Movie Review: 'Guy Ritchie's The Covenant' Is A Masterfully Manipulative War Thriller

In August 2021 - less than two years ago - the US will withdraw its last troops from the country we have fought for two decades. But it seems like a lifetime has passed. Ritchie's new war film, the deeply moving The Covenant, is set in this country. Unlike a Guy Ritchie film, this film is quiet, withdrawn, thoughtful.

There's still plenty of gunplay and violence, but the script, co-written with frequent collaborators Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, lacks the quick-witted, tongue-in-cheek humor the director is known for.

It takes Ritchie more than half the film to establish his premise: after a team led by Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) discovers an IED factory in an abandoned mine an hour from Bagram Air Base. The Taliban attack and all of John's men are killed, with Ahmed (Dar Salim), an Afghan translator, escaping the fire. Go. Ahmed saves John's life and goes to great lengths to help him get home safely to Santa Clarita, putting him at the top of the Taliban's list.

Despite the US military's promise to get Ahmad, his wife (Fariba Sheikha), and their young son an Afghan visa and a train ticket—the promise mentioned in the title—Ahmed is dishonored; The Taliban are hunting them and forcing them to hide. John is stuck talking to US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

But John is a man of action, like Ritchie. You can imagine the violent opening that takes place in the second half of the film, fulfilling the hidden promise of the film's title. Gyllenhaal and Salim are strong in their roles and Ritchie shows us what Ahmed went through to save John. We understand why American Ahmed felt compelled. Why Ahmed sacrificed so much for an American officer is a bigger mystery. There is evidence that Ahmed, a son already lost to the Taliban, feels a paternal connection to John, who has the same blue eyes as the dead child.

Hey, I never said the Deal wasn't manipulation. It's awesome, fun, and almost overwhelming at times. But boy does it work.