The Covenant Movie

EXPLANATION:

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant (or simply The Covenant) is a 2023 American action thriller film co-written, produced and directed by Guy Ritchie. The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim. Its plot follows John Kinley, a U.S. Army special operations sergeant, and Ahmed, his Afghan interpreter, fighting the Taliban.

Guy Ritchie's The Covenant was theatrically released in the United States on April 21, 2023, by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $21 million.

In March 2018, amidst the War in Afghanistan, United States Army Master Sergeant John Kinley and his unit are ambushed by a lorry bomb attack orchestrated by the Taliban during a routine vehicle inspection at Lashkargah, which claims the life of his interpreter. In need of a replacement, he is introduced to Ahmed Abdullah, a steadfast yet disliked interpreter, who claims he pursues the job only for money. During an undercover capture mission, Kinley learns that Ahmed was previously affiliated with the Taliban, but had defected when the organization murdered his son. Ahmed later saves Kinley's team from being ambushed by a Taliban unit aided by a compromised Afghan National Army soldier, earning Kinley's respect.

During another raid to check for a possible insurgent arms cache about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Bagram Air Base, Kinley's unit is attacked by Taliban reinforcements, who kill everyone except for him and Ahmed. The duo manage to escape on foot, killing several Taliban fighters in the process. Whilst attempting to return to the airbase by navigating through the mountainous Afghan terrain, they are once again ambushed by insurgents, who manage to wound Kinley, before clubbing him with a rifle butt, incapacitating him. Ahmed manages to kill the Taliban and resolves to take Kinley back to the air base. Receiving help from some sympathetic Afghans, Ahmed evades the Taliban hunting them, carrying Kinley over the country's treacherous mountain topography. Several days later Ahmed and Kinley are near Bagram, but are attacked by Taliban fighters; Ahmed kills the fighters, but is shortly thereafter apprehended by U.S. troops.

Four weeks later, Kinley, having been repatriated to his home in Santa Clarita, California, is completely unaware of how he was saved, but understands Ahmed's role in it. Upon learning that Ahmed and his family were forced to move underground owing to the duo's escapade having become local folklore, Kinley attempts to procure U.S. visas for them, but in vain. Emotionally tormented and rendered near sleepless by his inability to repay his indebtedness towards Ahmed, Kinley finally resolves to save him himself, enlisting the assistance of his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Vokes, to procure the visas.

Returning to Afghanistan under the alias of Ron Kay, Kinley meets with Parker, a private military contractor, who promises to provide support on the condition that the former locates Ahmed first. Kinley meets Ahmed's brother Ali, who manages to smuggle Kinley across Taliban-controlled territory; in the process, he kills two insurgents after nearly being caught at a road checkpoint, which alerts the Taliban. Vokes informs Kinley that the visas have been processed and are with Parker. Finally arriving at Ahmed's hideout, Kinley persuades him and his family to accompany him to the U.S. Meanwhile, Parker deduces Kinley's true identity; realizing the danger that the duo are in due to their value to the Taliban, he arranges for an AC-130 gunship and an AH-64 attack helicopter to provide air support. Concurrently, the Taliban mount an attack on Kinley, who manages to escape with Ahmed's family to the nearby Darunta Dam.

Cornered by approaching Taliban units, the duo engage them in a protracted gunfight, which ends when they run out of ammunition. However, the AC-130 and Apache helicopter arrive and wipe out the attackers. With the threat neutralized, Parker arrives with additional reinforcements; he declares that he would have wholeheartedly supported Kinley's mission had he not concealed his identity. Escorted back to Bagram, the group boards an aircraft leaving Afghanistan; while leaving, Kinley and Ahmed nod at each other, signifying that the covenant has been paid.

The film's ending title reveals that in the aftermath of the Taliban's recapture of Afghanistan, over 300 Afghan interpreters affiliated with the U.S. military were murdered by the organization, with thousands more still in hiding.

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