This was a tough and adroitly managed movie.
There's a risk when you focus on one story, when trying to make a wider point, that the specifics of the story can nullify or overwhelm the wider point - can make it seem inapplicable; can make the context seem so unique as to render the wider point seemingly irrelevant.
Ritchie walked a fine line with this one given how the particular circumstance plays out in the opening 2/3rds of the movie. He brought it home because he also showed - with a lot of care - how unique bonds get formed in times of war under extreme duress. It's up to us to realise that although this particular story might be unique, it illustrates the reliance and trust that had to be present between US and western allied soldiers and their local Afghani aids and interpreters. It was simply a matter of life and death.
The breach of that trust in the evacuation of Afghanistan by western forces represents a severe loss of honour - a betrayal that has left a trail of destruction in its wake.
The brilliance of The Covenant lies in how it hits the bullseye without politicising its point. We care because we make human contact on the journey the movie takes us on. Great script, great directing, great acting.
There's a risk when you focus on one story, when trying to make a wider point, that the specifics of the story can nullify or overwhelm the wider point - can make it seem inapplicable; can make the context seem so unique as to render the wider point seemingly irrelevant.
Ritchie walked a fine line with this one given how the particular circumstance plays out in the opening 2/3rds of the movie. He brought it home because he also showed - with a lot of care - how unique bonds get formed in times of war under extreme duress. It's up to us to realise that although this particular story might be unique, it illustrates the reliance and trust that had to be present between US and western allied soldiers and their local Afghani aids and interpreters. It was simply a matter of life and death.
The breach of that trust in the evacuation of Afghanistan by western forces represents a severe loss of honour - a betrayal that has left a trail of destruction in its wake.
The brilliance of The Covenant lies in how it hits the bullseye without politicising its point. We care because we make human contact on the journey the movie takes us on. Great script, great directing, great acting.