A war film directed by Guy Ritchie has been hailed “one of the best ever” by emotional Amazon Prime viewers. The Covenant, released in 2023, follows a U.S. Army sergeant Master Sgt. John Kinley, who returns to Afghanistan to rescue his interpreter after he’s left behind. While it is not based on a true story, The Covenant is inspired by the collective experiences of interpreters and soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. Jake Gyllenhaal leads the cast, appearing alongside Dar Salim, Antony Starr, Fariba Sheikhan and Alexander Ludwig.
His most critically acclaimed film to date, The Covenant replaces Ritchie’s usual bravado with more emotional weight and moral clarity. Despite not dominating awards season, The Covenant earned nominations from several regional critics’ circles and is now considered one of Ritchie’s most mature pieces of work.
The synopsis reads: “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant follows US Army Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Afghan interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). After an ambush, Ahmed goes to Herculean lengths to save Kinley’s life.
“When Kinley learns that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, he must repay his debt by returning to the war zone to retrieve them before the Taliban hunts them down first.”
In preparation for the film, Ritchie explained that he viewed numerous documentaries on Afghanistan, which highlighted the strong connections developed between the interpreters and their American military counterparts, motivating him to tell their story.
The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with one writing: “A satisfying, well-acted war thriller with surprising dramatic depths, Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant tells a solid story with impressive restraint.”
The Covenant has an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was awarded a 7.5/10 on IMDB.
Cinema enthusiasts have been flocking to social media to express their admiration for the movie, with one writing: “You see that ‘Guy Ritchie The covenant’ I literally cried watching that movie, one of the best movies I have ever watched.”
“Guy Ritchie knows how to make a movie man,” another fan penned alongside several face holding back tears emojis, adding: “The Covenant?? Wow!!”
Another issued a plea to the director, posting: “I have one movie request for this year and that’s for Guy Ritchie to make another war movie. After watching The Covenant several times and him making The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare I would love to see another war movie from Guy Ritchie.”
A fourth echoed: “Guy ritchie films always go super hard. His last film the covenant was an extraordinary film.”