13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

For the movie I gave it an 8. That's based on 32 years of military service, 7 combat tours (3 in Iraq) and working with the likes of the characters in the movie. Sorry for those who's lives were so well protected that they've never been exposed to the likes of us but, that's how we talk and act. It's a type-A environment and we use it to protect ourselves and motivate our brothers in arms.

I am well versed on the facts as provided by the MSM however, as someone in the biz I also know that the fly in the ointment are the facts.

1. The firing of mortars is an art and the mortar launcher has to be anchored to the ground or every mortar will land off target. The mortars landing on the CIA compound are dead accurate and also require spotters to assist with any corrections.

2. Aviano AB, Italy is about 2-hours away. Had they been launched, even if only to do a low fly-by, would have driven off the attackers; just like I used them in Iraq in Mosul, Tikrit, and Baghdad. I don't know why the Commander of the 555 (Triple Nickel) didn't launch. It's one of the big questions that remain unanswered by the media or the movie.

3. Hillary's statement that, "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some Americans?" was a red herring. Because it was neither. As later testimony bore out, it was a planned, coordinated, terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11.

4. All UAS aircraft are armed. As stated in the movie could have assisted in the defense of the embassy or the CIA compound.

5. General Ham, AfricaCom CC is someone I worked with in Mosul in 2004 for 6-months. Good guy and I know from my experience he would not hesitate to act if allowed. One day he'll give an interview and get his whole story. Can't wait...

Rick274 Colonel (Retired) 274ASOS/CC

Telling this story needed to be done and done right. Amazingly, Michael Bay achieves true greatness with this effort. I'm overwhelmed because no one could have known Bay had this movie in him as a director.

This is a masterful film in almost every aspect and certainly in every way that truly matters. Maybe knowing the real life set up and cover up to these events helps elevate the appreciation of what hits the screen but the film holds up well even if a viewer is unaware of world affairs. The premeditated, brutal attack in 2012 on two United States installations in Benghazi, Libya is a dark chapter in not only the war on terror but in U.S. history in general. Expertly depicting the events surrounding those attacks with such tension and emotion is a credit to this film and those that made it. This includes the remarkable cast who each were superb in their roles. Maybe the first act was a bit long as characters were established and maybe the over use of shaky cam early can be considered technical flaws but when a story is this well told and this well crafted, flaws like that fall quickly by the waste side.

The movie draws you in and makes you feel like you were there on that fateful night. Without getting overly political, it informs the viewer of what happened in riveting detail. It leaves the "why did this happen and who is to blame" for the viewer to decide. The courage on display and the charisma of those that serve comes across in a big way. That (along with current political consequences) is reason enough why this story needed to be told. Thank God that they did it justice.

This movie hit home. Every PMC who signs every contract knows they have no US military support. A PMC or grouping of PMC's is on their own. Only a President can order US military action on a foreign nation without the Senate and House Approval. Had President Obama sent in a military for for support or even ordered air support for those PMC's would have made a single handed de-facto declaration of war against Libya, which at the time out armed forces were engaged in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. Adding a third conflict with another Arab state would have over extended US armed forces resources to one region, complicating a difficult situation already happening. I am glad most of those PMC's made it home alive to their families and did exactly what their contract states, solved the situation by themselves. Great movie ,but brought up horrible memories for me. With the facts I presented keep those facts in mind when sitting down to watch this movie or watch it again. ( Once was enough for me. ) Great directing and acting, pretty close to factual. Watch it or rewatch it with the facts I presented in mind and the movie will make a whole lot more sense to the viewer.

"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+.

I first saw this film when it opened back in January, 2012. While it's not a "great" film by any stretch, it is a solidly good one. It is also Michael Bay's most *RESTRAINED* film (which isn't saying much, but it's a FAR cry better than the last four Transformers films).

But, getting to the title of my comment, when I went back and watched this film for the second time (today, February 16, 2019), I felt compelled to pull up IMDb on my phone during the viewing and I checked out some of the user reviews. I found one thing shockingly in common among all of the one-star "reviews":

Not a single one of them had any knowledge of the events of the true incident! And it was painfully obvious that they could not have been bothered to do a little research before making their inane comments public. Many did not know the name of the militant group that attacked the compound (Ansar al-Sharia), and just randomly decided that it must be ISIS. Some felt that it was a condemnation on Hillary Clinton and her actions/lack of actions as the events unfolded (there was not a single mention of Secretary Clinton throughout the entire film, good or bad). One did not even understand why the name of the film is "13 Hours" (seriously, did they even bother to actually WATCH the film before adding their "thoughts" in a blatant effort to only try to bring down the rating percentage?)!

Is the film accurate? Of course not. When a movie is based on a true event, dramatic license is and ALWAYS has been used to make the film more compelling to viewers. And say what you will about Michael Bay's films, but the guy can masterfully direct action set pieces; each one expertly realized to get the viewer's heart pumping. Here, he does it again and again. Or, more accurately, two straight hours after the first bullets start flying to the bitter end.

It's not a definitive history lesson on what actually happened, but it is decidedly riveting and Bay's most mature film to date. One can only hope that now he's left the directorial duties of the abyssmally and increasingly brainless "Transformers" franchise to other people, maybe we can start getting more films like this from him so people can remember what he is actually capable of when he gets material to work with that he takes seriously and treats it as such.