I watched "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi," and was taken aback. It's not a masterpiece, the pacing drags, but putting human faces on such a political football really hits home. Being an Air Force Brat, I'll never know what my late father went through in service to his country (or any of the generations of military veterans I descend from), and I have family members who just can't hunker down and tell stories about combat. I don't automatically assume they have PTSD like I do (from childhood trauma not associated with combat or military service), so I can associate with not blabbing about things that you have seen or have had happened to you. I can joke once in a while about what happened to me, but usually only to my wife. The men who tried to save Ambassador Chris Stevens in 2012 had friends and families, and their onscreen loss is palpable- as much as what their families went through in real life. I've been a worrier all my life, and would sometimes fear that when my father would leave to go fly, I might not see him again. If anything, "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" answers Clinton's oft-quoted line "what difference at this point does it make?" While she has been misquoted and taken out of context, the film shows that there was no support sent. The situation was a bureaucratic nightmare, as way too many initialed agencies had their spoons in the pot (and we sit and wonder why a multi-trillion dollar debt looms over the country).
As to the film itself, Michael Bay's normally flashy direction is almost restrained. The pacing does suffer, but the performances all around are excellent. Clinton and Obama are never mentioned by name or referred to in the film, the soldiers in the line of fire aren't arguing politics and blaming candidates. This was the most real aspect of the film. They worry about their families and whether they will see them again (I can't even imagine having the Internet and cell phones back in the Cold War days of the 1970's and 1980's; that kind of communication ability is exciting to see for today's military personnel).
"13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" is MPAA rated (R) for physical violence, strong gun violence, strong gore, profanity, mild sexual references, and some adult situations.
