13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

13 Hours subjectively ends it, Michael Bay pulls one pathetic cartridge after another from his sleeve, there are bloody plastic bags and an American flag... Otherwise, this attempt to grasp the absurdity of the geopolitical situation through a realistic view is pleasantly cheesy. You would go for a beer and a fox hunt with most of the heroes-contractors. They are full-bearded, pert, simple and, unlike over-wise and re-educated operatives, they "know the map". But the action served in waves has balls, a gore factor and dynamics. At times, however, Bay forgets that he wanted to stay short and pulls out his typical mortars. The runtime is hard to defend, and ideologically, this work (like all of Michael's "more thoughtful" films) moves on a minefield of hardness... but it is quite fun, not as sharply cut and cohesive as Black Hawk Down, but it's still reliable enough to the title of the sweatiest and most sentimental macho film of 2016. Too bad Optimus Prime doesn’t emerge at the end. That would be expensive. (18/01/2017)

It's a shame that some of the sympathetic believable bearded men end up being so interchangeable in the chaos, though the film's opening takes quite a bit of care to introduce them as best it can. It's the only thing that bothered me about 13 Hours. But on the other hand, it is quite possible that when I see the film on DVD, I will be able to tell one from the other more easily and it will only improve the film. Michael Bay surprised me - the film is not that pathetic (by his standards!), the action is not overdone and the wait for it is really exciting. The script can afford to let the characters say lines like "It's like Black Hawk Down!" without sounding ridiculous, and the director can use a trick mortar shell flight to refer to the dropping of the Japanese bomb in Pearl Harbor... I hardly noticed the runtime, there was always something going on and everything was in moderation. In short, more than a good film. (05/02/2016)

A riveting and intense film with Michael Bay at the peak of his career! "Call Of Duty" rules! And I give it a five cleaner than the bottom of the ocean. This movie absolutely outdoes all war movies of similar stature (Lone Survivor, American Sniper, Jarhead). After a slower opening, Bay serves up perhaps 100 minutes of epic, spectacular and intense warfare, with this elite six defending the embassy tooth and nail against the waves of Libyans! The six elite Marines are superbly chosen and although there are no familiar faces among them, they all perform so professionally and convincingly that you keep your fingers crossed for 144 minutes. The cinematography is undeniably stunning, the authenticity and dark atmosphere draws you in so much that you feel they are spending time with the characters in the film, and the explosions are a blast in places. The properly served brutality is also a pleasure, especially towards the end people with weaker stomachs will close their eyes, while "The Others" will rejoice and growl with joy. There are also plenty of powerful and memorable moments that bring goosebumps and tears flow at the same time, and I think five times I screamed for joy across the cinema. Yes that's how much the film excited me. A motherfucking intense movie right off the edge of the year and it undoubtedly will have a place in the Top 10. Story 7/10, Atmosphere 8/10, Gore 8/10, Visuals 10/10, Action 10/10, Suspense 9/10, Humour 5/10. Entertainment 9/10. 95%. More of this, please! (04/02/2016)

The solid action scenes aren’t enough to save the flat story. In an effort to be serious, Bay becomes less entertaining. We’ve seen bands of tough guys pitted against ragheads a billion times. Of course, the bloody finale is fine, but I wanted more catchphrases and some crazy sadistic son of a bitch to spice up the boredom a little. I understand that based on real events means less of everything and more harsh reality, but then it would require a more interesting historical milestone than this. Next time they should try Greengrass or to film it from the Jihadis’ point of view, where the goons from the CIA would play the bad guys. (08/07/2016)

I wonder what the Americans would make films about if they weren't constantly spreading democracy everywhere. I can’t wait to see an action-packed film about returning stolen land to Indian tribes. But back to the film. The fight scenes are shot well – I especially liked the sequence with the mine à la first-person action. Unfortunately, the film is ruined by E.T.-call-home-type scenes. One of the final lines "I don't know how you survived all that. But I know how the rest of us did" almost made me throw up in my mouth a little. As usual, a giant dose of patriotism and pathos, but I’m sure the film is a huge success on the home front. (10/07/2016)