Director: Michael Bay
Starring: James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Runtime: 144 mins. Reviewed in Mar 2016

| |

Rating notes: Strong violence

One of the great benefits of the film director having a solid reputation is that many audiences will want to see his film without even checking whether it is well reviewed or not. One of the disadvantages of the film director having a particular kind of reputation, especially one that critics continually denounce, is that any film he makes will be tarred with this disreputable brush.

Which serves as an introduction to films made by American director, Michael Bay. He was more acceptable in the 1990s with his comic action police shows, Bad Boys and his apocalyptic Armageddon. But, with his attempt to recreate the atmosphere of Pearl Harbour, he became a victim of critics ire and condemnation, which flowed over a bit into audience reaction. But, then he made the Transformer films, loud, full of action, appealing to the multiplex audience, thus bringing a great division into responses to his films.

Well, 13 hours is a Michael Bay film. In fact, the episodes in which it is based might be called Michael Bay situations, the upheaval in Libya in 2011, after the Arab Spring and the death of Colonel Gaddafi, the civil unrest, the different militias and their objectives, and the place of the United States, especially an ambassador who was interested in some kind of reconciliation but who was killed in action – which had some repercussions for the career of Hillary Clinton and criticisms of her as Secretary of State at this period.

Which does mean that there are some intrinsic elements of interest here, the re-creation of Libya and of Benghazi, the presence of the CIA, especially their security experts, the role of the ambassador and his choices which exposed him to potential violence and ultimately made him a victim of this violence, the ideologies of the militias and their going and violent action.

Michael Bay can really craft an action film and that is what he has done here. He builds up the audience understanding of the situation, introducing a central character, played unexpectedly by John Krasinski who would seem more at home in more domestic and romantic roles, joining the security team in Benghazi, gradually becoming involved in the tensions, in the city, in the compound where the ambassador stayed and was interviewed by the media, in the CIA base, which was protected by some secrecy.

While there is some characterisation, introduction to the members of the team with their different attitudes clashes, their ability to work together, their having to cope with difficult circumstances and some blackouts in information, as well as phone calls home with some domestic background, the bulk of the film, quite long, is in the action concerning saving the ambassador, coping with his death, venturing out into the city, appealing for help from neighbouring countries including Malta, but having to use wits to fight and to survive, finally being besieged in the CIA base.

The film will naturally appeal to action fans, and there is plenty of action. For audiences who may not be action fans but who may have wondered about how this situation could arise in Benghazi at the time, the film fills in the background, highlights the characters, and enables the audience to appreciate how difficult and uncertain it is in Middle Eastern and North African countries, especially when American presuppositions are brought in, and lessons have to be learnt about local culture, local loyalties, local politics.

13 hours has the benefit of having dramatic action but also providing political action background to actual events of 2011.