Review of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) by George M — 22 Feb 2016

Michael Bay and the word "good" are rarely used in the same sentence as one another, unless the two words before that are "not very". However when it comes to the film 13 Hours the Secret Soldiers of Benghazi the words "not very" become redundant. I am not going to sit here and blab on about how amazing the film was, because quite frankly it wasn't. On the other hand though I am not going to rip it to pieces, because it isn't awful. In comparison to the rest of the films Bay has worked on it, it's certainly one of his best, although he hasn't set very high standards for himself. In my opinion only Armageddon tops it.

So let's have a look at the positives. The narrative was decent, I finally felt some form of emotional attachment to the actors involved. Something that rarely happens through the non-stop chaos of other Bay films. You feel some form of attachment instantly to John Krasinski's character. Why? You understand and can relate to his situation, having to become a contractor again because money is tightening up back at home. This is something Bay does well, the narrative is continuing to refer back to his family. Again similar to Armageddon. This doesn't just apply to the character 'Jack Silva' but to the all the seven CIA contractors involved, discussing their families whenever they get the chance. Even in one scene we 'Jack Silva' and 'Tyrone Woods' discuss their children the literal moment the fighting stops. It's because of this you want the characters to prevail, you want to see at the end all of them return to their homes. It's because of this you are drawn into the film more, something I haven't felt whilst watching a Bay movie. What else makes this film good, is the tension. The tension that is created in the atmosphere of Benghazi. The moment Krasinski's character is introduced on the flight, the atmosphere changes. The locals are constantly staring him down no matter where he walks, and this makes the audience, well it made me anyway, feel extremely uncomfortable. Knowing that such hostility exists when the character hasn't even opened his mouth. It's this tension that remains throughout the film that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the most part.

However throughout all that praise, like I stated at the beginning it's not great, it's good, but not great. Why is that? I know at the end of the day it seems harsh to criticize as Bay is trying to relate this back to a true story, but oh my, did the action sequences drag on. I felt like I was in a repetitive time loop replaying the same scene over and over. Like I say he is trying to base this on a true story, but the narratives for the first half of the film were decent in themselves, with moments where you thought we were about to plough into Baymania, but suddenly the tension would end. You were sat their thinking he's finally changed, at last! However the moment the attacks occurred you were thrown back into trademark Bay. I'm pretty sure he dedicates the whole second half of the film to just shooting and explosions. It must have been a solid 45 minutes of gunfire however it felt like you were going to have to leave the cinema early, because the film never looked like getting out of a loop. Old habits die hard ay?

Film Rating: 7/10.

By George Mactaggart, can follow me on twitter @georgemac96.