There have been several films about the war in the Middle East since the war started over two decades ago. Some were good, some were terrible and some were just okay. Guy Ritchie’s latest war film sits right in the middle of that. It isn’t great but not that terrible. The story is not a factual account but more inspired by real events that happened between US soldiers and their interpreters during the War in Afghanistan.

The time is 2018 and we’re following a unit fronted by United States Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) after it falls victim to a Taliban roadside bomb attack that kills their interpreter. Looking for a potential replacement back at base, the most recommended candidate is Ahmed Abdullah (Dar Salim) who, despite his somewhat questionable reputation for behavioral issues, speaks a dozen languages.

The introduction between Kinsey and Abdullah didn’t get off to a good start but Kinsey is desperate for an interpreter and Abdullah was quickly hired and joined the unit. Now that his unit has a new interpreter, Kinsley, and his men set out to find Taliban camps containing IEDs, which require Ahmed’s assistance for communication purposes. They found a remote camp but then were ambushed by the Taliban. Kinsley and Abdullah escaped but Kinsley was shot and in bad condition.

The film was told in three stages. First, we got to know Kinsley, his men, and Abdullah. Second, was about survival. This was when Salim took over the film and became the sole focus. His determination to survive and keep Kinsley alive was told in a style that you’d see in a Stanley Kubrick’s or Terrence Malick’s film. The last stage is when Kinsley must rescue Abdullah and his family from the Taliban.

The screenplay is credited to Richie, Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies. The story isn’t anything new when it comes to this genre and Richie told the story in a no-nonsense, straightforward way. The way he shot the movie is very similar to Wrath of Man. Nothing flashy or over the top like his earlier work. What surprised me was that the violence was quite tame compared to other R-rated war films.

The film focused mostly on Gyllenhaal and Salim, and both men did a good job portraying their respective characters. Everyone else in the film was just there for these two actors to interact with.

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of Ritchie. I enjoyed some of his films but he’s too flashy when it comes to storytelling. But I enjoyed this one and if you’re in the mood for a solid war film, you might like this one, too.

So have you seen The Covenant? Well, what did you think?

…