Set in Afghanistan, The Covenant follows the story of a US sergeant saved by a local interpreter by risking his own life. Will the sergeant be able to return the favour? The story here might seem to be belonging to the war genre given that it is based in Afghanistan, in an era with the US and the Taliban at loggerheads with each other. Yet, the soul of the story is a beautiful budding relationship between two drastically different individuals that goes beyond boundaries and culture. The screenplay standing at about 2 hours does make for an absorbing watch which are filled with moments of tension that always do threaten to escalate.

The drama does give a slight context on the US staging a war in Afghanistan after the 9/11 event and to set up base, they needed help from the locals to act as interpreters(in exchange for money or US Visa). And that sets the tone for the rest of the drama wherein you are introduced to the two protagonists who begin to share a rather lukewarm vibe with each other. It is easy to judge a person based on their background and partly their appearance and that is what sows the seeds of mistrust in the mind of the US sergeant. But as the film does progress from one event to another, so does their relationship in what is one of the most beautiful character arcs that I have witnessed on celluloid recently.

The proceedings are engrossing and filled with tension that often does threaten to blow up in your face. In a terrific sequence featuring the Taliban overpowering the entire US Regiment, it upto the two protagonists(only ones surviving) to make their way back to their base. And that is when there is a first trigger in their relationship of trust(a small incident prior to this sequence that is also a minor turning point). The hilly landscapes here do play an important role as well given how strenuous the effort of the rescue is. These moments do instill fear in the minds of the viewer and the two protagonists, with one of them injured, have to overcome the terrain as well as the Taliban to eventually reach their destination. And these did formulate some of the best moments of the film.

Come the second hour, I did like how the writers did not stage the entire film on the protagonists reaching their destination. That chapter did end at the halfway mark. Secondly, Hollywood films aren’t quite known to provide social commentary too frequently. And that was a big plus here as it faintly touched upon the drawbacks of the system while attaining US Visa for non US Nationals particularly from certain parts of Asia marred by terrorism. This, while displaying a post traumatic stress disorder on the part of the protagonist who was rescued. Far from home, the interpretor is on the run with his family while the Talibans come looking for him. In this brilliant scene, the writers choose to build violence in the minds of the viewers with all the action taking place off camera. Ahh cinematic brilliance!

The final act is set up beautifully although I did feel that the eventually result was a tad too simplistic. The events could have been a little more layered as opposed to being rushed although the drama was still watchable and well executed(there were enough moments of tension created). Perhaps an additional 15-20 minutes could have been added to the overall runtime of the film. But taking nothing away from the journey which again did give out a good message. That final scene of the two protagonists looking at each other in the eye and slightly nodding did signify a huge amount of respect for each other. Overall, the screenplay is well written and makes for an absorbing watch with a tinge of heart!