The Covenant 2023 Film Review - The story of friendship between an Afghan translator and the United States Military on the battlefield
A very exciting film that seems like it will never end, I really enjoyed it when I enjoyed an exciting film entitled THE COVENANT which was released recently in 2023, this film tells the story of two friends who help each other to survive. from attacks by Afghan Taliban troops on the battlefield, these two good friends are a translator from Afghanistan and an American soldier.
This film, directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Jonny Lee Miller and other great actors, this great film gets a score of 7.5 out of 10 points according to the IMDB site.
This is the film THE COVENANT
In 2001, 1,300 American troops were sent to Afghanistan to respond to the terrorist attack that blew up the WTC building in New York City, United States. Then in 2011 the number of troops sent to Afghanistan increased to 98,000 army personnel.
The American military then employed 50,000 Afghan translators to help soldiers on duty with the agreement that they would be given special Migration Visas so they could stay in America.
In March 2018, US soldiers were shown carrying out an operation to check local residents on a street called Laskhar Gah in Afghanistan. This operation was led by Sergeant Major John Kinley.
Not long after, a stolen truck arrived, then a soldier named Jack and his interpreter approached the truck. Then the translator ordered the truck driver to get down to show his luggage, but the truck driver was reluctant to obey the order.
Then when Jack and his translator went to the back to check the goods the truck was carrying, the driver slowly left the truck, and suddenly the bomb from inside the truck exploded, killing Jack and his translator immediately on the spot.
After that incident, at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, Team John got a new soldier named Steve to replace Jack. Sergeant John also gave Steve a new translator who had a strong physique and fit body named Ahmed.
Ahmad's background is as a mechanic and he is also fluent in speaking 4 languages which of course really helps John's team in carrying out their duties.
However, Ahmed is also a little stubborn and difficult to manage. After Team John returned complete, they immediately went to a resident's house which was suspected to be a place where the Taliban's weapons were stored.
With Ahmed's help, they were allowed to enter by the owner of the house. After Team John checked every corner of the house, they didn't find any weapons there, all they found were several people using drugs.
Because they had nothing to do with them, Team John finally returned straight to their military base. Upon arrival at Pangkalan, John immediately met with his superior named Vokes. John said that his and his team's efforts had never produced results because they had never found a place where the Taliban's weapons were stored.
Hearing John's explanation, Vokes asked John to do his job more creatively in his own way, then John went to see John's American soldier friend Declan to ask for help.
Declan also gave a photo of someone for Team John to investigate, then John immediately went to Ahmed who was repairing the car to ask about the person in the photo.
In the evening John and his troops immediately went to a village to look for the person. After capturing the person, John and his troops immediately interrogated the person.
However, the person known as Faraz did not want to help John and his troops. It turned out that Faraz knew Ahmed, Faraz said he would kill Ahmed's family because Faraz thought Ahmed had betrayed his own country to help American troops.
Then John gave Faraz two choices, prison clothes or a wad of cash, but Faraz answered John's question in a complicated way, meaning that Faraz didn't want to tell Team John the location of the Taliban's weapons.
Then Ahmed told John that Faraz wanted more money to be given, John answered that the money would be given after Faraz's work was finished.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Ahmed immediately gave Faraz another wad of money so that Faraz would open his mouth. Faraz immediately told him where the Taliban kept their weapons.
Upon arrival at the base, John called Eddie to ask about Ahmed's relationship with Faraz. Eddie said that Ahmed and Faraz used to be two friends who worked for the Taliban, but his son Ahmed was killed by the Taliban, which made him angry and decided to work with America.
Then John went to meet Ahmed who was enjoying his drink, then John said that Ahmed should not do anything outside his authority, then Ahmed apologized and promised not to do it again.
The next day, Team John looked at the map to go to the first location where the Taliban kept their weapons, Sergeant Jizzy said that they would take the left route. But suddenly Sergeant Haadee said that they had to go through the right lane because there would be a flash flood in the left lane.
On the way, Ahmed told John to stop the car. Ahmed said that the road they were taking was a trap from Haadee, because there shouldn't be any flooding on the left side of the road they were supposed to take.
John didn't like Ahmed's attitude, which seemed like he knew everything, but John still asked his men to monitor the surrounding area. And while they were all on guard, Ahmed had beaten Haadee and John immediately stopped Ahmed.
It turned out that what Ahmed said was true, Haadee had informed the Taliban troops of their position, Haadee was forced to do so because his family was being detained by the Taliban troops.
Sure enough, some of John's men saw the Taliban troops heading towards them from a distance. And Team John decided to return to base.
Upon arrival at the base, John contacted his wife via Vidio Call to relieve his longing. John asked about his wife's business which was developing well. On the other hand, Ahmed also went home to meet his pregnant wife. His wife asked Ahmed when they would get the Special Migration Vision to be able to move to America, Ahmed answered he was working on it.
The next day, Team John troops headed to the second location which was 120 km from the military base, where it was a mine which was suspected to be the location where the Taliban stored their weapons.
When he arrived there, Ahmed immediately asked the mine owner for permission so that they could search the place. The mine owner, who knew the intention of the military troops going there, immediately told Ahmed and his team to go to a plantation under the mountain where the Taliban were based.
From inside the small building, a miner was seen calling the Taliban boss and saying that the American soldiers already knew about the place, then the Taliban boss immediately ordered his men to immediately go to the mine.
Then Ahmed told John that the mine owner was lying, John then told his men to secure the mine owner. John then divided the team to carry out the search.
And not long after, one of Team John found a number of Taliban weapons, AK-47 types. Seeing this discovery, John's troops immediately secured the mine employees. On the other hand, Johh, Eddie and Ahmed go to check a suspicious tent.
From a distance, John saw explosives and several Taliban troops in the tent, then John immediately contacted his squad named Tom Cat to ask for air support from the Quick Reaction troops to blow up the place.
Then John and Eddie went into the tent to take out the Taliban troops, while Ahmed was told to stand guard outside. After successfully killing 3 Taliban troops, suddenly another Taliban came inside and immediately shot Eddie, resulting in a bullet in his arm.
Then John immediately planted a bomb to blow up the room, then they immediately went out to hide. And suddenly Eddie was shot in the head by Taliban troops who had arrived there to kill Tim John.
A barrage of weapons was inevitable between Team John and the Taliban troops which resulted in many people from both sides falling because they were shot. And all that remained of the war was John and his translator, Ahmed.
Then John and Ahmed fled by car, but on the way their car tire punctured which forced the two of them to run through the Afghan forest.
The Taliban troops who saw John and Ahmed's car on the side of the road immediately split up to chase them. The air support team that arrived using helicopters only found American troops and the Taliban who had fallen.
Then the scene shifts to John and Ahmed who decide to rest in the middle of the forest. The next morning, John woke Ahmed who was still asleep, John said that according to the GPS their base was 120 km from their current location.
So they had to go through the Afghan jungle to get there because the Taliban troops were everywhere. While running down the valley, unfortunately Ahmed accidentally dropped his weapon.
John then gave his gun to Ahmed just in case, then they went back on foot, suddenly they saw two Taliban and they immediately knocked out the two Taliban quietly so that their position would not be known by the enemy.
John then took one of the Taliban's weapons to give to Ahmed, then they managed to paralyze another Taliban. And while they were walking they saw two Taliban who were looking at them from the top of the hill.
John immediately shot the two Taliban, which made all the other Taliban know their position and immediately attacked to kill John and Ahemd.
While running and hiding, they continued to fight each other, then John and Ahmed decided to hide in a cave because too many Taliban troops had arrived.
After feeling safe, John and Ahmed decided to leave the cave to continue their journey. Then they found an empty house and they decided to rest there for one night.
On the other hand, the Taliban leader asked his men to bring Ahmed and John alive. The next morning John asked Ahmed to get ready because the Taliban forces already knew their location.
While he was on guard, John was suddenly shot in the arm by Taliban troops, then John was also shot in the leg, which left him helpless. Then the Taliban troops came and dragged John and wanted to kill him.
One of the Taliban troops restrained his friend from killing John because their leader's orders were to bring John and Ahmed before him while they were still alive.
When John was dragged to be put into the car, Ahmed killed all the Taliban until they were all dead. Ahmed, who saw that John was seriously injured and helpless, immediately treated John's wounds, then Ahmed changed his clothes so that he would be involved like the Taliban troops.
Then Ahmed took John away on a stretcher he made himself. With all his strength, Ahmed pulled the palanquin through the mountains of Afghanistan, several times they also rested by the river to drink.
Day turned into night, Ahmed remained loyal to help John, even feeding John food. When they arrived in a small village, Ahmed bought a car so that it would be easier to transport John.
On the way they were stopped by Taliban troops asking for a lift. While on the way, the Taliban asked Ahmed what he was doing here, Ahmed answered that he was selling carpets.
And finally Ahmed managed to trick the Taliban, while John hid behind the carpet in the car. Then, after the Taliban got out of the car, Ahmed approached a group of Bedouins who were camping and burned their shepherd's animals.
Then Ahmed said to the Bedouin that if he was carrying someone who was seriously injured, Ahmed also asked for a little food, painkillers and a cart, in return Ahmed would give them a car.
One of the Bedouins wanted to see who Ahmed was bringing. The person said that the Taliban were looking for the lying man (John). Because the Bedouins hated the Taliban, they granted everything Ahmed asked for.
Then Ahmed took John back using the cart, day after day they passed and night after night they continued to pass together, of course there was no doubt that there was no doubt about the feeling of tiredness.
Ahmed, who was very loyal, never gave up and continued to bring John so that they could return home to the military base safely. After days of traveling through very extreme mountain roads, Ahmed could now finally see the Bagram Military base in front of him.
Then Ahmed stopped at a small shop for a moment to buy a drink. Suddenly 3 Taliban came, one of the Taliban sat next to the cart in which John was lying.
The Taliban managed to see John's shoes which were not covered, then the Taliban opened the cloth covering John's face, without remaining silent, Ahmed immediately shot the Taliban and fought with the other two Taliban until the Taliban died.
Not long after, American soldiers arrived there and asked Ahmed to lie down, Ahmed said that he was carrying one of the American soldiers in his cart.
One of the American soldiers who saw John was seriously injured immediately asked for help. Four weeks later it was shown that John was still being treated in hospital. Three weeks later Declan met John at his house who was already well and healthy.
However, John doesn't seem to remember any of the events he experienced in Afghanistan. Declan tries hard to remind John of Ahmed, who took great pains to save his life. Currently, Ahmed is still in Afghanistan because he hasn't received a Special Migration Visa to enter America.
Ahmed also had to hide from the Taliban because his actions could bring John home. John, who felt he owed his life to Ahmed, immediately called Migration authorities to make visas on behalf of Ahmed and his family.
Then John was told to wait, every day John called the Immigration service and John was always told to wait and wait. Every night John couldn't sleep because he was haunted by guilt.
Very frustrated, John was very angry because the visa he requested for Ahmed was not ready. In the evening John told him all the events he had been through with Ahmed. John felt very guilty because Ahmed and his family could no longer live safely in Afghanistan.
The next day Declan came back to John, John said that he wanted to save Ahmed himself by coming directly to Afghanistan, then Declan gave a name to help John in Afghanistan.
The person named Parker was a very skilled private security contractor, but John had to pay a certain amount of money to hire Parker's services. John also had to change his name and identity so that the Taliban would not know.
Moving to Tirinkut City, Afghanistan, Taliban troops came to Ahmed's house to kill him and his family. Ahmed's friends who saw this immediately contacted Ahmed to leave his house.
Ahmed's friend also said that if a Taliban came in through the back door, Ahmed would immediately go to the back door to kill the Taliban. Thanks to the help of his friend Ahmed and his family managed to get out of the house safely.
Then Ahmed and his family were taken using a special truck. Returning to John's place, he went to his wife to ask for permission that he wanted to return to Afghanistan to save Ahmed and his family.
Luckily John has a very understanding wife. His wife allowed John to go to Afghanistan, she was even willing to mortgage their house so that John could get a visa and bring Ahmed and his family to America safely.
Then John went to his boss's office, Vokes, where Declan was also there. John asked his boss for permission to return to Afghanistan because he felt very guilty and wanted to pay off his promise to Ahmed to bring Ahmed and his family to America.
Because he had not yet received a visa for Ahmed and his family, John again asked Vokes for help by mentioning Ahmed's actions that had saved him in Afghanistan 8 years ago. John hoped that Vokes would pay his debt to Ahmed by issuing a visa to Ahmed and his family so they could live in America. .
Then John asked his children and wife for permission to leave for Afghanistan, John promised to return in a week. Then John flew to the Kunduz air base in Afghanistan, where he was immediately greeted by Parker who would help him.
However, Parker reneges on his agreement to help John, where American officials have hired his troops to rescue UN diplomats who are in danger.
Because he felt guilty, Parker gave John two options, first, Parker had to wait 3 more days so that his troops could help John completely, and secondly, John went alone, if Ahmed was found, help would come immediately.
John, who didn't have time to wait, finally chose to go alone, with the weapons and car that Parker had given him, John immediately went to meet Ahmed's brother, Ali, because Ali knew where Ahmed lived.
Not long after, John arrived in Carikar City. After meeting Ali, John asked Ali why he was not arrested by the Taliban when he knew where his brother was, Ali answered that he was involved in doing a lot of business with the Taliban.
Then Ali asked John not to take his own car because it would be very dangerous, then Ali asked the driver to take John, who was very skilled at getting through the Taliban checkpoint.
At the first post they were able to pass through smoothly, but at the second Taliban post the Taliban insisted on searching the truck, the driver said that he was only carrying corn to take to jalalabat, a Taliban climbed into the back of the truck to check.
Because he felt cornered, John immediately opened fire. Another Taliban named Fakhruddin saw the action of John and the truck driver who was carrying the dead Taliban to the river.
Then he immediately called the Taliban leader to tell him what he saw, then the Taliban leader asked Fakhruddin to follow them.
That evening John received good news from his boss Vokes, Vokes said that he had obtained visas for Ahmed and his family. John was even more enthusiastic about picking up Ahmed and his family.
The next day, after they arrived at Ahmed's residence, John immediately called Parker to send their location, then Parker asked John to take Ahmed and his family to the Darunta dam which is 2 km from their current location.
And Parker will send a plane to the dam to pick them up, John asks Parker to send a pick-up squad immediately because he left a very visible trail.
Then John came to see Ahmed who was repairing his car. John asked Ahmed and his family to immediately pack up so he could follow John to America.
Fakhruddin, who had been following them all this time, immediately called the Taliban leader to tell him the location of John and Ahmed. Then the Taliban leader immediately sent his troops to kill John and Ahmed.
On the other hand, Parker and his troops have succeeded in finding out the true identities of John and Ahmed. Finally, they find out that John and Ahmed are very popular among the Taliban and are on the Taliban's blacklist.
Parker also asked his men to contact the Bagram military base for help so they could pick up Ahmed and John. Moving to Ahmed's house, Ahmed and his family were ready to go to the Darunta dam to wait to be picked up so they could go to America with John.
However, their movements were always monitored by the Taliban troops. As soon as the Taliban arrived, the spies immediately told them the path that John and Ahmed were taking.
When the truck driver saw the Darunta dam, behind them there were lots of Taliban troops, then John immediately shot at the Taliban troops until one of the Taliban cars overturned.
Then John asked the truck driver to park his car at the mouth of the tunnel so that the Taliban's car could not pass, then John immediately planted a bomb on the truck.
Once the bomb exploded, the Taliban could no longer enter the tunnel, so finally the Taliban troops came down to chase John and Ahmed. And fierce shooting action was also shown.
Many Taliban troops died in this incident, because the Taliban troops were so numerous that John and Ahmed ran out of bullets. Then John tried to contact Parker to immediately pick them up.
However, Parker did not answer John's call, the driver who was helping fight was hit by a bullet in his hand, John and Ahmed could only surrender. And suddenly all the Taliban troops were shot to death one by one until none were left thanks to help from American air force planes and Parker's troops.
Then Parker and his troops came to John and Ahmed. Parker said that if he had known that the people he would be helping were the famous John Kinley and Ahmed, he would have definitely mobilized the help of his best troops.
After that, John, Ahmed, his family and the driver were immediately taken into the helicopter, Parker then gave John a visa for Ahmed and his family, John also didn't forget to thank Parker, then they all immediately left that place.
It was recorded that on August 30 2021, all American troops withdrew from Afghanistan, indicating that their campaign had ended after 20 years.
One month later, the Taliban rebelled again and took control of the government, as many as 300 translators and their families were killed due to their petrification of America, and others are still hiding today.
John finally returned home safely and managed to bring Ahmed and his family safely. And we have watched the excitement of the film THE COVENANT which is very exciting and tense.
Conclusion
Continue to be kind to everyone and also continue to be a loyal friend like Ahmed, because in the future we will never know if our good friend will be the one who will save our lives one day.
This is a review of the film THE COVENANT, see you in the next film review.
My suggestion is that you don't tell the whole movie. You tell every detail until the end. By the way, how did you do it? you write it while watching the movie. Many readers are looking for an opinion about a movie, so anyone who sees that you tell the story from beginning to end, will stop following you, because the fan doesn't like spoilers, the idea is that you convince people to watch the film, but if you tell everything, you ruin the experience of watching it.
Thank you for your advice brother, I'm glad you can advise me. For the next post, I will definitely improve my post to make it better