13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) Review!!

Synopsis – As an American ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya, a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

My Take – I got to be honest, I love Michael Bay movies! Keeping aside the infamously run down Transformers series (which I still love by the way), his list of independent films such The Rock, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys (1 & 2), The Island (unfairly rejected) and Pain & Gain are perfect examples of the Hollywood blockbusters. Director Michael Bay is known for his high impact action films that burst at the seams with unbridled patriotism. Each paint a picture of sheer superiority for the ‘red, white and blue’ in its devoted battle against in surmountable odds for the good of mankind and this one is no different. Bay‘s flirtation with a serious event takes time to build but when the temperature rises, so does the death count as bullets fly and explosions deal out maximum destruction. This film has all the hallmarks of a sensational night out at the cinema and knowing of its impending release, I was unashamedly excited when the opening scenes flashed up onto the screen. It’s no masterpiece by any means, and suffers from poor pacing and an occasional lack of depth, but all in all, with a ton of thrilling action sequences throughout, this is the sort of film that Bay should be making, because really is an entertaining and impressive watch. Most war movies depict battles that take place over weeks, months or years. The amount of “action” that occurred during this event all happened over about 13 hours and that is why it is such a great story. It depicts the American heroes at their best who gave their lives to save others, against the orders of the higher management. A war film, depicting true events (at least somewhat); of the 2012 terrorist attacks, on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The story follows a six-man security team comprising of Jack Da Silva (John Krasinski), Tyrone ‘Rone’ Woods (James Badge Dale), Kris ‘Tanto’ Paronto (Pablo Schreiber), Dave ‘Boon’ Benton (David Denman), John ‘Tig’ Tiegen (Dominic Fumusa) & Mark ‘Oz’ Geist (Max Martini) stationed in a secret CIA base run by Chief Bob (David Costabile). When an American ambassador (Matt Letscher) is attacked in his U.S. compound by an army of local militants. Its upto the six hired soldiers who must defend the remaining personal under their protection. All hell breaks lose as the audience is witness to total warfare in an intense battle that lasts through the night. Chaos, and very violent bloodshed, ensued. The movie never asks those questions raised by the news pundit about any whys and whats. Instead the event is presented solely from the perspective of the security detail and the team’s desperate attempts to make sense of the situation at hand, and in that, we get the opportunity to really cheer them on as they just go forth and do what they think is right. Disregarding the political situation and their own preoccupations, these soldiers are shown as brave and talented, and their decision to go out and save lives is a great moment in this film. But what the film is really about is the chaotic events that transpired on the night of September 11. As such, this is a hugely action- packed war film, but what’s best is that it succeeds in creating genuine tension, fear and excitement on a regular basis. Although the film does take a little too long to kick off, the first burst of action is exhilarating. Bay‘s direction and overuse of shaky cam is at times frustrating, but in general, once this film moves into its middle portion all about the battle in Benghazi, and the desperate attempts of these soldiers to stay alive, is hugely exciting. From then on, we get over an hour of non-stop action that is both entertaining as well as tense. There are moments where the battle dies down, but the film keeps moving through its use of suspense shown by the confusion of soldiers. The film is very much in the mold of another high impact battle film, ‘Black Hawk Down’, and it is Ridley Scott‘s war epic that is referenced in Bay‘s movie. Whereas ‘Black Hawk Down’ was able to provide the audience with a repenting emotional edge, this film, although just as sombre, just as disastrous, does at times fail to connect with its targeted audience. This is not to say that Michael Bay‘s little foray into the world of the modern soldier is not compelling watching. The whole production is extremely well made and it immediately puts the viewer right into the highly intense atmosphere of North Africa. I enjoyed the different perspectives of command that we see through Rone and Bob and it’s obvious that the movie shows us that Rone is the better leader but this kind of takes us into the territory of how one sided this narrative is. I mean, we see the narrative from multiple perspectives but the CIA is depicted as surprisingly ignorant to the situation they find themselves in. Now I don’t know much about the history of this actual event but it surprises me that the CIA wouldn’t have been able to figure this out a little sooner. Who knows, maybe this story is actually incredibly accurate but it does seem a little lopsided in favor of the security team. However, this film isn’t a total glorification of war and patriotism.

It does have the whole ‘no man left behind’ mentality (and it takes a lot of inspiration from Black Hawk Down itself), but the grit and, particularly in the final act, the violence, do present some interesting and intelligent questions regarding the entire Middle East situation. None of the flaws are severe. Mostly, they are limited to the (expected) over-cutting of the material, the occasional stylistic flourishes that don’t quite gel with the rest of the movie (e.g. the mortar shell point of view), some scenes that are explained rather than shown, and a handful of line readings of the wisecracking dialogue that don’t seem as natural as those that are in the rest of the movie. The cast for this film aren’t exactly big names or anything like that but they all do an excellent job regardless. This might sound a little strange but I prefer lesser known actors for these types of movies. It feels like the story can be a little less biased since it doesn’t have to constantly follow the highest paid actor or actress. The closest thing to a main character this film has is the character of Jack Silva played by John Krasinksi, better known as Jim from the hilarious comedy series The Office. Silva is a skilled ex-soldier that goes to Libya for the money but ends up regretting his decision because of how much he misses his family. Krasinski does the character justice by showing us the no nonsense attitude without going to far into corny bad-ass soldier. That’s one thing I have to give the film credit for. Everyone comes off genuine rather than unbeatable Rambos. I also really enjoyed the interactions between Rone played by James Badge Dale and David Costabile‘s character Bob. They both want the best for the people they’re trying to protect but they go about it in completely different ways. Rone is more straightforward and quick to come to a decision while Bob is more contemplative but slow to adapt to changing circumstances. David Denman (another The Office alumni) does a fine job. On the whole, ’13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi’ is an intense, powerful movie that brings out the best of Michael Bay. It is a film that not only sparkles with a strong direction, realistic depiction of the horrors of war, but also pays a well tribute to the soldiers out there who are sacrificing their lives to defend the freedom of our country. 13 hours might not be up to the 2014 standards of American Sniper or Black Hawk Down, but sets itself up to be a relative.