Though I am most certainly a "dove" when it comes to my opinions on war and the military industrial complex, I also recognize that it is important to hear the stories of the individuals who do choose to serve in the armed forces, as their bravery is beyond question. An actor like Jake Gyllenhaal certainly draws me to projects like this, and here teamed up with director Guy Ritchie "The Covenant" is a film that subverts expectations at every turn but ultimately ends up being better for it every time.
For a very basic overview (one that will include some spoilers simply by nature of the film's changing arcs), this movie tells the story of Master Sergeant John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) in the later years of the Afghanistan war (roughly 2018). Kinley's company is assigned an interpreter--Ahmed (Dar Salim)--who is an expert at his craft but often takes matters into his own hands (very strong-willed, in other words). After a series of relatively normal (if inane) patrols for Taliban weapons, one such outing goes south quickly and both Kinley & Ahmed are left stranded. With a wounded Kinley on death's doorstep, Ahmed's heroic survival efforts lead to their safety. Kinley survives and is sent back home--but then discovers that the visa promised to Ahmed & family has not been executed. In extreme emotional torment at this treatment of his literal savior, Kinley tries to navigate the military bureaucracy but realizes that he may have to return to Afghanistan to get the job done himself.
One of the clear hallmarks of "The Covenant" is how it never quite turns out to be the movie you expect. At first, it presents as a pretty standard "root out the bad guys" flick. Then, it transitions into an escape/survival mission. When that comes to a close, there are a solid 45-or-so minutes of runtime left, those being devoted to Kinley trying to honor the bond he (and the U. S. military, by extension) made with Ahmed that isn't being honored. In less capable hands this shifting could be disastrous, but Ritchie executes it nearly flawlessly.
It helps, of course, to have the extremely talent (yet seemingly still always a bit underrated) Gyllenhaal in the leading role. Not only can he more than pull off the action/stunt sequences convincingly, but his tremendous everyman, character-actor persona carries the back portion of the film. Viewers are utterly dependent on identifying with Kinley's emotional torment at the thought of Ahmed not being properly treated, and Jake has no problem making that happen.
Finally, the over-arcing message of the film is subtle enough to not be over-bearing in any way but also present just enough to not seem vapid. Though portraying the horrors (both physical and psychological) of combat, it also muses upon the experience of establishing a military presence in a country, making commitments to those societies, and then ultimately leaving and seeing much progress lost. In this way, "The Covenant" is a deep-thinking film without any pompous or deep-thinking speeches to pull it off.
To be honest, I had nothing other than Jake G. And positive word-of-mouth drawing me to "The Covenant". But I'm glad I saw it, as it was a fascinating glimpse in the Afghanistan war both in micro and macro capacities.