(L to R) Dar Salim as Ahmed, Jason Wong as Joshua “JJ Jung”, Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley, Christian Ochoa as Eduardo “Chow Chow” Lopez, and Rhys Yates as Tom “Tom Cat” Hancock in ‘The Covenant,’ directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
From ‘Sherlock Holmes’ to ‘Aladdin’ to ‘Wrath of Man’, director Guy Ritchie is no stranger to large-scale productions filled with action. In his latest movie ‘The Covenant’, he delivers a movie that packs a punch in both emotions and action.
The official synopsis for ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ is below:
“’Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ follows US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). After an ambush, Ahmed goes to Herculean lengths to save Kinley’s life. When Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, he must repay his debt by returning to the war zone to retrieve them before the Taliban hunts them down first.”
‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ opened in theaters on April 21, 2023. The movie received an 83% score from the critics and a 98% score from audiences, making this Ritchie’s highest-ranked movie on the aggregator website.
The cast of ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ includes Academy-Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (‘Strange World’) as Sergeant John Kinley, Dar Salim (‘A War’) as Afghan interpreter Ahmed, Sean Sagar (‘The Gentleman’) as Charlie “Jizzy” Crow, Jason Wong (‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’) as Joshua “JJ” Jung, Christian Ochoa (‘Vivo’) as Eduardo “Chow Chow” Lopez, and Rhys Yates (‘Followers’) as Tom “Tom Cat” Hancock.
(L to R) Dar Salim as Ahmed and Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley in The Covenant,’ directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Jake Gyllenhaal And Dar Salim Makes A Dynamic Team
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal is one of the best actors of his generation. On top of having experience with war movies, his resume is filled with a wide variety of roles – from crime videographer Louis Bloom (‘Nightcrawler‘) to Mysterio (‘Spider-Man: Far From Home‘), Gyllenhaal is a fantastic choice to play Sergeant John Kinley. Playing opposite Gyllenhaal is Dar Salim, as Afghan interpreter Ahmed. The two characters did not like each other at the beginning but were forced to work together. Through the movie, the bond strengthens as they learn to trust each other.
Salim talks about the key to playing Ahmed:
“He’s someone that you can relate to. He’s a guy who will do anything to keep his family safe. He just wants to give his children the opportunities that he doesn’t have himself. But even a man like that, when he’s faced with the ultimate choices, it’s a reminder that most of us have good in us and that we will do what’s right in that moment. That’s the mirror of the relationship between those two men. So that was the key to playing Ahmed, I think.”
Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (left) and director Guy Ritchie (right) on the set of ‘The Covenant,’ a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.`
Guy Ritchie Takes A Different Screenplay Process With This Movie
For this movie, director Guy Ritchie had a slightly different approach in the ways of the screenplay. It wasn’t a completely finished script but the director knew what story he wanted to tell and where he was going to go with it. Each morning, he would discuss the scenes with the actors – how to work on them, bouncing ideas off them. From there, the director would write scenes, making necessary edits or changes as they come up.
Jake Gyllenhaal talks more about his experience on-set and the different process:
“Then when we got there, it was a process of, “Okay, come to set. Here’s the scenes today. How do we start working on them? What are your ideas?” Then he would write in the morning. He writes very quickly. He’d write in the morning and write us the scene. He’d either change the scene or edit it, or sometimes write the whole thing out based on his thoughts from the night before or our discussions. Then we’d go out there and we’d play it. The next day we would add on to the board. As the board got bigger, he’d be able to have more to play with and references that we had done. Then we’d start telling the story that once existed as a foundation of a home.”
Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley in ‘The Covenant,’ directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Related Article: Movie Review: ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’
Where Can I Watch Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Covenant’?
The film was released theatrically in the United States on April 21, 2023. While the movie is available to rent on digital, you can still enjoy it in the theater so be sure to check Moviefone‘s listings below for showtimes in your area. ‘The Covenant’ has a total runtime of 2 hours and 3 minutes.
Buy Tickets: ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ Movie Showtimes
Watch the official trailers for ‘The Covenant’ below:
Can’t make it out to the theater? You have the option to rent the movie on VOD. Services such as Amazon Prime Video, Direct TV, Google Play, Vudu, Microsoft, YouTube, AppleTV, and Redbox allow you to rent the movie for $19.99.
Where To Watch: ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ Online
As for as streaming goes, an official date hasn’t been confirmed by MGM, since the film is still in theaters, but you will be able to purchase the movie digitally on June 20. For those looking to purchase a physical copy, DVD and Blu-ray will also be available on June 20.
Buy ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ Movie On Amazon
(L to R) Dar Salim as Ahmed and Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley in ‘The Covenant,’ directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. Credit: Christopher Raphael / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures. © 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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You can watch our interviews with Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim about ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’ by clicking on the video player below.
