The Covenant is a spectacle of a movie. It’s a Guy Ritchie production doing what he does best! Amalgamating drama and action to its max potential and putting that all into a political, militia setting… epic!
It’s the year 2018, at the peak of the war in Afghanistan, we are introduced to John Kinley, a master sergeant for the US Army. A well-recognised and respected leader leading a solid unit trying to uncover arsenal secrets of the Taliban. On an excursion one day they are ambushed by the Taliban and John loses his unit’s interpreter in a lorry bomb blast. He then recruits a replacement interpreter, Ahmed Abdullah. Ahmed isn’t like others, he’s instinctive and not afraid to follow orders which at first doesn’t sit well with John but they must work together. During another mission they are ambushed again but this time only John and Ahmed survive. In a last-ditch attempt to hide John is caught, knocked out and is being extracted back to a Taliban base. Ahmed comes out of hiding and rescues John and now it’s a survival mission of keeping John alive and blending in to get back to a US Air Base. Ahmed evades the Taliban hunting them, carrying Kinley over the country’s treacherous mountain topography. Luckily, he does make it but he’s mistaken as Taliban and is cast out and now hiding out with his family. With John back home with his family, he feels very guilty and plans to go rescue Ahmed and his family. Only problem is, the army is not willing to support so it’s a solo mission into enemy territory to rescue Ahmed, his wife and his now new born. The film then switches from political to a more personal drive story. What a plot eiii?
Jake Gyllenhaal is a premium triple A superstar. Very reliable. Any role he touches is treated to great levels. A perfect match for the Guy Ritchie aesthetic. He plays John Kinley. He’s solid, professional and embodies the whole persona of a soldier. Dar Salim plays Ahmed. He’s terrific. He’s cold, composed, vengeful and you can feel in his character how all these events are personal as he personifies the qualities of a protective family man. Sean Sagar is our UK representative as per tradition in all Guy Ritchie flicks and he’s stellar, even for the small role he has. He gives a solid performance with a good accent. Jonny Lee Miller and Alexander Ludwig are our commanding operatives, secretive and stern. Alex continues to grow in the movie industry. Emily Beecham as Caroline Kinley is a solid counterpart as John’s wife. Antony Starr aka Homelander makes an appearance and although in a different type of role he still has that menacing smug in which you know anything can pop off at any min.
It’s a high value production which was filmed out in Spain but the cinematography combined with the angles gave it that dirt ridden Middle Eastern feel. It has this front camera point of view which gives it that edgy and intense notion. Puts us the audience right in front of the barrel of the guns. There’s a scene of where the angle is through the scope of the helicopters machine gun and it’s just reminiscent of a Battlefield video game level, very engaging. The sound and audio drive the tension, every bullet shot, explosion, engine, all magnified to max level. A splendid musical selection on top of the all action. There’s a shoot-out scene which is accompanied with a violin themed musical, it’s just outstanding. The gore and the violence are exceptional. It helps drive the narrative to fear the Taliban and let the viewer acknowledge these characters are really in a war-torn environment.
As per the title, we witness a covenant between 2 unlikely characters from very different lifestyles as they grow into something more than brothers.
They are bound beyond the link of blood but rather loyalty and brotherhood. Both 2 loving family men who understand the concept of family first and have the most understanding wives who just accept their husbands are skirmish warfare survivors, it’s a nice feel-good angle. They are both “wives of war”. The scenes of Ahmed carrying an unconscious John through some many wild and tough terrains on a wheel barrow make for some heroic scenes. A display of brotherhood in its purest form. Then the switch of dynamic of Jake going from damsel in distress to front line hero to pay his debt back to Ahmed is chronicle. Jakes character development on show via his regret, grief, depression, and guilt is just powerful to witness. He has these vigorous flashback nightmares that bring him to the decision to go on this suicide mission which are performed with such vim then we see they are the source of his new found stone cold, tunnel vision motive.
I can’t praise this movie enough. If you’re for brotherhood, loyalty, teamwork, and just outright love this is the movie for you. It’s a hell of a journey going through this story from 2 angles from 2 very different angles. The impact of war and how it affects different classes of people is the heart of this story. From my knowledge it’s not based on a true story but it does feel very real and believable. If any interpreters were treated like this, promised things to cooperate but didn’t receive payment? On behalf of US and UK military, we are very sorry! A recommended watch for sure!
Can you see yourself as an interpreter? Do you think you could survive as a 2-man team behind enemy lines? Are you carrying your friend across the country on a wheel burrow or you leaving him behind? Be honest LOL… react and comment below…
Absolutely spot on review. I went into the movie already having a penchant for this type of tale, especially when it’s based on real-life events like this movie. Jake never disappoints on screen, and as per usual, gave a stella performance. But for me, actor Dar Salim, aka Ahmed, the interpreter, just pipped jake for the star of the show. He managed to make me truly feel his anguish to keep his family safe.
Outstanding movie by mr Ritchie, definitely didn’t get the type of universal praise that it should have received.