Posted on 01/18/2016 7:28:37 AM PST by LS
Anyone viewing "13 Hours: the Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" looking for the names "Hillary" or "Obama" will be disappointed. They aren't there. That said, this is the best Michael Bay movie since "Bad Boys II" and atones for at least two of the "Transformers" films.
Most people know the basic story: on September 11, 2011, the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, where Ambassador Christ Stevens had arrived, came under a planned attack by Islamic radicals. The attack had nothing to do with a video, as the film makes clear. Stevens only had two bodyguards with him, wanting to keep a "low profile." But there were two active-duty JSOC operators and five CIA-employed private contractors (who were all ex-military) at a facility one mile away---a CIA "dark" compound that supposedly no one knew about. Pay no attention to the plot synopsis on IMDB---in the film there are no "demonstrations" or even "staged demonstrations." Bay jumps right into the attack on the diplomatic compound.
Stevens (played by Matt Letscher) and Smith, with their bodyguards, also supposedly have local "police" or paramilitary guarding them. But when the Islamic radicals attack, the "police" run. Bodyguard Scott Strickland secured Stevens and Sean Smith in a secure bathroom---but it isn't secure against smoke and fire. Strickland tried to get help. Stevens and Smith died of smoke inhalation. Strickland returned twice to try and get Stevens out, unsuccessfully.
Meanwhile the real essence of the story involves the developments at the CIA compound, where the GRS ("Global Response Staff"/civilians) had been lobbying the head of the CIA compound ("Bob" played by David Constable) to go relieve the Embassy. "Bob" is alternatively terrified of leaving his own compound unguarded and hopelessly confused. From the outset, "Bob" is contemptuous of the GRS guys, thinking them to be cowboys. He stalls and stalls while Stevens and Smith die and while the Embassy compound is overrun. Finally the group moves without his approval, reach the Embassy compound, get Smith's body, and beat a hasty retreat without finding Stevens.
The Dirka Dirka Jihad group then shifts its attacks to the CIA facility. Here, Bay is at his best, setting up a 21st century "Alamo" or "Roarke's Drift" as the vastly outnumbered American professionals calmly pick off 100 or so jihadis.
All this time, "Bob" and his staff are frantically calling for American support---in Tripoli, to the State Department, to the Pentagon, to the CIA. There is virtually no response. They even request a simply low-level F-16 fly-by. Not approved. It is one of the most sickening scenes that can be imagined---far different from the appeals in films to Sam Houston to rescue the Alamo by condemning his own army to death. Here, the massive military power of the United States just stands idly by as Americans are attacked and killed. Finally a SEAL, Glen Doherty (played by "Black Sails"' captain Toby Stephens) in Tripoli gets a small team of two Delta guys, and a couple of others, and gets a plane to Benghazi. There, he sits on the ground as the local Libyan army and police dawdle for an hour. They finally arrive to provide a small group of reinforcements---the Libyan "police/military" run off, of course---for the men in the compound. In the final assault, just before dawn, when the Jihadis enhance their firepower with mortars, GRS Tyrone Woods (played by "The Pacific's" James Badge Dale) and Doherty are killed. At long last the Libyan military grows a pair and, that, along with being exposed by daylight, the Jihadis leave.
"13 Hours" continues a string of post-9/11 films that focus on the struggle warriors have, in which on the one hand they want to go home and be with their families, but on the other, they are, well, warriors. It's what they do. We see this in "American Sniper" and the "Hurt Locker." Chris Kyle successfully went home, while the Jeremy Renner character does not.
As for the political overtones, although Clinton and Obama are never mentioned nor even depicted (there is one shot of the White House), it is clear that "Bob" is screaming for help to someone . . . and that "someone" isn't listening. Even the starry eyed CIA analyst Sonia Jilani (Alexia Barlier) comes to realize that they have become sacrifices.
Bay's strength is battle scenes, and they are good. He also is very sound in dismissing the notion that the attack was caused by a video---the idea is completely blown off in a short scene. His great weakness is in describing the motivations of the attackers, either in terms of their Islamic faith or the local geo-political climate. What did they have against the Americans, for example? There are intimations---but no clear statements---that perhaps something was up with weapons transfers by Stevens, but that isn't explained or developed. In the end, having dismissed the video but NOT provided another rationale for the attacks, the viewer is left thinking, "Why are these guys fighting in the first place?" Bay then ends with epilogues on the main characters and a line about how many Libyans turned out in a protest against the militias to say they were "sorry" to America. Yet where were those 100,000---heck, 3,000 would have done it---when they were needed, actually FIGHTING the militias? The message is pretty obvious, even if Bay wants to avoid it.
Recommended. B+, language, LOTS of violence and gore---but neither gratuitous.
I've read the book and know the outcome, no spoilers for me.
Its a very good movie. You see all the support spooling up from the Military and yet nothing get sent. The CIA annex is eventually rescued by local resources sent from Tripoli.
The greatest military forces in History was kept on a leash despite being “spun up”.
Why was nothing sent? Why did 4 American die that could, and should, of been saved?
That the question I am left with. No amount of spin or lies from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama’s political machine can explain it.
What the matter CIC too worried about “Blackhawk Down” incident 60 days before an election to do your JOB?
Just want exactly did the Obama/Clinton team do with those weapons they bought back in Libya?
Drones with Hell-fires are supposedly being sent after the Libya arms dealers hide outs based on intelligence from this Annex. So we know they can get drones in the area yet NO external fire power is brought to cover the Annex ever?
A Hellfire strike on the people assembling for the attack would of ended this with ZERO KIA and yet NOTHING is done by DC?
Some of the best movies are true stories.
At one point in the movie one of the characters asks a CIA operative to just get aircraft overhead, and the threat of force would be enough. He was probably right, but it never came.
What is the real name of CIA station chief “Bob”? It’s no wonder that he is now calling the movie a “pack of lies” and claiming it never happened that way. He looks like a traitorous incompetent in the film. What an indictment!
He’s nearly comotose at the end when one of the heroes literally has to drag him out of the compound and onto the bus during their evacuation.
Surely it will be available on Pay-for-View, then DVD long before November.
I saw the movie this weekend, too. Absolutely terrific & heartbreaking at the same time. I wonder how many of our military guys have guilty consciences because they didn’t disobey orders & just GO.
I am betting the guys on standby weren’t even told what the situation really was on the ground. They were told to load up, standby, and stand down. One piece of air to ground ordnance would have been enough to stop the fight. It’s pathetic to leave these guys without help for that long when it is a short hop across the Med.
F-16s 20 minutes air time away and NOTHING is sent?
Right about the same time as this incident a movie called “Safe House” came out. Or at least I saw it on video. Interesting parallels...
Great film.
It is a great ilm. I thought that I already knew the gist of this story, but I left the theater shaken and stunned. I am surprised (make that amazed) that more Americans weren’t killed in that brutal attack that night.
It must be effective considering how the left attacks it. On CNN a talking head was saying how it falsified the real story. Yet the facts support that no aid was provided. If not for those contractors, many more would have died.
Right. Catch the line at the end that it was a Libyan airliner that took them out? That even in the end America didn’t send anything.
Aviano is 900 nm from Benghzi direct. Sig is 450nm direct. Not easy, but not that hard, either. With two tankers and eight F-16s, one could do some serious work and have some reasonable loiter time.
What they mentioned in the film was not shooting unless fired upon so they wouldn’t face charges at home.
Saw it. Bumping thread for later.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.