MOVIE REVIEW: 13 Hours--The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)

By now, we all know the story (well, sort of)—on September 11, 2012, Libyan extremists attacked the US Consulate in Benghazi, murdering Ambassador Christopher Stevens. Stationed a mile away were 6 members of the Annex Security Team, ex-soldiers turned private security specialists hired to protect operatives and diplomats in the city. As the deadly assault raged on, the 6 men ignored a stand-down order and engaged the enemy in a series of firefights to save the lives of the remaining Americans.

Let’s get one thing straight right from the get-go: I am reviewing 13 Hours solely from the perspective of an action movie. The political angle is not something I wish to discuss here. Sure, I have my own opinions of Hillary Clinton, but this is not a political rant. The film doesn’t include that aspect and neither will I. We can save the axe-grinding for another time.

"Yes, I DO want fries with that."

With the politics ignored, 13 Hours can be enjoyed for what it is—a bombastic (as only Michael Bay can do) action flick about gritty warriors doing gutsy things while bullets fly. Depth, nuance, and subtlety are eschewed in favor of autofire and explosions. I make no apologies for being a Michael Bay fan; simply put, I appreciate his popcorn visuals. You can poke fun at his rapid cuts and frequent slo-mo and his offbeat camera angles and his patriotic shots of the American flag and heroes silhouetted against a blazing sunset and you know what? I totally understand all the mocking and hate. But me, I love Bay’s directorial flourishes and when they’re applied to an R-rated action flick, yeah, I get a little excited.

13 Hours is very much in the vein of Last Survivor, Black Hawk Down, and Act of Valor, albeit filtered through the Michael Bay aesthetic. Characterization is minimal, the political back-story is all but jettisoned, and instead we simply focus on 6 men who refused to stand by and let Americans die. The action is fast and furious and everything blows up real good.

The movie runs too long at nearly 2.5 hrs. and would have benefited from some trimming, but it’s rarely boring and the constant gun battles ensure action fans get their fix, even if that fix drags on longer than it should and risks viewer fatigue (it is possible to have too much action). And since this is “based on a true story,” the film doesn’t stray far from the facts and therefore just sort of ends. And because of that adherence to facts, there is no primary villain to root against, no main bad guy to cathartically watch meet their demise. Granted, none of this can really be avoided, but the abrupt, anti-climactic ending might leave some action aficionados dissatisfied.

What will satisfy many of those aficionados is the hard-R rating. It’s not extremely graphic or gory (save a scene toward the end) but there is blood and the overall tone is tough and gritty; no neutered PG-13 crap here. I wish Bay would stop toying around with the Transformers and make more action movies like this. But as they say, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

Listen, if you’re looking for an insightful documentary about the Benghazi tragedy, this isn’t it. But if you’re simply in the mood for a slickly-directed guns ‘n’ guts action bonanza, this fits the bill. It’s the best thing Bay has done in a long time and while it doesn’t rise to the level of The Rock or Bad Boys, it’s good to see him back on R-rated, bullets-blazing cinematic turf.