7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.
Starring: John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic FumusaAction | 100% |
War | 30% |
Thriller | 29% |
Biography | 21% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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