Dar Salim and Jake Gyllenhaal Photo: Metro Goldwyn Mayer PicturesThe possessive title is an odd choice for “ Guy Ritchie ’s The Covenant.” Mr. Ritchie made a name for himself in his native Britain directing kinetic and funny gangster comedies infused with hip comic dialogue and an ironic streak, notably “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch,” then carried that spirit with him to Hollywood in such efforts as the two Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr. Yet his latest offering, an Afghanistan war yarn, is such a straightforward action drama that it could have been made by Clint Eastwood . Only the jokey homoerotic banter stamps it as typical of Mr. Ritchie’s work. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as John Kinley, a supremely competent master sergeant in 2018 Afghanistan tasked with finding and destroying Taliban bomb factories dotted around the country. He goes on a mission with a new local interpreter he doesn’t fully trust, Ahmed (Dar Salim), who despises the Taliban for killing his son and is further tempted by the prospect of earning a special visa to immigrate to the U.S. in exchange for satisfactory service.

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