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Also disputed is the film's portrayal that air support was denied. A House Armed Services report found that air support was unavailable, or it would have arrived too late to make a difference.<ref name=Bishop >{{cite web | url =http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/01/15/fox-benghazi-myths-dispelled-by-new-bipartisan/197609 | title =Fox Benghazi Myths Dispelled By New Bipartisan Review | last1 =Bishop | first1 =Thomas | author-link1 = | last2 =Hansen | first2 =Tyler | author-link2 = | date =January 15, 2014 | year = | website = | publisher =Media Matters for America | archive-url = | archive-date = | accessdate =January 18, 2016 | subscription = }}</ref><ref name=M.S.R. >{{cite news|author1=M.S.R.|title=Could a Hollywood film about Benghazi damage Clinton?|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2016/01/outstandown-nonsense-0|date=January 18, 2016|accessdate=January 19, 2016|work=[[The Economist]]}}</ref>
Also disputed is the film's portrayal that air support was denied. A House Armed Services report found that air support was unavailable, or it would have arrived too late to make a difference.<ref name=Bishop >{{cite web | url =http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/01/15/fox-benghazi-myths-dispelled-by-new-bipartisan/197609 | title =Fox Benghazi Myths Dispelled By New Bipartisan Review | last1 =Bishop | first1 =Thomas | author-link1 = | last2 =Hansen | first2 =Tyler | author-link2 = | date =January 15, 2014 | year = | website = | publisher =Media Matters for America | archive-url = | archive-date = | accessdate =January 18, 2016 | subscription = }}</ref><ref name=M.S.R. >{{cite news|author1=M.S.R.|title=Could a Hollywood film about Benghazi damage Clinton?|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2016/01/outstandown-nonsense-0|date=January 18, 2016|accessdate=January 19, 2016|work=[[The Economist]]}}</ref>


Zack Beauchamp<ref name=Beauchamp /> directly addressed the nature of the "true story" description: "The movie's attempt to make a real-life event into an action movie, and raise the stakes by telling an audience what they're seeing is a 'true story,' requires it to distort the events of September 11, 2012 — in some cases twisting it beyond recognition. And in doing so, the movie lends credence to some of the most pernicious conspiracy theories about Benghazi out there."<ref name=Beauchamp >{{cite web|url=http://www.vox.com/2016/1/15/10774928/13-hours-benghazi-michael-bay|title=Michael Bay's 13 Hours promotes some of the worst Benghazi conspiracy theories|author=Zack Beauchamp|date=January 15, 2016|work=Vox| accessdate =January 17, 2016}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 05:20, 28 January 2016

For the 2014 book on which the film is based, see 13 Hours (book).

13 Hours:
The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
File:13 Hours poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Bay
Screenplay byChuck Hogan
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDion Beebe
Edited byPietro Scalia[1]
Music byLorne Balfe[2]
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • January 12, 2016 (2016-01-12) (Arlington premiere)
  • January 15, 2016 (2016-01-15) (United States)
Running time
144 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million[4]
Box office$34.8 million[4]

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (credited onscreen as 13 Hours) is a 2016 American action/war film directed and co-produced by Michael Bay and written by Chuck Hogan, based on Mitchell Zuckoff's 2014 book 13 Hours. It recounts the events of six members of a security team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, after waves of terrorist attacks on September 11, 2012, as told by Zuckoff in his book. The film stars James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Max Martini, Toby Stephens, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Freddie Stroma, and Alexia Barlier. Filming began on April 27, 2015 in Malta. The film was released on January 15, 2016, by Paramount Pictures. Although the film's trailer states "this is a true story," the film's historical accuracy has been criticized.[5][6][7]

Plot

In 2012, Benghazi, Libya is named one of the most dangerous places in the world and countries have pulled their embassies out of Libya in fear of an attack by militants. The United States, however, keeps an off the books Consulate (called the Annex) in the city and is protected by a team of six CIA security contractors who have served in the U.S. Army. New recruit Jack Da Silva (Krasinski) arrives in Benghazi, Libya and is picked up by Tyrone S. "Rone" Woods (Dale), a member of the team and a personal friend of Da Silva. Arriving at the Annex, Da Silva is introduced to the rest of the team and the chief (Costabile), who constantly gives the team strict reminders to never engage on the citizens to avoid conflict with possible militants in the area.

The U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens (Letscher) arrives to Benghazi to reassure peace in the city by holding a speech. He is staying in a secured diplomatic compound that is one mile away from the Annex and is armed with five-man security team and secured by the local militia and police. The Annex team will be serving as his drivers and backup security. In addition, Sean Smith, an IT personnel from the U.S. is on site as well to fix communications at the compound. On the morning and the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Stevens notices the police and locals taking pictures of the compound, concerning him. Back at the Annex, the team communicate with their families and Da Silva finds out that his wife is pregnant.

Into the night, a group of Islamic militants break into the compound. Scott Wickland (Giuntoli), one of the guards takes Stevens and Smith into the safe room, but are quickly overwhelmed by the militants as they light the building on fire. Wickland is able to escape but loses both Stevens and Smith. The team back at the Annex are desperately called to the compound to help, but the chief refuses, trying to not interfere with the militants that could possibly bring them back to the Annex. Refusing to listen, they dispatch to the compound and meet up with the security team. Da Silva and Woods go into the building to try and find Stevens and Smith, but only are able to find Smith, who has died from smoke inhalation. The team retreat back to the Annex. The team from the compound also follow suit, but after Wickland goes the wrong direction, they are followed back to the Annex.

Knowing an attack by the militants is imminent, the chief tries to order help, but because of the confidentiality of the facility, the process is prolonged. The only help they can get in the meantime is through a friend of Da Silva and Woods Glen "Bub" Doherty (Stephens), a Global Response Staff officer, who forms a team and try to head to Benghazi as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the team face off the militants as they try to break through the Annex late into the night. After successfully stopping two waves, the team celebrates as Doherty arrives with backup and the leader of the Libyan military. However, the militants conduct a final wave through a surprise mortar attack and destroy some of the buildings in the Annex, wounding one of the team members, and kills Woods and Doherty.

With the team feeling defeated and low on morale, the rest of the Libyan military finally show up to bring the team and the staff of the Annex to the airstrip and bring them back home. They also find out that Stevens was found behind the compound, but was pronounced dead at the hospital from smoke inhalation. As the remainder of the team wait at the airstrip with the bodies of Stevens, Smith, Woods and Doherty, they reflect on the events that happened and how they will most likely receive no recognition for defending the Annex as they were off the books. Closing titles reveal that all of the members of the Annex security team have since retired and live with their families.

Cast

Production

Development

On February 10, 2014, it was announced that Paramount Pictures was in talks with 3 Arts Entertainment to acquire the film rights to the book 13 Hours written by Mitchell Zuckoff, which Erwin Stoff would produce.[20] Chuck Hogan was set to adapt the book, based on the true events of the Benghazi attack by militants on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on the evening of September 11, 2012.[20] The film would focus on six members of a security team that fought to defend the Americans stationed there.[20] On October 29, 2014, Michael Bay was set to direct and produce the thriller.[21]

Casting

On January 14, 2015, John Krasinski was added to the cast of the film to play one of the lead roles as a former US Navy SEAL.[10] On February 3, Pablo Schreiber also signed on to star in the film, playing Kris "Tanto" Paronto, one of the six-man security team.[14] On February 6, James Badge Dale was set to star in the film as the leader of the security team.[8] Max Martini was cast to star as another member of the security team on February 17, 2015.[12] David Denman signed on to star in the film on March 3, 2015, playing Boon, an elite sniper.[15] On March 5, 2015, THR reported that Dominic Fumusa also signed on to play John "Tig" Tiegen, one of the members of the security team, who is also a former Marine with weapons expertise.[13] Freddie Stroma was added to the cast on March 17, 2015 to play the role of an undercover CIA officer in Libya.[18] Toby Stephens was set on May 7, 2015 to play Glen "Bub" Doherty, one of the security team members and a Global Response Staff (GRS) officer who is a good friend of Krasinski's character.[17]

Filming

Principal photography began on April 27, 2015 in Malta and Morocco.[15][22] A large film set was built in March 2015 in Ta' Qali, Malta.[23]

Release

On June 30, 2015, Paramount announced the new title would be 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and set the film to be released on January 15, 2016 during the MLK Holiday weekend.[24] The film premiered on January 12, 2016, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,[25] benefitting the Shadow Warriors Project, which supports private military security personnel and other groups.[25]

The film was given only a limited release in Canada for the weekend of January 15-17, playing in select theatres in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa. The film will go to wide release in Canadian theatres the following weekend.[26][27]

Reception

Box office

13 Hours was projected to earn around $20 million in its four-day Martin Luther King weekend debut. It faced competition with fellow newcomer Ride Along 2, as well as holdovers The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[28] Other films with similar genres that opened on MLK weekend in previous years, American Sniper ($107.2 million in 2015) and Lone Survivor ($37.8 million in 2014), found success, although those films faced weaker competition, as well as playing well in both red states and blue states.[29] However, The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film could easily outperform expectations if it is buoyed by wave of patriotism and is bound to do well in markets where there are military bases.[29] The film made $900,000 from 1,995 theaters during its Thursday previews and $16.2 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.[30]

Critical response

13 Hours has been met with generally mixed reception from critics.[31][32][33][34][35] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 58%, based on 124 reviews, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The site's consensus reads, "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a comparatively mature and restrained effort from Michael Bay, albeit one that can't quite boast the impact its fact-based story deserves."[36] On Metacritic the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[37] On CinemaScore, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[30]

Soren Andersen, writing for The Seattle Times, gave the film 3 stars out of 4, criticizing the lack of distinctive characters but ultimately summarizing 13 Hours as "engrossing" and "a ground-level depiction of heroism in the midst of the fog of war."[38] Richard Roeper similarly praised 13 Hours in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times. Although he lamented the script, Roeper found the film to be "solid action thriller with well-choreographed battle sequences and strong work from the ensemble cast."[39] Like Roeper's review, New York Daily News' Joe Dziemianowicz was less receptive towards the script, but applauded the film's focus on the real-life attack, summarizing: "War is gritty here, not glamorous... [Michael Bay] delivers a gripping, harrowing, and heartfelt film."[40]

In a mixed review, Inkoo Kang of TheWrap praised 13 Hours for its action scenes, but panned Michael Bay's direction as "myopic". She writes: "13 Hours is the rare Michael Bay movie that wasn't made with teenage boys in mind. But that doesn't make his latest any less callously juvenile."[41] Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press was critical of the film's direction and cinematography, and found the screenplay to be confusing.[42] Similarly, The Economist described the film as "a sleek, poorly scripted and largely meaningless film."[7]

Partisan marketing

Paramount specifically marketed the movie to conservatives,[43] in a method similar to previous movies Lone Survivor and American Sniper, both of which had beaten box office expectations.[44] This included screening the movie for key GOP figures in order to generate endorsement quotations.[45] Chez Pazienza stated that "the studio thought it could count on a big audience of hyper-patriotic Fox News-watchers — people for whom “Benghazi” will always be synonymous with "Fuck Obama and Clinton" — to make it a massive hit.... The trailers sold the movie as confirming every conservative myth about Benghazi,..."[46]

Historical accuracy

The film's historical accuracy has been disputed. In the film's most controversial scene, the CIA chief in Benghazi (identified only as "Bob") tells the military contractors there, who seek permission to go defend the embassy, to "stand down", thus denying them permission. The real-life CIA chief has stated there was no stand-down order.[47] His statement was echoed by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee's finding that there was "no evidence of intentional delay or obstruction by the Chief of Base or any other party."[5] However, former Army Ranger Kris "Tonto" Paronto, one of the CIA contractors who fought that night, has stated, "We were told to 'stand down'. Those words were used verbatim — 100 percent. ... If the truth of it affects someone's political career? Well, I'm sorry. It happens."[48]

Also disputed is the film's portrayal that air support was denied. A House Armed Services report found that air support was unavailable, or it would have arrived too late to make a difference.[6][7]


See also

References

  1. ^ Peter Caranicas. "Agencies book below-the-line clients on film and TV productions - Variety". Variety.
  2. ^ "Official credits list/billing block from the film's website".
  3. ^ "13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI (15)". British Board of Film Classification]]. January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Zack Beauchamp (January 15, 2016). "Michael Bay's 13 Hours promotes some of the worst Benghazi conspiracy theories". Vox. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Bishop, Thomas; Hansen, Tyler (January 15, 2014). "Fox Benghazi Myths Dispelled By New Bipartisan Review". Media Matters for America. Retrieved January 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |subscription= (help)
  7. ^ a b c M.S.R. (January 18, 2016). "Could a Hollywood film about Benghazi damage Clinton?". The Economist. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Fleming Jr, Mike (February 6, 2015). "James Badge Dale Lands Lead In Michael Bay Benghazi Project '13 Hours'". deadline.com. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  9. ^ Steven Zeitchik (January 13, 2016). "'13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,' from Michael Bay, revisits a battle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (January 14, 2015). "John Krasinski to Star in Michael Bay's Benghazi Movie '13 Hours'". variety.com. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  11. ^ "Benghazi as Zombieland". National Review. January 15, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (February 17, 2015). "'Pacific Rim' Actor Max Martini Joins Michael Bay's '13 Hours' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  13. ^ a b Ford, Rebecca (March 5, 2015). "Michael Bay's '13 Hours' Adds 'Nurse Jackie' Actor Dominic Fumusa (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  14. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (February 3, 2015). "'Orange is the New Black' Actor Pablo Schreiber Joins Michael Bay's '13 Hours' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c Kit, Borys (March 3, 2015). "Michael Bay's '13 Hours' Finds Its Sniper in 'The Office' Actor (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  16. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504762/
  17. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (May 7, 2015). "'Black Sails' Actor Toby Stephens Joins Michael Bay's '13 Hours' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  18. ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (March 17, 2015). "Freddie Stroma Has '13 Hours'; Christopher Gorham Lands Lead In 'Po'; 'Exeter' Set For DirecTV Bow". deadline.com. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  19. ^ https://intelligence.house.gov/sites/intelligence.house.gov/files/documents/Benghazi%20Report.pdf
  20. ^ a b c Fleming Jr, Mike (February 10, 2014). "Paramount In Talks For Benghazi Attack Film Based On Book By Survivors". deadline.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  21. ^ Kit, Borys (October 29, 2014). "Michael Bay in Talks to Direct Benghazi Movie '13 Hours' (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  22. ^ "On the Set for 4/27/15: Jennifer Lawrence Wraps David O. Russell's Joy & Starts on X-Men: Apocalypse". ssninsider.com. April 27, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  23. ^ Schembri Orland, Kevin (March 30, 2015). "13 Hours: Michael Bay film set built near Flower Power". independent.com.mt. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  24. ^ A. Lincoln, Ross (June 30, 2015). "Paramount's '13 Hours' Benghazi Drama Confirmed For MLK Weekend 2016". deadline.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  25. ^ a b Michael Cieplyjan (January 5, 2016). "'13 Hours' Gives Benghazi Attack Cinematic Treatment". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  26. ^ "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi". Tribute.ca.
  27. ^ "New to Theatres This Weekend: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Ride Along 2, Norm of the North - Film Junk".
  28. ^ Ryan Faughnder (January 13, 2016). "'Ride Along 2' is likely to take over No. 1 spot at box office this weekend". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  29. ^ a b Pamela McClintock (January 12, 2016). "Box-Office Preview: Michael Bay's Benghazi Movie '13 Hours' Could Be Politically Divisive". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  30. ^ a b "'Ride Along 2' & 'Revenant' Pushing 'Star Wars' To 3rd Place Over 4-Day MLK Holiday; Kevin Hart-Ice Cube Sequel Eyes $40.2M". deadline.com.
  31. ^ Rafer Guzmán. "'13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' review: Dramatized look at the deadly 2012 Benghazi attack". Newsday.
  32. ^ Jorgenson, Todd (January 16, 2016). "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi". Cinemalogue.com. Retrieved January 18, 2016. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |subscription= (help)
  33. ^ "Movie Review: '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' - The Young Folks". The Young Folks.
  34. ^ "Fat Guys at the Movies - '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' Movie Review". Fat Guys at the Movies.
  35. ^ "Mr. Movie". tri-cityherald.
  36. ^ "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  37. ^ "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  38. ^ Soren Andersen (January 14, 2016). "13 Hours: a gripping look at what happened in Benghazi". Seattle Times. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  39. ^ Richard Roeper (January 14, 2016). "'13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI': MICHAEL BAY KEEPS FOCUS ON FIGHT AND FIGHTERS". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  40. ^ Joe Dziemianowicz (January 13, 2016). "Movie review: Michael Bay's '13 Hours' is a gripping Benghazi story with a ripped John Krasinski". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  41. ^ Inkoo Kang (January 13, 2016). "'13 Hours' Review: Michael Bay's Benghazi Tale Has Way More Bullets Than Brains". TheWrap. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  42. ^ Lindsey Bahr (January 14, 2016). "Review: '13 Hours' Is Thrilling, but Too Video Game-Like". ABC News.
  43. ^ Pulver, Andrew (January 15, 2016), Benghazi attack film 13 Hours is marketed to conservative audiences, The Guardian, retrieved January 24, 2016 {{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  44. ^ Pazienza, Chez (January 6, 2016). "The Cynical Marketing of "13 Hours" Is Already Giving Conservatives a Benghazigasm". The Daily Banter. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  45. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 17, 2016). "'13 Hours' Opens Lower Than Expected; Being Politicized Didn't Help". Deadline. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  46. ^ Pazienza, Chez (January 17, 2016). "Quote of the Day: Paramount Pictures Is Sad You Didn't See "13 Hours" Because You're Too Partisan". The Daily Banter. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  47. ^ Corky Siemaszko. "Former Benghazi CIA Chief Slams '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi'". NBC News. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  48. ^ "New Benghazi movie reignites 'stand-down' order debate". POLITICO. Retrieved January 18, 2016.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=13_Hours:_The_Secret_Soldiers_of_Benghazi&oldid=702061337"