“Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” follows U.S. 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.
John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a Gunnery Sergeant deployed in Afghanistan. His unit’s task is to discover bombs made by the Taliban. They get ambushed, and their unit’s local interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim), rescues a severely injured Kinley on foot, trying to get him back to base.
Guy Ritchie is known for making stylized action films. Think of “Snatch,” “Sherlock Holmes,” or “King Arthur,” all of which are somewhat quippy and incorporate some slow motion in their action scenes. However, I was surprised that this film lacks Ritchie’s usual flair. “The Covenant” doesn’t feel like a Guy Ritchie film, but maybe that’s the point he wanted to make.
This film is not based on a true story but does take inspiration from accounts of what did occur in Afghanistan. The film highlights the importance of interpreters and how many interpreters are in danger from the Taliban now that the U.S. has left.
When Kinley and Ahmed first meet, Kinley seems to be slightly put off by Ahmed. Ahmed is not afraid to talk back to Kinley and offer his opinion. Kinley only seems to tolerate him because Ahmed gets results. Otherwise, he is an outsider to his close-knit unit. So, when Kinley realizes that Ahmed went above and beyond to save him, he feels helpless to return the favor once Ahmed and his family are targeted explicitly by the Taliban.
I thought Kinley’s survivor’s guilt was depicted well. When Kinley is back home, he tries to go through the usual channels like USCIS to get Ahmed and his family U.S. visas. He is constantly transferred, put on hold, and gets nowhere. He cannot rest until he knows that Ahmed and his family are safe, so he decides to go back to Afghanistan undercover to rescue them.
I am only confused about why Ahmed went out of his way to rescue Kinley. As stated before, they were not friends. I feel like character depth was something that Ahmed was missing. Salim was great in the role, but we never get much insight into his character or what he is thinking.
Another part of this film that I have a qualm with is Antony Starr’s character. He is a vital part of Kinley’s rescue mission to save Ahmed and his family. But he is also a private military contractor. And these types of people should not be framed as heroes if they are profiteering from wars.
Despite my minor gripes on the film, I think “The Covenant” is solid. The film is more serious than Ritchie’s usual fare. The two leads’ performances are well done, and the stakes feel high and personal.
In Theaters Friday, April 21st
