13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi(2016) movie review

13 hours is a likable movie with some cool action in it. I like this type of action, when it is shown a little bit more realistic with well combined set pieces, so it is not confusing and satisfying in the same time. The story didn't hit me, it is too Bay type epic, so it got me away from the main content of the movie for just a little bit. However, close street action and slow pace of battles is a great addition to the "heroic" story of the people, who didn't fight for anything, while having families and more important things to care about. So why did they keep coming back to the field again and again over these long years? That is kind of a philosophical question. Can't answer that. This movie does show us a lot to this contract operatives type of characters, the way they live and what job do they have, and for me the first hour and a half were entertaining, because of that. And than in the last hour we did get this great street skirmishes and then assault of the CIA department. 

The movie starts with an arrival of the main character played by John Krasinski. He was the best part for me in the movie, even besides the fact that James Badge Dale, as his buddy and another operative, was just amazing. These two were a mountain of this movie as far as performances go. There are so other characters, mostly other operatives. Actually they do not serve as an official military of the US, they are hired ex-operatives from different agencies, so they are basically mercenaries. They do their everyday job in Benghazi, protecting VIP's and other CIA agents on the hostile streets. These were kind of cool, especially when it sometimes turned into solid action . But one day, on the eleventh of September, in Libya some of the terrorist movements decided to destroy the US embassy. 

Getting to the main event, the squad of the the operatives from the CIA base are going to save all these people. who is left in the embassy. And after that, it gets to the main base assault, which will continue all night. The main question is, will they survive it, before reinforcements arrive? The story doesn't necessarily has this huge patriotic feel to it, it more focuses on main character's families and values of simple life. Bay impresses with his work on this one. But I still found this movie too over the top Bay epic, than realistic action movie. Still it has a good action. Actually, it feels like this story is sucked out the finger, especially the third act. Maybe everything possible, but it felt unrealistic and fictional towards the end, but it is likely, I am wrong. 

Overall, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi(2016) is the best Michael Bay directed movie since the first Transformers(2007). This movie has good action, characters to care about and touching ending, that brings even more epicness for this story, that was told pretty good.