13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

• This is definitely a gripping and gut-wrenching movie, and I’m super glad I was able to have seen it. It offers a great insight to the events that went down in Benghazi in 2012. I’m not sure how much is accurate, but I know a good portion is. Although it focuses on the defense of the Americans that were in Benghazi, you also see how the US government essentially failed to respond. It opens your eyes to what went down, and how several people could’ve been saved. I’ve never seen any videos or images from the Benghazi attack, so watching this movie was a new experience, as well as being both tragic and interesting. The movie puts you right in the heart of the action, so you get to see a lot of what the “secret soldiers” saw. Each performance in this movie was incredible, and it’s hard to say that there was a certain person that out performed the others. Every actor presented their emotions in a really great way, which helped make the movie feel more authentic and real. There was plenty of fear that was shown through the screen, and although it was a sad and intense movie, it still had a cool feel. I especially loved John Krasinski. I’ve only ever seen him as Jim Halpert, so being able to experience him as a CIA agent in action was really intriguing. It’s nice to see him in a really serious role, especially in the scenes where he experiences the loss of his friends. He had some really emotional scenes, which is why I enjoyed him so much. And like I said, everyone else was also really great. The action scenes were extremely well shot, and they reminded me a lot of Patriots Day. There were some really great one-shots, as well as some great use of shaky cam. It was intense, thrilling, and felt somewhat personal. It angers you to see the evil in the world, and that’s how you feel throughout the movie. I think it started out a little slow, and it definitely took a few minutes to get into it. But once it does, it’s full force until the very end. I really liked the tribute at the end of the movie to recount what happened, and remember the fallen. The music was pretty good, and though it wasn’t anything too impressive, it still helped add the action-y feel. Overall, I would most definitely recommend this movie to those who love war/action movies, especially those based on true events. Because it’s based on true events, it gives the movie such an authentic feel. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!