The Covenant is not based on a true story but is inspired by the collective experiences of interpreters and soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. Jake Gyllenhaal's character, John Kinley, is not a real person but is instead inspired by real sergeants who worked with interpreters.
After researching, there is no evidence to suggest that the events in The Covenant are based on a true story or the lives of Master Sgt. John Kinley and Ahmed Abdullah.
Ritchie, who co-wrote the film's script with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, was inspired to make the movie after watching documentaries about the plight of local interpreters in Afghanistan and Iraq.
What happened to the interpreter from The Covenant?
Escorted back to Bagram, the group boards an Airbus A400M leaving Afghanistan. The film's ending title states that in the aftermath of the Taliban's recapture of Afghanistan, over 300 Afghan interpreters affiliated with the U.S. military were murdered by the organization, with thousands more still in hiding.
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant was filmed in Spain, not Afghanistan, but managed to beautifully capture the visual identity of the Middle East. Alicante, a popular tourist destination, was an interesting choice to represent Afghanistan due to its temperate hilly desert countryside.
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant - More Than Just A War Movie
How much of The Covenant is true?
The Covenant is not based on a true story but is inspired by the collective experiences of interpreters and soldiers in the war in Afghanistan. Jake Gyllenhaal's character, John Kinley, is not a real person but is instead inspired by real sergeants who worked with interpreters.
While the film was extrapolated from a patchwork of actual events and experiences that happened during the Afghanistan war, it was not a direct biography of any one person in particular.
Between 2008 and the summer of 2021, about 70,000 interpreters and their families moved to the United States after securing “special immigrant visas” or S-I-V's. It's estimated as many as 300 interpreters died in Afghanistan during this time while waiting for visas.
Jake Gyllenhaal's character, John Kinley, is not a real person but is instead inspired by real sergeants who worked with interpreters. The movie highlights the unshakable bonds that developed between soldiers and interpreters and sheds light on the challenges they faced after the US military withdrew from Afghanistan.
The Covenant was co-written by Ritchie, Ivan Atkinson, and Marn Davies, and while it is not based on a real story, there are striking parallels between the events depicted and several recent news stories.
How far did the interpreter travel in The Covenant?
Kinley and his men identify the location of an IED factory, but the ensuing firefight with Taliban soldiers cuts them off from aid and forces them into the wilderness where Kinley is gravely wounded. At great risk to himself, Ahmed hauls Kinley over a hundred miles of inhospitable terrain back to base.
The canceled sequel to Alien: Covenant would have concluded a controversial retcon that the newer movies created. The Alien movies' timeline has always been complicated in terms of the chronological narrative and lore, with the introduction of its prequels and sequels creating inconsistencies throughout the films.
TIME: The Covenant feels more political than your usual films. Were you trying to raise awareness about the plight of interpreters who have been left behind in Afghanistan? Ritchie: Politics implies a sort of polarization and tribal affiliation.
Where was The Covenant Filmed? The Covenant was filmed in Alicante, Novelda, Sax and Villajoyosa. The complete list of the locations with latitude and longitude coordinates are listed below in the table.
'Blacklisted' Afghan interpreters were disqualified from U.S. visas. Now they're in hiding. The rapid exit from Afghanistan a year ago left thousands of interpreters in danger under Taliban rule; they were barred from visas promised to those who helped the United States.
Why were so many interpreters left behind in Afghanistan?
But thousands of interpreters who wanted to get out were unable to do so before the Taliban took over, in part because of a slow and bureaucratic visa process. Since last fall, NPR has been in touch with one of these interpreters who is now in hiding because of the threat of Taliban retribution.
We were shot at, shelled and bombed, and at times we even performed first aid on casualties together. They carried no weapons and hid their faces when on patrol, out of fear that they or their families would become targets.
Two men smoke opium (for medicinal purposes). Beer is drank between multiple men. We hear that a man used to work in the heroin trade. A man gets drunk and throws a beer bottle at a mirror in righteous anger.
The most touching part of Guy Ritchie's The Covenant is the end credits, which feature snapshots of real-life American soldiers and their interpreters.
Ahmed also has reservations about the occupying U.S. military force arguably taking over his beloved country but admittedly answers when questioned that he is only agreeing to act as an interpreter for the money. But by doing so, Ahmed's branded as a traitor by some Afghans.
Left behind were tens of thousands of Afghan interpreters who put their lives on the line working for the U.S. military. Now, 12 months later, advocates say most of them are still trapped in Afghanistan, living in fear and poverty. Newsy is calling one Afghan interpreter Abdul, to protect his real identity.
The marketing materials do not hide the fact that Ahmed and John survive and that the latter makes it back home to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and his wife, Caroline (Emily Beecham), and their little ones, (Kieran Fort and Savannah Fort).
