13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

"Things change fast here in Benghazi." Jack Silva (Krasinski) has just been reassigned as a guard for the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. What starts off as a routine assignment changes on September 11, 2012. When a group of insurgents breach the Embassy and attempt to kill the US Ambassador, Jack and his group of 6 have to make a decision. Follow orders and stay away, or disobey their commander and go help their fellow soldiers. I was looking forward to watching this, but I was also a little worried at the same time. The story is interesting and somewhat controversial and is a perfect idea for a movie, but it was directed by Michael Bay. For that reason I was expecting a lot of special effects and explosions and didn't think he was the director that should be in charge of this story. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was wrong. This is a realistic war movie that doesn't embellish the drama or actions, mainly because the story didn't need it. The movie is not political at all and mainly focus on the soldiers decisions. I liked it more than I expected to. Overall, not just a surprisingly good Michael Bay movie, a good movie period. I give this a high B+.

Benghazi.

In this age of bitter rhetoric, the name conjures all manner of furor and blame. A small stinging wound to honor and prestige - a name to carry hate and zealotry.

Michael Bay, OF ALL PEOPLE, was able to peer into the 2012 attack on US diplomatic and intelligence resources, and capture one hell of a war story. Going into this movie, I expected a number of things. Among them were gratuitous explosions, jingoistic flag waving, and tough-guy tired clichés. I did not get what I was expecting.

Instead, Bay, his cast, and his filmmaking team have brought out a solid, technically informed, faithfully rendered account of those who were caught in the conflagration - how they found themselves there, how they fought for their lives, and how they made it out...or didn't. There's no political agenda here. The only agenda is to show warriors (who are also real people, with cares, and hopes and flaws) engaged in struggle, with all the courage, and luck, horror, and terrible splendor that is timeless.

And in the end, there's no war worship - only somber reflection on the nature of struggle, and what it does to these warriors. This is a clear and worthy work for that. Bravo.

I have seen this film twice. Both times I was disturbed by it for the next few days after not sleeping the nights I watched it. I fought in Afghanistan 2004-05 and Iraq 2006-07, and for me, this film nails it. The night vision green, the sound of the AK's, the streets and allys, the mentality and sense of duty, all of it is too realistic for me to watch again. But I respect that. This is the only film I can think of that really rattles my cage. Well done.

I wouldn't say it's the best war film I've ever seen, but for my experiences, it accurately portrays them, despite me never having been to Libya. It's accurate of my personal experiences to a large degree.

The 13 hours that didn't have to be and the 14 American lives that didn't have to be lost. The Benghazi incident of 2012 will always be remembered as another failed diplomatic experiment in the Middle East by the United States, but it sadly won't be remembered for the brave soldiers that so boldly fought to save the lives of several Americans.

"13 Hours" changes that. This film gives the brave men, who selflessly put their lives on the line, the recognition that they deserve. It honors the lives of those lost and it gives the audience an authentic, real visualization of what happened on that night.

Finally, I love how personal this film got. Many war films lack that personal touch, but "13 Hours" reminds you that even America's most prestigious militants are humans with a life beyond warfare.

This movie is based on a true story about the attack on an American embassy and a secret CIA base in Benghazi, Libya, on the 9/11 anniversary in 2012. And how a few numbers of of Ex-Soldiers managed to repel the attack.

Directed by Micheal Bay, I was surprised to see him holding back his Bay-ism and deliver a straight forward focused film. The story got a long build up at the start, setting up the location, the characters and the situation. And then chaos. What I liked most about this film was the fact that you felt just as lost as the soldiers and people in this movie. The confusion, the chaos, the uncertainty, it was delivered quite nicely, creating tension and thrill.

There are a lot of characters in the movie, but ultimately it is focused on these soldiers, and while the movie could have done a better job developing them, what it did was good enough in a sense that it worked for the movie. I liked em. Acting varied, with some delivering pretty good performances. Also, again with Micheal Bay restricting himself, there were no stupid side plots or cringe worthy romance for any of the characters. They all had families back home and we got some moments with them, humanizing the soldiers more.

The action was solid. It felt raw and realistic. There were the occasional Micheal Bay's firework explosions and some exaggerated RPG moments, but that's about it. Everything else was great. And this is the movie to watch on a home theater if you own one because sound effects were terrific. The explosions, the guns firing, the bullet impacts, it all sounded really great. Soundtrack was good. And the cinematography was great, it was a good looking movie.

The movie strayed away from political stuff, and just focused on the incident, which made me appreciate it more. The underlying message it was trying to give might have been too heavy handed at times, especially at the end, but it was a good one.

My issues with the movie, other than the ones already mentioned, were that the movie was too long. It took about 40 mins for things to get started and while the build up created the anticipation for what's about to happen, it got too long and slow in some areas. 20 mins shorter and it would have been a much tighter and cleaner film. Also, there are some, few, but some cringe-y scenes attempting to add humor, which stand out like a sore thumb considering most of the movie has a serious tone.

All in all, it was an entertaining watch and shows Micheal Bay still can control himself. I hope the dude gives up on Transformers and does other things, like this, more. Shame that this turned out to be his least grossing film. Definitely a recommended watch.

7.8/10