Hollywood movie star Jake Gyllenhaal is known for his roles in movies including Brokeback Mountain (for which he was nominated for an Academy Award), Nocturnal Animals, Nightcrawler, Jarhead, and Donnie Darko, among others.
The 42-year-old L.A. native is currently promoting his new project, the war movie The Covenant. He plays the protagonist, U.S. Army Sergeant John Kinley who is in Afghanistan and hires local interpreter, Ahmed (Dar Salim).
When Kinley is injured by the enemy, Ahmed risks his own life to carry the American across miles of grueling terrain. Back in the US, Kinley plots a dangerous and rogue solo return to Afghanistan to get Ahmed (who is in hiding after the U.S. military left) out of the country alive.
When Gyllenhaal shared the trailer above, he wrote: “This film is so close to my heart.”
Note: In real life, thousands of Afghan interpreters who worked with the US military became targets of Taliban and are seeking special immigration visas to come to the US. The SIVs were promised by the US government but currently only 50 are accepted each year.
English filmmaker Guy Ritchie (Operation Fortune: ruse de guerre, Sherlock Holmes, Snatch) directs and co-wrote the script.
The Covenant, which was filmed mostly in Spain, cost a reported $55 million to make and will be released in theaters on April 21, 2023.
