The lives of Secret Service soldiers is about to change when all hell breaks loose in “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”. The film (Directed by Michael Bay) chronicles the real life events before, during and after the events leading up to one night of terror in Benghazi. Coincidentally, the story takes place on the evening of the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, with a group of Islamic militants attacking the American diplomatic compound and a nearby CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya. When word of a sneak attack makes the rounds, CIA security contractors and military veterans who served with the Navy SEALS, Marine Force Recon and Army Special Forces undertake a desperate defense of the American Ambassador and his staff within the diplomatic compound. Starring James Badge Dale and John Krasinski, the film is based on the 2013 “13 Hours” written by Mitchell Zuckoff, and centers around the six brave soldiers in a fight for ultimate survival. Bay undertook the project despite the lack of support from investors who called the events “One big headache”.

Michael Bay has been one of the most polarizing figures when it comes to directing in today’s day and age, but his work in “13 Hours” deserves to grant him the kind of positive recognition that he deserves for the telling of such a heroic story. Nobody constructs action sequences better than Bay, and his designs and emotional punch pack so many devastating blows that will leave the audience in awe of the gritty and gory visions. What Bay does to make these scenes push through ever further is that he builds on the suspense of the scene and the setting in itself by playing opposite to the eerie quiet and calm that surrounds our protagonists. You never know which way the fire power is coming from, so in many aspects we the audience are just as blindfolded as the brave men who are outnumbered eight-to-one. One thing I wish Bay would’ve left on his famous cliche troupe shelf is the way he shoots some of these payoff scenes. Many people disagree with my tastes, but I feel like the shaking camera effects only do more harm than good, and with “13 Hours” I found myself needing a second after every strike because I couldn’t properly register what was going on. There were even parts during the first battle where my eyes strained to painful levels because of such a creative choice in camera style. It’s something that I definitely could’ve done without in an otherwise stellar heartpounding tension payoffs.

The creative aspects of the screenplay hits and misses during it’s nearly two-and-a-half hour presentation, but it’s polished repertoire is enough to never truly hinder the meat of such an emotional telling. One thing that I found cool about the transitional scenes is that the storytelling is given a real-time kind of feel, with a graphic showing us the time and place of every event before it happens. It helps many of the audience members who haven’t read the tightest of details with this tragic night to piece together the thought processes and decisions that went into everything. There are also some cool graphics from time to time that mark the location of the invaders as they progress forward. These two on-screen spins aren’t originally fresh, but they put the viewer in the very situations that the script entails. Sometimes the film does drag, most notably in a first act that could’ve used more expositional dialogue for some of the supporting cast. I will get to the performances in a bit, but the movie seems only focused on the characters of Krasinski and Dale, so the we don’t feel as invested in the arcs of the other men in their unit. This is the kind of film where we should feel proud to know and understand these characters, but it often feels like we never get the chance to, despite plenty of downtime in between each battle that could’ve helped some of that lagging time.

This movie serves as a coming out party for Krasinski in particular. Here is an actor who has been on the silver screen for over a decade now, but I would’ve never suspected he could be a bona fide badass like he was as Jack Silva. There’s definitely a soft side to his character, most notably in expositional scenes that reveal he has a sixth child on the way. While this weighs heavily on his mind during the night when everything comes up, Jack is always business first when it comes to protecting the lives of those he loves and respects most. John truly killed it in this role, at times transforming into an unfamiliar role. He’s cold and calculating when it comes to being behind his riffle, and I for one would welcome more roles like this for Krasinski as Bay saw something in the talented actor that no one else ever saw before. James Badge Dale is also shining as the leader of this group. He serves as Jack’s best friend, and someone who’s only real skill is behind the scope of a riffle. He’s failed at many aspects in his personal life, so you feel kind of empathetic for his character thinking that this could be the best it ever gets for him. It’s awesome to see the friendship between these two characters, and it gives the film something meaningful with heart in between scenes of gruesome violence.

Overall, “13 Hours” is a welcome addition to the tortured Michael Bay filmography. With a tighter edit of about twenty minutes, this film bordered on a grade higher, but it is quite the accomplishment to see a solid film in the cinema dumping grounds of January. It’s a loud and ferocious firecracker of visual effects that barely ever loses its steam.

7/10