Is The Covenant based on a true story? Inspiration for 2023 Guy Ritchie Afghanistan war film on Amazon Prime

Guy Ritchie's intense war film The Covenant, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Jason Wong, Bobby Schofield, and Antony Starr, tells the heroic story of an Afghan interpreter who puts his life on the line to save an injured US soldier. 

The film was shot in Alicante, Spain, in 2022 and made unfortunate headlines ahead of its release when actor Antony Starr was arrested for assault on a night out during the film’s shoot. Starr received a $5,400 fine and a 12 month suspended prison sentence.

Set in the later stages of the conflict, but at a time that no end appeared to be in sight, The Covenant explores the unbreakable bond between the brothers in arms who fought against the Taliban regime.

The movie was released in cinemas in the UK in April and arrived on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 2 June. This is everything you need to know about The Covenant and the conflict that inspired it:

What is The Covenant about?

The film is set in Afghanistan in March 2018, at a time when there were around 9,800 US troops on the ground and when the war was costing roughly $52 billion annually to be waged.

The film sees a US soldier, John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal), injured in a Taliban ambush, and his new interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim) help him to make a dangerous journey over many miles of mountainous terrain back to his base.

But after saving Kinley’s life, Ahmed finds his own in danger as his actions have made him a folkloric figure and enraged the taliban. Kinley decides he must return Ahmed’s favour and, having been repatriated to the US, returns to Afghanistan to rescue his friend and get him safely out of the country.

Is The Covenant based on a true story?

The film is not based on one specific true story from the war in Afghanistan, and Kinley and Ahmed are not real people, however it is heavily inspired by real events and relationships that were formed in the 20 year conflict.

At the heart of the film is the bond between injured US soldier John Kinley and a local interpreter, Ahmed, who risks his life to transport him to safety across miles of hostile and dangerous terrain.

The film comes less than two years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan - a controversial operation that saw the Taliban regain control of the country within the same month that the last US troops had left.

It is estimated that tens of thousands of Afghan interpreters, as well as other specialists, who worked with the US government were left behind during the withdrawal, and hundreds are believed to have died, with many more living in poverty and under the constant threat of Taliban reprisals.

Guy Ritchie’s film is therefore a tribute to the vital work that Afghan interpreters did for US forces during the long conflict and the dangers they faced. A 2014 report estimated that one interpreter was killed every 36 hours.

The Covenant also ends with a monologue discussing the fate of the interpreters who were left behind in the aftermath of the war in Afghanistan, and pay tribute to those who were killed, and the many thousands who remain in hiding.