The Covenant (2023)
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A U.S. Army Green Beret becomes determined to rescue his Afghan interpreter after they are both left for dead in a war zone.
The story
In 2018, during the war in Afghanistan, U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sergeant John Kinley and his unit are caught in a deadly Taliban ambush. After a harrowing trek to safety, Kinley is left with a profound sense of debt toward his interpreter, Ahmed, who saved his life during the escape. Following his return to the United States, Kinley finds himself unable to move on until he can ensure Ahmed's safety. Despite the logistical hurdles and the dangers of the region, Kinley resolves to travel back into the conflict zone to secure a way for Ahmed and his family to escape to safety.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In March 2018, during a routine inspection in Afghanistan, a truck bomb attack leaves Master Sergeant John Kinley and his interpreter, Ahmed, as the only survivors of a brutal Taliban ambush. Ahmed, a former opium trader who defected from the Taliban, carries Kinley through treacherous mountain terrain to safety. Seven weeks later, in California, Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family are living in hiding. Driven by guilt, Kinley returns to Afghanistan under a false identity to find Ahmed. He teams up with a private military contractor, Parker, and navigates dangerous territory to reach Ahmed's hideout. As they attempt to flee toward the U.S., they are hunted by the Taliban. In the final confrontation at the Darunta Dam, they are rescued by an AC-130 gunship and an Apache helicopter provided by Parker. The film ends with a note on the fate of hundreds of Afghan interpreters following the U.S. withdrawal.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Guy Ritchie
- Writers
- Guy Ritchie · writer; Ivan Atkinson · writer; Marn Davies · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jake Gyllenhaal · John Kinley; Dar Salim · Ahmed; Jason Wong; Antony Starr; Alexander Ludwig; Sean Sagar; Bobby Schofield; Emily Beecham
- Genres
- action; drama
- Themes
- loyalty; debt; war
- Tone and mood
- serious; tense
- Setting
- Afghanistan and California, 2018-2023
- Premise and plot tags
- military; rescue mission; action
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was noted for its dramatic tension and performances.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 28; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 92% · scale: percent
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled The Interpreter.; The title was changed to The Covenant in December 2022.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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