The Covenant

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant (2023 Movie)

The narrative of “The Covenant” centers around a United States soldier and an Afghan interpreter who, at great personal peril, saves the former from Taliban militants. Regrettably, the interpreter finds himself in a precarious position, as he is also targeted by the Taliban. Despite his desire to leave Afghanistan, he is unable to obtain a visa to the United States. The sergeant, however, feels a sense of obligation to the translator and endeavors to extricate him from Afghanistan and bring him to the United States. Ultimately, the soldier successfully rescues both himself and the translator from the Taliban, thereby repaying the translator’s debt of gratitude.

The United States has employed approximately 50,000 Afghan interpreters who are eligible to apply for special immigration visas and relocation to America. Master Sergeant John Kinely is currently stationed in Afghanistan, where the Afghan interpreters are provided with basic military training. In need of an interpreter, Sergeant Kinley is introduced to Ahmed (Dar Salim), a bald Afghan who is proficient in more than four local languages and previously worked as a mechanic. Ahmed has been working for the US army for five years and is tasked with a dangerous mission, as Kinley’s previous interpreter had been killed. Following an introduction, Kinley adds Ahmed to his team, which is responsible for locating arms and ammunition bases used by the Taliban. Ahmed proves to be highly skilled in his role.

Kinley brought Ahmed along on a mission to apprehend an individual named Faraz from Afghanistan. Kinley and his team were attired in local garb. They successfully captured Faraz, and Ahmed proceeded to interrogate him in the Dari language. Initially, Faraz was uncooperative, but after being offered a sum of money, he divulged information regarding the locations where the Taliban produced and stored Improvised Electronic Devices (IEDs). Faraz provided Kinley and his team with a lead. Subsequently, Kinley learned from a fellow officer that Ahmed had previously been involved with the Taliban, selling heroin. However, after the Taliban killed his son, Ahmed turned against them and began working for the US army. Although Ahmed’s methods were somewhat unrefined, they yielded positive results. Kinley was both impressed and angered by Ahmed’s actions and cautioned him against disregarding his authority in the future.

On a certain day, one of the interpreters, Haadee, led the group into a perilous situation by providing false information regarding the safety of an alternate route. However, Ahmed, being astute, detected something amiss and intervened, halting Sergeant Kinley’s progress. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Haadee had divulged their location to the Taliban due to the abduction of his family. The group subsequently retreated to their base. Ahmed’s quick thinking and actions saved the lives of eight individuals on that fateful day.

One day, the group embarked on a mission to an old mining operation located 120 kilometers away from the Bagram base in search of explosives. Ahmed, a member of the group, had a premonition that something was amiss. Upon arrival, they discovered a large cache of weapons and encountered four Talibani members who were torturing a hostage. This location was also being used to store bombs. John Kinley eliminated the Talibani members. He then requested immediate air support from the base. However, a group of Taliban terrorists arrived in trucks before the air support could arrive. Kinley’s team was outnumbered and under attack from the Taliban who were armed with launchers and other advanced weapons. Despite managing to eliminate several attackers, Kinley’s team was ultimately defeated. Kinley and Ahmed managed to escape in a truck and abandoned it in the hills. They were pursued by the Taliban on foot, who were ordered by their leader to kill both Kinley and Ahmed. The air support eventually arrived at the mining location and discovered the bodies of Kinley’s team members, except for Kinley and his interpreter. The location was littered with the corpses of approximately 40 dead Taliban members.

John and Ahmed have taken refuge in the hills with the intention of reaching their base. Pursued by members of the Taliban, they are currently being hunted through the hills and jungle. After spending the night in the hills, John awakens Ahmed to discover that the Taliban is closing in on their location, mere minutes away. In a desperate attempt to evade their pursuers, the two men begin to run, with several Taliban members in close pursuit. During their escape, Ahmed loses his firearm while sliding down a hill. Along the way, John and Ahmed encounter two Taliban members, whom they kill by stabbing. They continue to eliminate additional members of the Taliban as they progress. The Taliban, however, continues to send reinforcements to locate them. A violent gunfight ensues between John and Ahmed and some of the Taliban members, after which they seek refuge in a narrow cave to avoid detection by a Taliban search party. Eventually, they discover an old, abandoned house in the hills and decide to spend the night there.

The Taliban members arrived at the location the following morning, prior to John and Ahmed’s departure. They proceeded to apprehend John, who was subsequently shot in the leg and struck in the head with the butt of a rifle by one of the militants. Ahmed emerged from concealment and eliminated the four militants. He then constructed a wooden stretcher and resolved to transport John, who was incapacitated, by pulling him behind. Ahmed draped John with a blanket and conveyed him on the stretcher for several kilometers, while also providing him with sustenance and medical attention. He continued to pull John behind him for several days and nights until they finally arrived at a town, where Ahmed purchased a truck from a local and began driving towards the base. Along the way, they were halted by Taliban members who were unable to identify Ahmed and requested a ride. Unbeknownst to the militants, John was concealed beneath rugs in the back of the truck, and he was conscious and witnessed the entire encounter.

Ahmed escorted John to a nomadic encampment and proposed a barter of his vehicle for sustenance and medicinal supplies. These nomads, who do not espouse the Taliban’s ideology, were cognizant of the fact that Ahmed and his companion were being pursued by the Taliban. Despite this, they provided assistance and administered opium to alleviate John’s pain. Ahmed availed himself of their hand cart and conveyed John therein, traversing the undulating terrain en route to their destination. At a juncture, Ahmed was overcome with fatigue and desisted, shedding tears. However, he summoned his fortitude and resumed his exertions shortly thereafter.

Sergeant John Kinley is lying in the cart, enveloped in rugs, while Ahmed propels the cart towards a shop located in the hills. Upon arrival, Ahmed procures water and proceeds to cleanse his visage. It is at this juncture that a truck transporting several Taliban militants arrives at the scene. One of the militants harbors suspicions regarding the contents of the cart and proceeds to lift the rug in order to investigate. However, before he can react, Ahmed swiftly eliminates him and subsequently dispatches the remaining two militants. Sergeant Kinley, who is still in the cart, bears witness to Ahmed’s heroic actions in saving him from the Taliban militants. At this precise moment, a contingent of US soldiers arrives on the scene, with one of them recognizing Sergeant Kinley. Kinley is subsequently transported to a medical facility, while Ahmed mysteriously disappears from the area.

Upon John Kinley’s recovery, he discovered that Ahmed and his family had gone into hiding. Three weeks later, he was discharged from the hospital and accompanied by his wife Caroline (Emily Beecham) when his acquaintance Declan O’Brady (Alexander Rudwig) paid him a visit. Declan informed him that Ahmed’s primary motivation was not the reward, but rather the acquisition of a Visa. Their tale had garnered widespread attention among the locals in Afghanistan, and they had amassed a significant following. However, Ahmed had now become one of the top ten targets on the Taliban’s hit list, and a substantial bounty had been placed on his head. Declan was aware of Ahmed’s brother, who refused to disclose his whereabouts until they secured a Visa for him.

Kinley encountered difficulties in obtaining a Visa for Ahmed due to bureaucratic obstacles. Despite his efforts, he was unable to secure the necessary documentation and became increasingly frustrated, even resorting to raising his voice with officials. The situation weighed heavily on Kinley, causing him to lose sleep and reflect on the kindness Ahmed had shown him in the past. He felt a sense of resentment at his inability to assist his friend in Afghanistan, and was concerned that the lengthy Visa process, which could take up to nine months, might prove fatal for Ahmed. Despite his desperation and frustration, Kinley remained determined to find a solution and ultimately decided to travel to Afghanistan himself to bring Ahmed back. He sought assistance from Declan in this endeavor. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, Ahmed was forced to remain on the move to evade the Talibs, who had intensified their search for him. In order to protect his family, Ahmed was compelled to take the lives of some of his pursuers. John’s wife, however, was supportive of his efforts to bring Ahmed and his family to safety, even offering to remortgage their home to finance the endeavor.

John Kinley approached Colonel Vokes, whom he had saved years ago, seeking assistance in obtaining visas for Ahmed and his family. After requesting that the Colonel arrange for the visas, Kinley left his family behind and traveled to Afghanistan to seek aid from an independent contractor named Eddie Parker (Antony Stark). To conceal his identity from the Talibs, Kinley adopted the pseudonym Ron Kay. Upon arriving in Afghanistan, Kinley discovered that Parker and his team were preoccupied with another venture, necessitating a three-day wait. However, Kinley was unable to wait and instead embarked on his own search for Ahmed, utilizing the limited information at his disposal and commandeering a truck.

Despite the significant presence of the Taliban throughout the country, who are patrolling every corner, John Kinley ventures alone in search of his friend. He successfully locates Ahmed’s brother, Ali, who has conducted extensive business with the Taliban, thereby avoiding torture at their hands. Due to the Taliban checkpoints, John Kinley is unable to drive through and is instead sent with Ali’s truck driver, Pooya, who possesses the necessary pass to navigate the checkpoints. Although the Talibs generally allow Pooya’s vehicles through, they can be difficult to manage, and John must exercise caution to avoid detection. During one checkpoint, two Talibs refuse to let Pooya pass without a thorough inspection, forcing John to shoot them both. Unfortunately, another Talib stationed at a distance observes the incident and reports it to his superiors, who order him to follow John and Ahmed. Colonel Vokes contacts John on a satellite phone provided by Parker regarding the visas, which he is sending to Parker. John contacts Parker and informs him that he has found Ahmed, and they arrange a rendezvous point within a two-hour window. Ahmed is surprised to see John sitting near him. Meanwhile, the Talib following John and Pooya reports to his superiors that he has located John Kinley and Ahmed, prompting them to send men to capture the two. Parker discovers that Ron Kay is, in fact, John Kinley, whose story he had heard. He decides to assist Kinley and Ahmed as soon as possible.

Ahmed, accompanied by his wife and child, made preparations to depart with John Kinley in the truck he had brought. The designated meeting point was a nearby dam. Unbeknownst to them, the Taliban had dispatched a large group to capture them. Prior to the arrival of the Taliban militants in the village, John, Ahmed, and his family had already departed for the dam. The militants pursued them, but John and Ahmed retaliated with gunfire and obstructed the entrance to the tunnel leading to the dam with their truck. They proceeded on foot, with the Taliban in hot pursuit. Seeking refuge, they concealed themselves on the dam to avoid being shot. John, Ahmed, and Pooya continued to engage the Taliban in combat. However, they eventually depleted their ammunition and lost all hope until they heard the sound of a helicopter and heavy gunfire and explosions.

Parker and his team had arrived just in time and were firing at the Taliban who were targeting John and Ahmed. Several trucks filled with Taliban fighters had arrived at the dam, and just when John thought all was lost, shots and explosions erupted. John observed a US Air Force plane in the sky, firing at the Taliban, and within moments, the Taliban covering the dam were defeated. Two helicopters arrived to provide assistance, and Parker arrived with his team in trucks to escort John and the others to safety. John had fulfilled his obligation to his friend. Once they were all aboard the helicopter, Parker presented them with visas, and Ahmed gazed upon his friend’s countenance with gratitude. Within seconds, the helicopter was airborne, carrying John, Ahmed, and his family.

Cast and Crew:

Jake Gyllenhall : Master Sergeant John Kinley

Dar Salim: Ahmed the Afghan Interpreter

Antony Starr: Eddie Parker the independent army contractor

Emily Beecham: Caroline Kinley Segenat Kinley’s wife

Alexander Ludwig: Sergeant Declan O’Brady

Fariba Sheikhan : Ahmed’s wife Basira

Johny Lee Miller: Col Vokes

Ash Goldeh : Faraz

Sean Sagar : Charlie Jizz Crow

Jason Wong: Joshua JJ Wong

Rhys Yates: Tom “Tom Cat” Hancock

Christian Ochoa: Edward “Chow Chow” Lopez

Bobby Schofield: Steve Kersher

Reza Diako : Haadee

James Nelson Joyce: Jack “Jack Jack” Jackson

Abbas Fasaei: Pooya

Damon Zolfaghar: Ali

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Directed by Guy Ritchie

Written by Guy Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson & Marn Davies

Produced by :

Guy Ritchie

Ivan Atkinson

John Friedberg

Josh Berger

Executive Producers:

Robert Simonds

Adam Fogelson

Executive Producer:

Olga Filipuk

Samantha Waite

Director of Photography : Ed Wilde

Production Designer: Martyn John

Edited by James Herbert

Costume Designer: Loulou Bontemps

Co-Producers:

Max Keene

Siobhan Boyes

Music by Chris Benstead

Music Supervisor: Jason Markey

Makeup and Hair Designer: Donald Mowat

Casting by: Dan Bubbard

Unit Production Manager: Samantha Waite

First Assistant director: Max Keene

Stunt Coordinators:

Mark Mottram

Cuco Usin Carrera

Assistant Stunt Coordinators:

Mark Southworth

William Monrabal Cook

Stunt Department Office Coordinator: Maria Del Martinez

Stunts:

Tien Van Hoang

Paul Bailey

Mark Higgins

Ildebrando Rodriguez

Ignacio Herraez

Fernando Martin

Martin Fourcade

Francisco Leal

Miguel Diaz De Espada

Domingo Beltran

Jose Miguel Hitos

Rafael Ayuso

Jorge Huergo

Lee Huang

Luis Cross

Jose Remon Fernandez

Pablo Casillas

Alexander Franco

Lorenzo Casares

Stunt Doubles

Tom Rodgers

Xavier Lake

Post Production Supervisor: Siobhan Boyes