13 Hours

Starring: John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Max Martini, Alexia Barlier, David Costabile, Peyman Moaadi, Toby Stephens
Directed by: Michael Bay
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A U.S. security team defends an American compound from attack in Libya.

Review:

Tim: Michael Bay has become a bit of a joke in the last few years, due to the ineffective but profitable Transformers movies he's been rolling out. I'd almost forgotten myself that he was responsible for some truly incredible action movies, like Armageddon and The Rock. Going into 13 Hours, I was interested in the story but didn't have high hopes because of Bay. Luckily, this is a bit of a throwback to the Michael Bay who could actually produce good movies. This film probably just barely misses out on greatness, but it gets shockingly close.

It helps that the movie is based on an incredibly intense, real life battle between American security forces and armed Libyans. Benghazi has been in the news enough for me to have a little familiarity with it, but really not to know too much. That created a genuine sense of excitement for this movie, not just to be entertained, but to see (a Hollywood) view of what happened. The story is very interesting- Americans are caught up in a deadly firefight and despite all the military might of the U.S., are basically left on their own. It makes for a very tense, exciting story.

The cast really impressed me, especially since there's no A-listers. I've been a fan of John Krasinski for a long time, going all the way back to "The Office" days. I love that he is remaking himself (a la Chris Pratt) into a potential action star. He's a good actor and brings intelligence and relatability to his roles. He got fairly ripped for this movie and was believable and entertaining in the role. I loved seeing him in this light and I sincerely hope this opens many more doors for him. I also loved James Badge Dale- he keeps giving these incredible supporting performances that fly under the radar. Many people probably don't know his name, but I'm always inspired when I see him in a film. His performance is so good here. The duo of Krasinski and Dale is a strong one and really propels the movie forward. The rest of the supporting cast are mostly unknowns or vaguely familiar actors, but they are work well. The cast really did help elevate this movie.

Bay certainly knows how to direct action sequences and we get some thoroughly exciting ones. This is a nerve-racking movie and it keeps you entertained. A great example of how effective this movie is- it's insanely long for a film like this at 2 hours, 24 minutes (!) but I never felt like it dragged or was overly long. I got pulled into the story and the characters and I enjoyed every minute with them. I'm a bit shocked that the length of the film didn't bother me, but if you tell a compelling story, time just flies.

13 Hours may not quite be a great movie, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining, and exciting one. It far surpassed my expectations and provides all the thrills and intensity that you'd want in a movie like this. It's one of the more effective movies I've seen in the early part of the year. I really, really, really enjoyed this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Rock, Zero Dark Thirty