The Covenant (2023)

Set during the war in Afghanistan in 2018, a U.S. Army Special Forces Sergeant (Jake Gyllenhaal) is assigned a new interpreter (Dar Salim) after his first interpreter is killed in an attack by the Taliban. Their relationship is uneasy at first but dramatic circumstances will bond them strongly. Directed by Guy Ritchie (LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS). I'm not a fan of Guy Ritchie's work and war movies aren't my thing but I liked this film enormously. In August of 2021, when the U.S. armed forces left Afghanistan after a 20 year campaign, a month later the Taliban seized complete control. The U.S. left behind thousands of Afghan interpreters and other Afghan citizens who assisted them and hundreds of those have been executed by the Taliban while much more remain in hiding from the Taliban. Though THE COVENANT is a work of fiction, it has the ring of authenticity as Ritchie takes this tragic situation and creates an intense action thriller. It's really two movies as the first half documents the war while the second half shows the aftermath of the first half. Ritchie shows great  control with the material and doesn't push it into what could have been a ludicrous action movie. Gyllenhaal and Salim give expert performances and there's a strong underscore by Christopher Benstead. With Jonny Lee Miller, Emily Beecham and Reza Diako.