--- title: "The Covenant" year: 2023 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-covenant" fi1m_id: "the-covenant" imdb_id: "tt11718596" tmdb_id: 1266409 fi1m_score: 50 critics_score: 68 critics_reviews: 16 published: "2026-09-24T22:16:57.289568+00:00" updated: "2026-09-24T22:17:24.603155+00:00" region: "SK" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Covenant (2023) Drama, History, Fantasy ## Identity The Covenant - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-covenant - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-covenant - **IMDb ID:** tt11718596 - **TMDB ID:** 1266409 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11718596/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1266409 **Fi1m score: 50** · Critics 68 from 16 reviews *In a sentence:* The Covenant most critics reviewed has Jake Gyllenhaal in Afghanistan; this one has Lior Ashkenazi as Ezra and no director on record > Two films share this title and year. The one filed here is a scriptural drama with Lior Ashkenazi as Ezra and a narrator; the one the reviews describe is Guy Ritchie’s Afghanistan war film. We cannot recommend a title we cannot identify. ## Synopsis A scriptural drama in 2023, told with a Narrator (Alexandra Gilbreath) and a cast whose roles run the length of the Hebrew Bible. Lior Ashkenazi is billed first as Ezra, the scribe who returns the exiles to Jerusalem. Around him the credits move backwards through the book: Adam (Suleiman Suleiman) and Eve (Noa Nikita Bleeker) in the garden, Noah (Abdelkader El Hmamay) before the flood, Sarah (Soumaya Akaaboune) and her servant Hagar (Salma Sairi), Joseph (Eli Danker) in Egypt and the wife of Potiphar (Nadia Benzakour) who accuses him, Moses (Haitham Omari) and his successor Joshua (Said Bey), and a Pharaoh (Rachid El Adouani). It is listed as drama, history and fantasy. Nothing in the credits names a director, a runtime or a release date. ## Review There are two films called *The Covenant* from 2023, and this page has one foot in each. The credits filed under this title belong to a biblical drama: Lior Ashkenazi as Ezra, Alexandra Gilbreath as the Narrator, Eli Danker as Joseph, Haitham Omari as Moses, Suleiman Suleiman and Noa Nikita Bleeker as Adam and Eve, Abdelkader El Hmamay as Noah. The reviews that have been published under the same title and year are, all of them, about Guy Ritchie’s war film, in which Jake Gyllenhaal plays an American sergeant and Dar Salim his Afghan interpreter. Not one name is shared between the two. We should say what we can see and what we cannot. The credits here run from the garden to the return from exile, with a Pharaoh, a Joshua, a Sarah and a Hagar and a Potiphar’s wife along the way, and a narrator to hold it together. That is the shape of a survey of scripture rather than a single story, the sort of thing that moves from tableau to tableau with a voice over the top. It is listed as drama, history and fantasy. Beyond the cast, the record is empty: no director, no cinematographer, no editor, no composer, no runtime, no certificate, no release date in this country or any other. We have not seen it. We say that plainly because the alternative is to pretend, and a reader on a sofa deserves better than a guess dressed as a verdict. We can tell you that Ashkenazi is a fine, heavy-lidded actor who has anchored serious Israeli films for two decades, and that a version of Ezra with him at the centre is a promising idea. We cannot tell you whether this is that version, or how long it runs, or who lit it. What we felt, reading the two sets of credits side by side, was something close to embarrassment on the reader’s behalf. Most people who type this title into a search box want Ritchie’s film. They will find, filed under it, a list of prophets. The reviews so far, sixteen of them, land at a consensus of 68 for the war film, with critics divided over whether Ritchie’s straighter, more sober style is a welcome change or a waste of him, and near-unanimous that Salim is the best thing in it. None of that praise or complaint can be laid over a film about Noah and Moses, and we will not pretend it can. Nor can we review Ritchie’s film in its place. We know it exists and we know who is in it, but we do not have its crew, its runtime or its release in front of us, and a review of ours that named a cinematographer from memory would be worth exactly what it cost. The rule is simple: if we cannot check it, we do not print it. That rule is the only reason a stranger should trust the next review we write. So what is the score for? It sits in the middle because that is where a title goes when we can find nothing to recommend and nothing to condemn. It is not a judgment of the biblical film, which may be devout and dull or devout and remarkable for all we know. It is a warning that this entry, as it stands, is not the film most readers came looking for, and that the film it is has not been seen or written about by anyone whose work we have read. If you wanted the war film, the recommendations below include one that will get you partway there. If you wanted scripture on screen, they include four that we can vouch for, which is more than we can say for the title at the top of the page. *Fi1m score 50, published 24 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like it. Nine of the sixteen reviews are positive, and the recurring note is that Guy Ritchie has put aside his usual flourishes for a serious, grounded war drama and has done so more convincingly than expected. The praise gathers around the two leads: Dar Salim is singled out again and again, several reviews saying he outshines Jake Gyllenhaal, and the partnership between the two men is what most critics find moving. The action is described as clearly staged and tense. The reservations gather around the Afghans and the war. Several critics find the film shallow on both, more interested in an American soldier’s redemption than in the interpreter it claims to honour. Slant goes furthest, arguing it ends up endorsing American exceptionalism. Vulture finds the final act a letdown. The spread is wide, from Deadline calling it Ritchie’s best to Slant near the bottom, but even the harshest reviews praise Salim. ## Straight answers **Is The Covenant worth watching?** *The Covenant* (2023), the scriptural drama with Lior Ashkenazi as Ezra, is a film we can neither recommend nor warn against, because we have not seen it and nobody whose work we have read has either; we scored it 50 to mark that. Most people searching this title want Guy Ritchie's Afghanistan war film with Jake Gyllenhaal, which shares nothing with it but a name and a year. **Where can I watch The Covenant in Slovakia?** *The Covenant* is not on any streaming or rental service in Slovakia at the moment. Availability is checked daily. **How does The Covenant compare to The Ten Commandments?** *The Covenant* and [*The Ten Commandments*](https://film.one/film/the-ten-commandments) both put the Hebrew Bible on screen, but only DeMille's film can be vouched for: it is sincere, enormous and stiff as a temple frieze, with set pieces that still land and dialogue that never does. *The Covenant* has no director, runtime or review on record, so anyone wanting the Exodus tonight should go to DeMille and Yul Brynner. **What should I watch after The Covenant?** After *The Covenant*, try [*The Ten Commandments*](https://film.one/film/the-ten-commandments) (1956, Fi1m 67): DeMille’s scriptural spectacle, the standard any later biblical film is measured against. Then [*The Prince of Egypt*](https://film.one/film/the-prince-of-egypt) (1998, Fi1m 74): Animated Moses done with real weight, and the best songs the genre has produced. ### Reviews we read (16) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (85/100, inferred): Walsh calls it Ritchie’s best film in years, finding the serious story effective despite occasional excess in tone. She praises Dar Salim and Jake Gyllenhaal’s performances and the cinematic portrayal of their bond. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-04-20/review-guy-ritchie-the-covenant-jake-gyllenhaal-afghanistan-war) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (Critics Pick): Gleiberman calls the film a lacerating, moving, superbly crafted war drama. He praises Dar Salim’s nuanced performance and the gripping, unsentimental staging of the men’s struggle to survive. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-review-jake-gyllenhaal-1235585686/) - **Empire**, Catherine Bray (80/100, inferred): Bray finds the film a handsome, serious war drama and praises Ritchie’s shift into a more grounded style. She singles out the convincing partnership between Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim, especially the opportunity it gives Salim to shine. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-covenant/) - **IndieWire**, Siddhant Adlakha (B): The review finds the film an intense, effective war drama, though it notes limitations in its portrayal of Afghans and the broader conflict. It singles out Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim’s performances and the riveting action for praise. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-covenant-review-guy-ritchie-jake-gyllenhaal-1234829009/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (75/100, inferred): Rooney finds the film a solid, satisfying war thriller and a welcome change of pace for Guy Ritchie. He praises its focus on the resilient humanity and partnership of the two leads rather than glorifying combat. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/guy-ritchie-the-covenant-review-jake-gyllenhaal-afghan-war-drama-1235376890/) - **Screen Daily**, Tim Grierson (70/100, inferred): The standfirst presents the film as a muscular tribute to Afghan interpreters left behind by US forces. The review’s full verdict and specific praise are unavailable in the accessible page text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-review/5180911.article) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page identifies the article as a review, but its text is inaccessible. The critic’s verdict and any specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/20/movies/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-review.html) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (60/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film topical, suspenseful, and moving for much of its running time, but says the final act is a letdown. He praises the dreamy, wordless survival sequences and Gyllenhaal’s haunted performance. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-jake-gyllenhaal-shines-in-guy-ritchies-the-covenant.html?amp=&=) - **The AV Club**, Murtada Elfadl (C-): Elfadl finds the film shallow, dramatically limp, and unwilling to engage with the war’s complexity. He singles out Dar Salim’s quietly commanding performance as the one element that gives viewers something to hold onto. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-covenant-movie-review-jake-gyllenhaal-1850347698) - **Slant Magazine**, Gregory Nussen (1.5/4): Nussen argues that the film ultimately endorses American exceptionalism and never-ending warfare. He praises the tense, kinetic action sequences, but criticizes the thin characterizations and lack of meaningful scrutiny of the war. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-review-jake-gyllenhaal/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): Hammond calls it an exciting, gripping, and moving war film, and praises it as Guy Ritchie’s best. He singles out Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim for compelling performances, especially their characters’ emotional bond. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/04/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-review-jake-gyllenhaal-1235330317/) - **Den of Geek**, Kayleigh Donaldson (75/100, inferred): The critic finds The Covenant a surprisingly successful, more earnest turn for Guy Ritchie, and a promising move toward serious filmmaking. She praises the clearly staged, forceful action but faults the film for giving Afghan characters less humanity and emotional depth than its American soldiers. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-covenant-guy-ritchie-taken-more-seriously-than-snatch-aladdin/) - **The Playlist** (70/100, inferred): The headline presents the film as an engaging war thriller centered on bonds and brotherhood. The page content is blocked, so no further critical praise or complaint is available. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/the-covenant-review-guy-ritchie-jake-gyllenhaal-team-up-for-an-engaging-war-thriller-about-bonds-brotherhood-paying-spiritual-debts-20230420/) - **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (C): Hutchinson finds the film’s promising themes and performances overwhelmed by formulaic action and an underwritten story. He praises Dar Salim’s dynamic performance, while faulting the film for sidelining Ahmed and centering John’s redemption instead. [Read](https://collider.com/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-review/) - **Paste**, Jesse Hassenger (5.5/10): Hassenger finds the film a familiar, middle-of-the-road war drama that misuses Ritchie’s talents. He praises the sharper frustration of Gyllenhaal’s scenes confronting U.S. bureaucracy, but criticizes the noisy visual clichés in battle scenes. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/guy-ritchie/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-is-a-major-departure-from-what-guy-ritchie-is-good-at) - **/Film**, Witney Seibold (5 out of 10): The critic finds the film shallow despite its effective action, arguing that its focus on male camaraderie avoids examining the war. He praises Dar Salim for giving Ahmed humanity and outshining his co-star. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1261423/guy-ritchies-the-covenant-review-a-shallow-war-movie/) ## Details - **Cast:** Lior Ashkenazi as Ezra; Alexandra Gilbreath as Narrator; Eli Danker as Joseph; Soumaya Akaaboune as Sarah; Nadia Benzakour as Potiphar's Wife; Said Bey as Joshua; Rachid El Adouani as Pharaoh 2; Salma Sairi as Hagar - **First release (the US):** 1 December 2023 - **Genres:** Drama, History, Fantasy ## Where to watch in Slovakia Not streaming, renting or buying in Slovakia at the last check. ## If you liked this - *The Ten Commandments* (1956), Fi1m 67: DeMille’s scriptural spectacle, the standard any later biblical film is measured against — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-ten-commandments.md) - *The Gospel According to St. Matthew* (1964): Pasolini films the text plainly with non-professionals; the opposite of spectacle, and better - *Noah* (2014): Aronofsky’s strange, sincere flood film, for those who like their Genesis argumentative - *The Prince of Egypt* (1998), Fi1m 74: Animated Moses done with real weight, and the best songs the genre has produced — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-prince-of-egypt.md) - *The Kite Runner* (2007): If the war film was what you wanted, this Afghanistan story is closer to it --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-covenant