Ever since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels made waves in British cinema, Guy Ritchie has become synonymous with high-octane thrillers, complete with great dialogue and a perfect blend of violence and humor. Although he’s now expanded his repertoire to include blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes, his bread and butter remains action, and his latest effort The Covenant is a perfect example of why he’s considered one of the best in the genre.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim, it follows the tale of a U.S Army Green Beret and his Afghan interpreter as they become increasingly entangled in each other’s lives while trying to survive the brutal war that rages around them. A satisfying story that blends addictive action with real human interest and three-dimensional characters, the movie is already proving to be one of Ritchie’s most critically successful, and the box office receipts aren’t bad either. However, is The Covenant based on a true story? Read on to find out!
Is Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant based on a true story?
Although many elements of Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant are based on painstaking research, the actual story itself is complete fiction. Sgt. John Kinley (Gyllenhaal) and Ahmend (Dar Salim) are both made-up characters, but their relationship is likely to have mirrored many between U.S military personnel and their interpreters. In fact, director Ritchie confirmed in an interview with entertainment news outfit Critqal that he’d been inspired by the stories he’d read:
“I watched a series of documentaries about Afghanistan and I could see the collaboration between the interpreters and their sergeants, so to speak, their American colleagues, and how that bond developed. The deal was that they would end up in America and then how complicated that became, and how dangerous that was for the interpreters. I just think that’s a rather interesting dynamic.”
The film’s postscript also specifically mentions the issues faced by Afghan interpreters, many of whom played a vital role in the U.S war effort, yet were abandoned to enemy combatants once America pulled out of the country. Although there have been many efforts by both Americans and Afghans to open up an avenue for asylum or residency for these helpers, the government is yet to provide any aid for them.
Salim further confirmed that the stories told were mostly based on real happenings while speaking to Fox:
“At the heart of it, it is based on a lot of true stories. The fact is that all American Soldiers did put their lives at stake every day in Afghanistan, trying to do the right thing. And at the same time, all interpreters did put their lives on the line, every day. That is the truth of the film.”
In that same interview, Gyllenhaal also confirmed that his performance was informed by a friend of his named Zachary Iscol, who had been a Marine during the Iraq War and worked closely with interpreters:
“Through Zach’s relationship with Abood and his family, I understood the extraordinary and important work accomplished and the sacrifice made by interpreters for our country.”
So, not quite reality, but not far from it either!