“All the gods, all the hells, all the heavens are within you.”
A well respected engineer of heavily orchestrated action sequences, Michael Bay has a knack for crafting a story that positions you on the edge of your seat as you anxiously await the next explosion. Though he misfired in 2001 with his romanticized retelling of Pearl Harbor, Bay is in full control as he tackles the events of September 11, 2012 in his newest film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
Relying heavily on the action, Bay occasionally looses site of his characters, muscling them into a small, well constructed box that forces them down a generic, pre-determined path. The result is a plethora of genre clichés that distract from the heroic events that made the intense, fearless story worth telling in the first place.
But not to worry, 13 Hours, thanks in large part to a group of solid performances and a profusion of vivid sequences, delivers on all the marks; somehow sidestepping the political undertone of the story and giving us an intense experience that while not likely entirely accurate, was still intriguing and emotional to witness.
John Krasinski underwent a radical physical transformation to portray contractor Jack Silva, the film’s leading protagonist. It is Silva with whom we are introduced to first, following him as he accepts the Benghazi assignments, says goodbye to his wife and two daughters, and ultimately fights an onslaught of attacks as he works to protect his comrades. Kraskinski forgoes his usual slapstick humor, instead relying heavily on his dramatic skills, only occasionally intermixing witty banter with the men he fights alongside.
As the film navigates through its slow, often times lethargic build up, it is hard to fully comprehend exactly what is on the horizon. But in true Bay fashion, once the foreshadowing rings true, the director puts everything into full throttle, effortlessly sinking back into his comfort zone as he works hard to intermix intense action, emotional heartbreak and comedic ribbing.
The chaos that ensues during the film’s third act brings a unique sense of realism to the forefront as a group of six men work hard to protect each other and those around them. Their fish-out-of-water situation adds a layer of complexity as they must sift through the unknown and counterattack the enemy’s raid.
Many scenes play out like a horror film, a feat that I’m not entirely convinced was coincidental as the setting itself reeks of an eerie and dark tone. Overhead shots of an army of attackers heighten your adrenaline, paving way for a rather intense sequence that shows a gritty, unapologetic view of combat. And while many will question why help was never sent their way, Bay refuses to dig deep into the politics of what is happening, keeping the film centered on the six soldiers who fought hard to secure everyone’s safety.
While Bay almost glamorizes the combat of his characters, it will be hard for anyone to look at 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and claim political baseness. That being said, the claim will most definitely be made as no film can escape the classification that our media all but requires.
The director’s most obvious misstep comes in the closing minutes as you see a group of Libyan women in black reclaiming the bodies of dead jihadis. Bay counters that image with a bullet-ridden American flag lying in a ditch, a proclamation that appears to stay in line with all other post-Iraq War films as 13 Hours works to have it both ways.
