Review of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) by Angus M — 25 Feb 2016

13 Hours may very well be the greatest modern warfare movie currently made. For the last two decades true stories of warfare have been turned into amazing movies, Black Hawk Down and The Hurt Locker instantly spring to mind, but I feel this one certainly tops them all. Although there is controversy to the historical accuracy of the movie, most notably the scene where the annex security team are told to stand down, the controversy is nothing new as the US government have gone against what the team on the ground said happened. That's what this movie is, it's their experience of the night in Benghazi on the anniversary of 9/11 and the bravery they showed. I would say they're telling the truth, and that's all exactly what this movie depicts - the heroism of six men who didn't have to do anything on that night. No politics.

The movie starts off slow as we are set up with the events leading to the purpose of this secret team of operators in Benghazi, being introduced to each character, and shown through their daily lives through important locations. This doesn't last too long, perhaps no more than 30 minutes, before Bay launches us into the main event with an explosive, tense, and fast-paced Benghazi attack.

After having stretches of extraordinary action sequences placed one after another in his Transformers movies, here Bay settles on the gritty and grounded action that uses spectacle through his unique shots and camera angles, something which he probably hasn't done since his earlier movies The Rock and Pearl Harbor. In fact, this is his most grounded movie to date, and therefore his most powerful and disturbing. When these characters are placed in danger you really feel it - a sequence involving terrorists trying to burn the ambassador out of his safe haven comes to mind - and the consequences feel heavy. Even when the movie stops for a breather, or to rely more on tension such as a series of sniper sequences, the excitement doesn't let up. This is the kind of action the genre can rarely pull off these days young John McClane would be proud.

And the consequences, oh those gut wrenching consequences, they are powerful. That's the most important part of a war movie isn't it? Well, they're here, and they're masterfully done. Even going as far as breaking the movie's own rules a bit by showing the consequences on the terrorists families as well. Much like The Conjuring, 13 Hours also uses comedy to lower the tension during quieter moments to bring in something horrifying later on to get the nerves all revved up again. Peter Jackson may have mastered bloody comedy but here Bay grounds it in his action and allows us to have a bit of a chuckle at some of the luck the team go through - not everyone can aim an RPG launcher under stress.

Breathtaking in thrills and shocks, 13 Hours is one hell of a war movie.