jake-gyllenhaal","tag-metro-goldwyn-mayer","tag-mgm","tag-survival","tag-the-covenant-film-review","tag-the-covenant-movie-review","tag-the-covenant-review","tag-the-covenant","tag-war"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26365\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}