Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) | Release Date: April 21, 2023 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
16
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
VarietyOwen GleibermanApr 18, 2023
In “The Covenant,” Guy Ritchie tells a story of two men, but he’s really giving this war that never succeeded a kind of closure. He uses the power of movies to coax out the heart that fueled our actions, and that made our loss so hard to bear. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperApr 18, 2023
It’s almost as if Ritchie wants to make sure we know he directed this, because it doesn’t seem like “a Guy Ritchie film.” Duly noted, and kudos to the veteran filmmaker for delivering a skillfully made and gripping tale about the hell of modern war and the universal nature of sacrifice, commitment and heroism. Read full review
83
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezApr 20, 2023
The Covenant is so self-assured in its noble filmmaking values and beliefs. It makes a knowing nod between two men— and the heroically punishing sacrifices they risked for one another— one of the most moving moments on screen this year. Read full review
80
EmpireCatherine BrayJun 7, 2023
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but maybe they’re wrong: on this evidence, Guy Ritchie can absolutely learn how to make a Paul Greengrass film, delivering a handsome slice of serious war drama. Read full review
80
The Daily BeastNick SchagerApr 21, 2023
A sober military thriller that excoriates Joe Biden’s decision to pull out of Afghanistan in 2021 and, in the process, to strand the thousands of local interpreters who had risked their lives to aid the American cause. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliApr 25, 2023
Guy Ritchie’s name not withstanding, there’s little here with strong mass appeal – not enough mind-numbing action; too much dwelling on a recent, tragic, failed war; and a muted catharsis. It’s also one of the best things Ritchie has done since his early years (only Lock, Stock is unequivocally better) and deserves a viewing when MGM brings it to streaming. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshApr 21, 2023
It’s the best film he’s made in years. Read full review
75
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanApr 19, 2023
Hey, I never said The Covenant wasn’t manipulative. It is — skillfully, entertainingly and at times almost overbearingly so. But oh, boy, does it work. Read full review
75
The Film StageDan MeccaApr 18, 2023
For the most part, The Covenant is about the bond between brothers and sisters in arms, and the need to rely on each other when systems fail their pledges. Third-act qualms aside, Gyllenhaal and Ritchie emerge as a well-meshed Hollywood duo here. One hopes this is the first of a few collaborations. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleApr 18, 2023
What Ritchie is able to convey is the terrifying nature of this kind of small-scale combat, with the enemy coming out from nowhere and from every direction. Even if you’ve never experienced anything like this, there’s something about what Ritchie does here that feels authentic. Read full review
75
IndieWireSiddhant AdlakhaApr 18, 2023
Where The Covenant most shines is in the riveting intensity of both its performances and its action. Read full review
70
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonApr 20, 2023
Full of action sequences and an incredibly moving score to pair, this could be the kind of war drama that audiences have been missing. It’s heavy on the violence and anti-war messaging, and contains a beautiful story about survival, humanity, and doing the right thing even when there are countless obstacles in the way. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAmy NicholsonApr 20, 2023
For all its clichés, this furious and discomfiting film tugs on your conscience for days, making a powerful case to turn the American public’s attention back to a conflict it would rather forget. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyApr 18, 2023
This is a serious-minded, well-acted drama that shows just as keen an interest in character, specifically the integrity of two men from vastly different cultures who provide the story of brotherhood and survival with its racing pulse. Read full review
63
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiApr 20, 2023
The duo’s journey is gripping, but long stretches elsewhere in the film drag and it feels much longer than two hours. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreApr 18, 2023
The movie’s messaging has a righteous and educational undertone that makes this a worthy addition to the genre. Read full review
60
IGNMatt DonatoApr 18, 2023
The Covenant isn’t Guy Ritchie’s best, but standout performances from Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim as bonded heroes save an otherwise bloated military thriller. Read full review
55
Paste MagazineJesse HassengerApr 19, 2023
Ritchie’s film is less infatuated with displays of All-American bodily sacrifice than movies like Lone Survivor and 13 Hours, but it still keys into a kind of performative, manly anguish. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriApr 21, 2023
For much of its running time, director Ritchie’s war movie manages to be topical, suspenseful, and moving. But partly because the story is fiction, Ritchie takes a few genre liberties that threaten to undermine the sincerity of his tale. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsApr 21, 2023
If The Covenant were only an interrogation of the hollowness of American exceptionalism, as its first hour suggests, it’d be among the most honest portrayals of the country’s role in the region. But Ritchie eventually awakens from his stupor, pushing this combat-action flick to gonzo territory. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithApr 20, 2023
Mr. Ritchie has fashioned a simple, meat-and-potatoes action thriller, in the same category as “12 Strong” (2018) and “Lone Survivor” (2013). Yet unlike those films, this one is pure fiction, which both untethers it from reality and imbues it with a certain free-floating meaninglessness. Read full review
50
ColliderChase HutchinsonApr 20, 2023
Though possibly well-intentioned, the execution of The Covenant ensures its narrative and thematic potential is drowned out in the roar of gunfire it becomes far too enamored by. Read full review
50
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottApr 18, 2023
Tempting though it might be, it’s not fair to say Ritchie’s film gets lost in translation. But by the same token, when it’s all over, it doesn’t quite feel as if it has entirely lived up to its covenant with audiences. Read full review
50
SlashfilmWitney SeiboldApr 18, 2023
There is a great deal missing from Ritchie's film. "The Covenant" is almost aggressive in its complete lack of wartime litigation. While the harrowing nature of a soldier's experience is laid bare, the meaning of the actual, prolonged quagmire of the Afghanistan occupation will be lingering in the back of most audience's minds. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonApr 18, 2023
Ritchie’s tendency for swaggering overkill proves especially ill-advised for the serious story he wants to tell about how the US turned its back on those who helped its War On Terror, resulting in a hollow paean that’s far more convincing as a generic shoot-’em-up. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubMurtada ElfadlApr 19, 2023
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant offers marginal entertainment value. It’s a film that seems afraid to offer any ideas about its setting and characters beyond the minimum. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleDex Wesley ParraApr 19, 2023
Time and time again, Ritchie proves to be an effective action director. When it comes to writing the picture, less so, and The Covenant stands as another reminder of that sturdy dichotomy. Read full review
38
Slant MagazineGregory NussenApr 18, 2023
The film bangs the drum loudly on behalf of American exceptionalism. Read full review
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