13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

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Brian M Another lackluster effort from Bay. In lieu of well-developed characters (virtually every character in the film is interchangeable with the others), he uses the usual cheap appeals to pathos to engage audiences. Expect lots of characters talking about and talking to their little kids as way of adding drama to a story that shouldn’t need such moments. When a character starts talking in detail about his kids you can probably expect him to die; that’s the kind of amateurish storytelling on display here as he turns a tragedy into spectacle (as he did with Pearl Harbor, another soulless, toothless effort). Never mind the fact that the story itself should be compelling. In the hands of a mature filmmaker we would get compelling characterizations that would create such pathos organically. Indeed, these characters are just generic characterizations of soldiers, as the film, despite its insistence otherwise, doesn’t give a damn about its characters. While the film supposedly recreates events that happened that night, don’t expect the second-rate script to provide any insight into the proceedings. During the second half of the film, characters repeatedly mention how surreal their experience is, how they feel neglected, etc. Such explicit commentary by characters attests to an amateurish script; if you have to repeatedly remind viewers of these things, the direction isn’t doing the heavy lifting it should be doing. Expect ample doses of homophobia, despite the fact that the camera lingers on glistening torsos of the actors time and time again (yes, that’s the lack of self-awareness I’d expect from Bay). Also expect really weird, wasted shots of characters’ boots (for instance), which I suppose is Bay’s attempt to be gritty? Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 12/20/24 Full Review John C Sometimes a film’s title really does tip you off as to what it’s going to be about. ‘Snakes on a Plane’ is one such example. What you see is what you get. ’13 Hours’ is another. Having watched it, I can definitely confirm that it felt like I had wasted 13 hours of my life watching this. And that’s a shame. Despite Michael Bay’s notorious reputation since his stint at the helm of the infamous ‘Transformers’ franchise, I still think he’s a reasonably good director (I am just about the only person alive who enjoyed his ‘Pain and Gain’ film!) so, when I heard he was directing a film about hired security officers in the Middle East, I thought it would be worth a watch. Now, you can probably tell I wasn’t impressed and I feel I should probably start listing the various reasons as to why I felt this way. However, I can sum it up in one word: boring. And I could probably leave the review there. I didn’t think it was terrible, just boring. ‘The Office’s’ John Krasinski plays the lead security officer and, if you’ve seen him taking fire from Michael Scott, then you’ll probably know that he can hold his own in dangerous situations. He’s – as predicted – a likeable character who you always feel like you could probably share a beer with. But the film was still boring. Yes, it does show us westerners a window into what life must be like in Middle Eastern countries and what Westerners have to go through when living/working there. The scenery is certainly nice and interesting to look at – certainly a change from watching films set in New York or other recognisable locations. And there is definitely a gritty undertone to the whole story. You can feel the dirt and danger these people have to go through on a daily basis. But I was still bored. Yup, there are some – sort of – car chases and gunfights. These are naturally well executed (in true Michael Bay style), but I’ve seen all these before and, yes, I was bored. Overall, ’13 Hours’ is a nice (and dare I say ‘accurate?’) portrayal of what life must be like in that unstable region of the world, but, ultimately, despite its good points, it just didn’t grab me. I was bored (although I’m guessing that this was still better than ‘Transformers 5: The Last Knight!’). Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/04/24 Full Review Masta B I couldn't believe it was Michael Bay's movie, since there's no solar flare shining over a full make-up female cast. And despite what critics say, this was great, great, great movie. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/30/24 Full Review Aleksandar D Incredible movie, gave me mad anxiety. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/28/24 Full Review Gilles V It was a very good movie, and pretty realistic to. It i insane to think about the fact that this is all bsed on a treu event. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/27/24 Full Review Luis alonso V such a great film i think these movie gotta be the best of michael bay because the tone and characters and music are so great even a such a great soundtrack. some of the best war films i have ever seen Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/05/24 Full Review Read all reviews

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

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