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| Courtesy of Paramount |
Based
on the massive success of Lone Survivor and American Sniper, January has
become the season for movies based on true stories of military valor. It’s a
new tradition that Paramount clearly hopes will continue with Michael Bay’s
latest action extravaganza, a fact-based account of the terrorist attacks in
Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012.
However,
those first two films focused on larger-than-life figures rather than a tragic incident
that quickly turned into an election year weapon. In the past, films focusing
on divisive, politically-charged conflicts (The Hurt Locker, Green Zone) didn’t
do well at the box office. Chalk it up to the fact that war-weary audiences
already saw similar images every night on the news for free. 13 Hours could
go either way, and I’m genuinely curious how moviegoers will respond.
Fortunately,
Bay leaves politics out of the story for the most part. Instead, he focuses on
the daring ex-military forces assigned to protect CIA agents stationed at a
covert base in Benghazi. He and screenwriter Chuck Hogan aren’t interested in
assigning blame, but in making sure the world knows how these men fought back
against insane odds to defend American lives.
Based
on the nonfiction book by Mitchell Zuckoff and members of the security team
depicted in the film, Bay takes his time getting to know the men (played by
John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa
and Max Martini) and the unstable region around them. That makes the terrorist attack,
which commences around the one-hour mark, even more terrifying – audiences have
grown to like these guys and don’t want anything bad to happen to them.
Bay
is known for his kinetic filmmaking style, but he actually tones it down
slightly in 13 Hours. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of stuff still blows up –
often graphically and in slow motion. But, unlike his incoherent Transformers movies, you can actually follow what’s going on in the action sequences.
The
performances are solid, with each actor instilling his role with endearing personality
traits. Dale and Krasinski (miles away from the smug Jim Halpert on NBC’s The Office)
are the obvious standouts, but almost everyone gets an individual moment to
shine. The score, credited to Lorne Balfe and Hans Zimmer, is also strong,
contributing to the narrative rather than overpowering it.
Unfortunately,
some of Bay’s annoying trademarks are present as well. Many secondary
characters, especially David Costabile’s bafflingly incompetent CIA chief and
Peyman Moaadi’s meek Muslim translator, are practically cartoon characters. Even
more frustrating, aside from a quick scene near the end and some brief lip
service paid in the closing credits, all non-Americans are depicted as treacherous,
idiotic or inferior.
But
let’s be real, no one goes to a Michael Bay movie expecting an evenhanded
discussion of foreign policy. I’m honestly surprised he handles the material as
well as he does. Thanks to his strong eye for visuals, a memorable score and
actors who fully commit to the material, 13 Hours is a decent addition to the
January “hooray for America” canon.
13 Hours is rated R for strong combat violence throughout, bloody images and language.
Grade: B-
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