The Objective

''The Objective'' is a 2008 science fiction horror film directed by Daniel Myrick and co-written by Myrick, Mark A. Patton, and Wesley Clark Jr. The film stars Jonas Ball, Matthew R. Anderson, and Michael C. Williams. The narrative follows CIA agent Benjamin Keynes, who leads a U.S. Special Forces team into the mountains of Afghanistan under the pretense of locating a missing Afghan cleric. As the mission progresses, the team encounters a series of inexplicable and supernatural events.

The film premiered in Morocco in April 2008 and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on February 4, 2009. It grossed $95 during its one-week domestic run in a single theater. The film was subsequently released on DVD by IFC Films on October 13, 2009, and later made available through digital platforms. Critical reception was mixed, with reviewers citing its atmospheric tension and premise as strengths while noting shortcomings in pacing and narrative resolution.

Plot

In Ghazni Province, Afghanistan, CIA operative Benjamin Keynes is assigned to accompany a U.S. Army Special Forces team on a covert mission to locate a missing Afghan cleric, Mohammed Aban. Led by Chief Warrant Officer Wally Hamer, the team includes several seasoned soldiers and is guided by a local man named Abdul. As they venture deeper into the remote mountains, they begin to experience a series of increasingly unexplainable events.

After an ambush leaves one team member dead, the soldiers discover that the attackers' bodies have vanished. Strange lights appear in the night sky, communications equipment fails, and an unseen helicopter seems to hover overhead before vanishing without a trace. The team’s supplies begin to fail—canteens are filled with sand, GPS signals are lost, and members experience paranoia and hallucinations.

The soldiers find temporary shelter in a cave with a mysterious old man, who is later revealed to be wearing a British army uniform from the 19th century. A firefight ensues after one soldier sees ghostly figures through night vision equipment. As more members are killed by unseen forces, Abdul warns that the group is confronting a force beyond human comprehension before taking his own life.

Pressed by the surviving soldiers, Keynes reveals the mission’s true purpose. The CIA has been monitoring unexplained phenomena in the region for decades, linked to ancient accounts of flying machines known as Vimanas. Keynes admits the team was sent to gather intelligence and was considered expendable. As the soldiers succumb one by one to the hostile, near-invisible forces, Keynes is left alone, physically and mentally broken.

Eventually, he encounters a strange oasis

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases