13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

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

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.

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

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.

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.