Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant: In Afghanistan!

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) movie focuses on the vows made in Afghanistan by the Americans. Thus, the recent events in Afghanistan have inspired this adrenaline-pumping action-thriller. The harsh truth was that the United States of America (USA) was reducing its troop presence in war-ravaged Asian nation.

When Americans Broke Their Promises Made To Afghans

Spoiler-Free Review: Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) Movie

The synopsis & the introduction

It 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.

The Covenant signifies a promise or a legal agreement with the Afghan people, who were working for the US Government. It is especially true for the Afghan interpreters (also the Afghan police, military, and other officials), who worked for US forces. So the Taliban treated them as traitors of their nations. As a result, the Taliban not only punished and eliminated these American supporters in Afghanistan. But they also cracked down on the family members of such people. All of these American supporters were termed as the public enemies.

So, what was the vow and/or the covenant?

Well, by helping the US forces – they get a chance to earn money and an opportunity to migrate to Western nations with official visas. However, the ground realities turned out to be different for many of these Afghan people, as they were left to fend for themselves.

Meanwhile, the troops from the NATO nations (especially from the USA) withdrew from the active war zone.

What were the ground realities in Afghanistan at that time?

When the troops from the USA were planning to leave Afghanistan – the country was overrun by the Taliban forces. At that time, the Taliban armed forces were in the ascendency. And they were trying to take complete control of its national government.

As a result, the common Afghan citizens were inadvertently caught in the crossfire between the two heavily armed forces. One was Taliban forces and the other was the USA forces.

But, many of the promises were broken

In the heartbreaking scenes from the film, Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) talks about how too much bureaucratic red-tapism in the US has prevented Ahmed (Dar Salim) and his family from getting the promised US Visas. Meanwhile, the Taliban hunts, to kill Ahmed and his family members.

“The deal was that we offered his (Ahmed) family sanctuary. Then we tied a noose around his neck and kicked the stool out from under him.“

John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) said this dialogue in the film

Has good emotional drama and well-executed action scenes

Besides its well-executed action sequences, the underlying emotional theme of this film also talks about the strong bond – a family and a friendship. More so when the war is raging, the people will go to great lengths for their kin and buddy.

Both the actors Jake Gyllenhaal (John Kinley) and Dar Salim (Ahmed) are in great acting form. They have conveyed the hallowed feelings of unequal friendship and lop-sided relationship in this action drama.

Afghanistan is not very far away from India, and we know about the harsh realities

The Covenant film is a timely reminder of the futility of a decade-long war being fought in the vicinity of our nation, India. The hasty withdrawal of the US troops led to the most chaotic evacuation scenes seen in recent times, as many despairing Afghans crowded the border areas to leave the country by any means.

We (and my team members) realise that a good couple of years have gone by since then. But we are still unable to forget the unforgettable videos shot at the Kabul airport. Desperate Afghans tried to flee Afghanistan, and then a scary news clip showed some people falling off aeroplanes.

Movies like ‘The Covenant’ are like a guilt trip

Since then, the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan within weeks of US (and NATO) troops leaving the country. And now the world is coming to terms with the worldwide crisis of Afghan refugees. We think modern-day war movies like The Covenant are like a guilt trip. Its central theme depicts the feeling of too much helplessness and a little bit of wish fulfilment, on the part of US soldiers. In a two-decade-long deployment in Afghanistan, it seems that the US soldiers forged a fairly strong bond with their Afghan partners, especially the interpreters. Yet, most of them could do nothing to fulfil their covenant.

The conclusion

We sincerely hope, that someday, Afghan filmmakers will make in-depth war movies (documentaries) about Afghan misadventures. But as of now, the ground realities are grim. Till such time, we should always remember Afghanistan – a cradle of ancient civilization; about which the world has conveniently forgotten.

So in a way, at least this film reminds people and asks them to fulfil – “A bond, A pledge, and A commitment.”

When the movie ends, the text content informs us that 300 Afghans have been killed and thousands are in hiding from the Taliban for having cooperated with the US (and the NATO forces); this is the harsh reality of war-torn Afghanistan.

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant

Rating: Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) Movie

Poster: Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) Movie

Key Details: Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) Movie

Trailer: Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023) Movie

If you like contemporary action-packed movies like Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, then you might like to read about the Kandahar film, which is also set in Afghanistan.

Featured Image and Poster: Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant | MGM.