Movie: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Direction: Michael Bay
Cast: James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Dominic Fumusa, Pablo Schreiber
Music: Lorne Balfe
Cinematographer: Dion Beebe
Editor: Pietro Scalia
Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama, War
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: It’s a biographical war action thriller based on the true events occurred during the Battle of Benghazi. Where six special ops soldiers held their position strong in trying to survive their way out saving many lives in the US embassy stationed in Benghazi. It is directed by Michael Bay.
Why it’s disappointing: It is said, that the film has compromised on historical accuracies, but that is negligible when a movie is conceptualized this well.
What to watch out for: This kind of genre was missing from the silver screen for quite some time. With this released, it fulfils what was missing. The film has great score on technicalities and doesn’t disappoints at any level.
The story does warms up a bit late, the only reason being they tried to follow the true events, but when it warms up, there’s no room for breath. The film runs on a high octane action which pulsates the cinema hall with its reverberation. The action sequences were meticulously shot with great taste giving an authenticity to the situations. The film keeps you engaged with its action, without diverting from the subject.
As far as the cast is concerned, you can’t choose a favourite, as everyone did a great job. Among them the three John Krasinski, James Badge Dale and Pablo Schreiber step up a bit with their variation in the characters.
The film was exceptionally shot by Dion Beebe, he was an artist. He captured the treacherous moments with great detailing, especially the scenes involving night sequences. The film had a great colour tone and was tastefully matched with the lens work.
The editing by Pietro Scalia was top notch with great precision, it was cut with great diligence. The SFX was breath-taking with ground breaking design, which shatters around with life like sound.
The film had its landmark moments, which made the audience cheer and enjoy the madness, which was exuberated by the characters on screen. There are few scenes which received a huge applause, as the sequences gives you quite an adrenaline.
Verdict: Michael Bay known for his larger than life films, have presented a biographical event in every possible cinematic way. Which was greatly supported by commendable performances and brilliant technical crew. This makes “13 Hours” an appealing film for the action film buffs.
