Did you know there have been three sequels to the 2005 Jake Gyllenhaal war drama Jarhead? Weird, right? Anyway, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant isn’t one of those, but given how staid this new Gyllenhaal-faced war movie looks, it may as well be another unasked-for follow-up. Have a look with this new trailer.
Promoted right in its title treatment as coming from Guy Ritchie, the film hardly reads as such. There are few of Ritchie’s trademark flourishes to be seen; this preview just looks like any other jingoistic Afghanistan war thriller. Gyllenhaal plays a military guy whose interpreter (Dar Salim) heroically saves him from a Taliban attack. In return, Jake feels he owes it to the guy to rescue him from the wartorn area, so he heads back in to get him out. If it was based on a true story, it might at least seem like something, but as it stands, it’s bordering on parody with its somber Tom Petty cover and “faded caps and light beards” trope as shorthand for being good ol’ American boys. Aladdin made more sense as a Ritchie departure than this does.
Regardless, here it is. The Covenant hits theaters February 2.
