Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 2, 2016

Newfound respect for Michael Bay. The divisive filmmaker known for his flashy popcorn blockbusters has finally made a movie that goes beyond raw entertainment value, crafting a picture of substance and authenticity centered around one of the defining moments in modern American history and global politics. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi sees Bay move beyond not his trademark grand scope or scale but certainly the empty noise and narratives that have defined many of his movies, from Transformers to Bad Boys. With this film, he finds a balance heretofore absent in his pictures. He doesn't quite shy completely away from his signature flash -- he can't help himself, at times, and during the final assault on the compound near film's end in particular -- but he's crafted, within the core of his basic parameters, an engaging, effective venture in which his style is complimentary to the movie rather than a movie that's a slave to it. Based on the book of the same name by Mitchell Zuckoff and doing its best to tell the truest story it can from the events of that September night in Benghazi, Bay's picture is a tribute to the men who fought and died there, a testament to the power of wartime filmmaking, and a mostly tonally impressive experience that engages the individual mind and the world scene alike.

Michael Bay's biggest challenge in 13 Hours is keeping the audience engaged even considering the predetermined outcome. Many, if not most, in the audience know the names and the fates of several characters coming into the movie, but 13 Hours isn't so much about narrative details as it is rather sharing the experience, demonstrating it in tangible clarity, and highlighting the messy details of both the firefights and the underlying social and political underpinnings that defined the event. In that arena, Bay succeeds. He capably constructs enough narrative pull, dramatic punch, and effective filmmaking to keep the audience involved in a well known story. He manages to draw the audience into every scene. There's a very real and very frightening sense of personal engagement, first as the nervous anticipation of the attack looms large over the first 45 minutes and on through the next 90 or so minutes of practically nonstop intensity as the story of the attack emerges and eventually draws to a head at the Annex. It's all underscored by the movie's simple but compelling demonstration of humanity that depicts several key characters communicating with their loved ones back home, and as the night wears on and the raw emotions slowly rise to the surface.

The one area where the movie stumbles, however, is in how it draws its characters. Introductions are quick and, particularly as night approaches and the battles begin, the sheer chaos leaves many of the characters in a scramble. It's not always clear as to who is where and doing what. The maelstrom of gunfire, quick cuts, darkness, and rapidly evolving landscape often leave the audience struggling to keep up. In that way, Bay manages to recreate a frenzied chaos. On the other hand, it diminishes some of the work the film previously accomplished with its characterizations. The same holds true in many scenes for the characters as they struggle to determine friend or foe. The film uses the language barrier to excellent effect as roadblocks, convoys, and clusters of armed men are often ambiguous to the men, whether they're the friendly "17 Feb" fighters or the attackers who wish them harm. 13 Hours creates an enormously effective fog of war, though whether it's too effective for the greater narrative is up for debate. The one constant, however, is why. "Why" is a question that looms large over the movie, largely as it pertains to the stand down order and the inability of those on the ground to secure reinforcements from nearby quick reaction forces, call in armed air support, or even flyovers to, maybe, scare the enemy from conducting further attacks. That frustration is tangible and paramount to the story, and Bay's ability to weave that frustration so deeply into the already frenzied narrative only helps solidify the movie's mission of recreating the night in all of its physical and mental anguish alike.

13 Hours is also a technical marvel. It's extraordinarily well done, defined by several signature Bay elements that remain, such as the quick cuts, a hot canvas, and occasionally over-stylized action scenes. But it's not so overdone, so awash in "Bayhem" that the movie loses its edge or its serious façade is lessened. This is Michael Bay at his most balanced, in a way a stretch for the filmmaker who is up to the challenge of stepping beyond his comfort zone, who shows a capability to make thematically substantial, and not just sight-and-sound, cinema. As one would expect, production values soar. The movie's sense of combat authenticity rivals all of the best of its kind. It's violent and involved. It oozes a sense of place and time down to the finest details across the board, from local flavor to combat gear. Performances are excellent. Even as the characters aren't as well defined as they could, and should, have been, and even as they tend to get lost in the chaos, all of the key actors find a tangible, realistic edge to them, both in terms of how they carry themselves in combat and as they display the increasing physical and, perhaps more important, emotional burdens that come to define them through the course of the movie.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi enjoys a richly colored and razor-sharp and incredibly well detailed 1080p transfer. The color palette pushes rather hot in the signature Michael Bay Style. Flesh tones hit an orange shading. Even well manicured green lawns seems significantly more punchy and bold. Over-saturation is key to the film's artistic style, and the Blu-ray captures that styling with as much intensity as it can muster. This is also a very strong textural image. Though digitally sourced, the image often passes for film quality. Details are razor sharp and intimate. Close-ups never struggle to showcase every strand of facial hair, each pore, beads of sweat, and accumulated blood and grime. Rough, war-torn textures dazzle with tangible complexity, shredded with bullets or torn by explosions. Close-in shots of vehicles and weapons showcase plenty of wear and small nuanced details, like lettering on a gun or dust and scratches on a motor vehicle. Black levels -- largely nighttime exterior backdrops -- hold deep and accurate. The image is prone to display some source noise, but banding, aliasing, macroblocking, and other eyesores are non-factors. This is a gorgeous presentation from Paramount.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi features an intense and exhilarating Dolby Atmos soundtrack. This review is based on playback via an 11.1 setup, adding four "height" channels to the more traditional 7.1 layout. The track is amazingly full and very finely detailed. Certainly, the action dominates. There's an almost frightening level of authenticity to the track. Gunfire tears through the stage with remarkable vigor and definition. The different sonic signatures of different weapons -- from .223 caliber M4s to larger caliber machine guns -- is evident in every battle sequence as shots ring out from all areas of the stage with a tremendous sense of presence and heft. Explosions likewise hit hard. The low end pushes very deep and heavy with a bone-rattling concussive sensation. Debris likewise scatters about with striking effectiveness, placing the listener squarely in the middle of the mayhem. Mortar rounds and rocket propelled grenades also zip and zoom through the stage. Maneuverability around the listening area, complimented by a balanced but never intrusive overhead presence, recreates the battles with amazing authenticity. Lesser, but no less important, support details also impress. Musical delivery is clear and immersive. Ambient effects are nicely positioned and integrated, whether chatter and public address announcements at an airport that seem to saturate the stage or minor exterior atmospherics that help set the stage in the movie's sonically calmer first act. Dialogue is always well prioritized, even in the heat of battle. Clarity is excellent and placement holds tight in the front-center location.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi contains all of its supplements on disc two. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are also included.

• For the Record: Finding the Truth Amid the Noise (1080p, 8:02): A short yet fascinating look at the real history leading up to the events of September 11 and 12 in Libya, the administration's claim that the situation evolved in response to an Internet video and the political firestorm that followed, the book written in the aftermath, Michael Bay's passion for the project, and the survivors' input into the movie.
• Uncovering Benghazi's Secret Soldiers (1080p, 27:34): A look at the work of contract security personnel, interviews with the real people who were in Benghazi, a tour of the main sets made for the movie (including pointing out small discrepancies), stories from the men's time in country, the collaboration and camaraderie between the actors and the real people they portray, performances, the Shadow Warriors Project, and more.
• Preparing for Battle: Behind the Scenes of 13 Hours (1080p, 26:24): Michael Bay's work behind the camera, intensity on the set, the picture's look and tone, technical details behind the shoot, ensuring realism in the film, actor training, shooting in Malta, crafting key action scenes, and the movie's purpose.
• Operation: 13 Hours Premiere (1080p, 3:00): Inside the movie's premiere at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
• In Memoriam (1080p, 2:58): Amazing Grace plays atop photos of the deceased.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a movie with staying power. It's no doubt destined to be remembered as one of the modern warfare classics for its impressive technical merits but, more importantly, reproduction of a proud but, at the same time, damning moment in modern history. The film shies away from overt political commentary, but there's no mistaking its stance. Above all of that, however, it's an honest tribute to those who lived and died. The film deserves to be remembered in the same breath as the similarly constructed and themed Black Hawk Down. Paramount's Blu-ray release of 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi delivers superb video, refined and engaging audio, and a solid supplemental content package. Very highly recommended.