The Covenant (2023)

Director: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Sean Sagar

During the war in Afghanistan, a local interpreter risks his own life to carry an injured sergeant across miles of grueling terrain.

Also known as ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’, the film unfortunately flopped at the box office, which is interesting considering the film received mainly positive reviews from both audiences and critics.

As for me, I absolutely loved it! ‘The Covenant’ is a war film that finally effectively portrays loyalty to the extreme. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Sergeant John Kinley, who goes to Afghanistan on a mission to look for Taliban firearms. This after his unit was ambushed and one of their trucks bombed by the Taliban, resulting in the death of his interpreter.

John now has a new interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim), who previously worked for the Talliban. What happens next, is an incredible story of survival against all odds. How do I possibly review this without doing spoilers? Ahmed becomes much more than just John’s interpreter, when he goes beyond the call of duty to keep him alive.

Weeks later, when John regains consciousness and learns Ahmed is still in Afghanistan, having to move underground with his family, John wants to do everything in his power to return the favour by saving Ahmed. It is an almost impossible task that very well could cost him his life, and Ahmed’s.

‘The Covenant’ is a touching, emotional and inspirational journey. It is nail-biting from beginning to end, with superb performances – especially Dar Salim as Ahmed! He was incredible and I hope he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film also has an awesome score, and great cinematography. This film is a cinematic experience. It was simply STUNNING!

Would I watch it again? Yes, definitely!