Jake Gyllenhaalhas starred in three extremely different kinds of war movies in his career to date. The first war movie Gyllenhaal starred in wasJarheadin 2005, directed by Sam Mendes from a memoir of the same name by former U.S. Marine Anthony Swofford. The story takes place in the first Gulf War and explores the psychological ramifications of U.S. Marines combating boredom, downtime, isolation, and alienation as they bond together and await battle.
The second war movie Gyllenhaal starred in wasBrothersin 2009, directed by Jim Sheridan from a script by David Benioff. Adapted from the 2004 Danish film of the same name, the story portrays the devastating psychological effects of Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire),a U.S. Marinewho served in the War in Afghanistan when he returned home to his wife Grace (Natalie Portman). Gyllenhaal plays Sam’s older brother Tommy, who Sam suspects of having an affair with Grace while he was serving his country abroad. Less of a war movie and more of a haunting portrait of a soldier grappling with severe PTSD,Brothersfeatures outstanding performances by the three leads.
The third and most recent war movie Gyllenhaal starred in isThe Covenant, directed by Guy Ritchie from a script he co-wrote with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. Gyllenhaal stars as U.S. Army Special Forces Master Sergeant John Kinley. The story follows Kinley’s survival after his squad is bombed, and his interpreter is killed. When Kinley meets his new interpreter, Ahmed Abdullah (Dar Salim), a rousing tale of compassion, sacrifice, and heroism ensues. While each aforementioned movie has its merits, here’s whyGuy Ritchie’s The Covenantis the best war movie Jake Gyllenhaal has starred in thus far in his decorated career.
What is The Covenant About?
Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant
Although it is notbased on a true war story,The Covenantis inspired by the experiences of many real-life fighters and interpreters in the War in Afghanistan. Beginning in March 2018, the story finds U.S. Green Beret Master Sergeant John Kinley and his squad suddenly ambushed by Taliban forces in the city of Lashkargah, Afghanistan during a routine vehicle checkpoint.
During the attack, Kinley’s interpreter is killed, which compromises his ability to communicate and gain intelligence in the region. An Afghan native named Ahmed Abdullah volunteers to be Kinley’s new interpreter. However, Kinley has trouble trusting Ahmed at first due to his past ties with the Taliban. When Kinley learns Ahmed has defected from the Taliban after the terrorist group murdered his son, Kinley forms an unlikely bond with Ahmed, and the two work together to cross dangerous enemy territory.
Following difficult combat in the mountains of Afghanistan, Kinley and Ahmed are brutally attacked. Although Kinley is injured, Ahmed saves his life and kills the remaining Taliban soldiers. Yet, for all his heroic efforts, Ahmed is captured by American forces and treated as an enemy. Two months later, Kinley recovers stateside and realizes Ahmed is the one who rescued his life but has been forced to live underground with his family because of his defection. Determined to repay a life-saving favor, Kinley travels back to Afghanistan under the alias Ron Kay and attempts to obtain visas for Ahmed’s family to flee the wartorn region legally.
Once the visas are processed, Kinley convinces Ahmed and his family to leave their hideout and flee the country. Alas, they are attacked by the Taliban again and forced into a harrowing gunfight. Just as Kinley and Ahmed run out of ammo and find themselves cornered by the Taliban, air reinforcements arrive and wipe out the enemies in the nick of time.The acclaimed Guy Ritchie movieends with Kinley and Ahmed’s family safely leaving Afghanistan after both men risked each other’s lives to save one another. The most important lesson to glean from the movie comes in the final onscreen description, which states, that since the recapture of Afghanistan by the Taliban, more than 300 Afghan interpreters working with the U.S. military have been killed with countless more still in hiding.
Why The Covenant is Jake Gyllenhaal’s Best War Movie
The first reason whyThe Covenantis Jake Gyllenhaal’s best war movie relates to the visceral combat depicted on screen. The movie is loaded with intense battles and explosive combat scenes that give viewers a visceral and vicarious experience on the frontlines. Between the rolling tank attacks, gritty gun battles, snipers, and hand-to-hand combat, Guy Ritchie makes viewers feel physical agony and existential angst while watching Kinley and Ahmed fight the enemies while being grossly overpowered and outmatched. The AC-130 Gunship and Apache helicopter attack in the finale alone is more thrilling than any combat scene (or lack thereof) featured inJarheadandBrothers.
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Set during the first Gulf War,Jarheadis a much different kind of war movie than The Covenant. The movie is about the opposite effect of combat. Since very little fighting took place in the short-lived war,Jarheadfocuses on the psychological effects of military routine, boredom, waiting around for active orders, and forging camaraderie among a brotherhood of soldiers away from combat.The Covenantis about connection between different people, whileJarheadis about isolation. While Gyllenhaal’s performances are strong in both movies,The Covenantis less about one man’s journey than a mutual bond formed between two opposing countrymen.
Likewise, very little combat is depicted inBrotherscompared toThe Covenant. InBrothers, the battlefield is the homefront for Sam Cahill, a psychologically scarred Marine who returns home and cannot adjust to civilian life. Worse yet, Sam’s paranoia takes hold as he suspects his brother Tommy of sleeping with his wife, Grace.Brothersis a searing psychological character study of the effects war has on men and women. However, it feels more like an intimate stage play with most of the action confined to the Cahill home as Sam, Tommy, and Grace fight with each other. While the topics raised by Brothers are important,The Covenantgoes beyond blood to depict an inspiring international bond between two strangers with opposing ideologies.
Unsung Heroism in The Covenant
At their best, war moviesoffer sympathy and empathy for the opposition. InThe Covenant,Ritchie and Gyllenhaal tell a truly inspiring tale of Ahmed’s unsung heroism. When the movie begins, Kinley and Ahmed couldn’t be more opposed to one another. However, as the movie unfolds and the two so-called enemies form an alliance and make heroic sacrifices for one another, Kinley and Ahmed become more unified and understanding. After Ahmed heroically rescues Kinley’s squad from Taliban forces, Kinley repays the favor months later by traveling back to Afghanistan, locating Ahmed’s hiding place, and ultimately securing visas for his family to leave the country safely.
Apart from the rousing tale of two total strangers risking life and limb to keep each other safe, the movie raises a much larger and more important issue relating to Afghan interpreters writ large. By raising awareness about hundreds of Afghan interpreters being killed for their efforts with many more currently living in fearful hiding,The Covenantadvocates for the interpreter’s heroic efforts and calls for serious efforts to support them. If the best war movies are about fostering peace and bridging cultures to bring people together, thenThe Covenantdeserves a lot of credit for tackling a serious subject that gets very little attention and shining a bright spotlight on it. The most important messageThe Covenantposits is that every Afghan interpreter working with the U.S. should be granted visas for their unsung heroism.
