Post by PhantomKnight on Jul 15, 2016 12:34:41 GMT -5
Well, whadd'ya know? Michael Bay made a really good movie again, and I mean a REALLY good movie; certainly his best since The Rock, in my humble opinion. 13 Hours is of course the story of the siege of the American outpost in Benghazi, Libya and the American forces who had to hold off the hostiles singlehandedly before support could get to them. The first thing that's obvious here is how much respect Michael Bay has for the military and, concurrently, the story being told. But unlike in the past, where his American boner kind of got in the way of his storytelling, he uses it to good effect here because it enhances the drama and intensity, plus he very rarely shoves it down your throat. Speaking of, the typical "Bay-isms" are kept to a minimum, thankfully (I only counted maybe two or three times where they stood out distractingly, but that's definite restraint for Bay). 13 Hours is also proof that an R-rated movie is where Bay might thrive the most. The action sequences here are gritty, bloody and intense and they benefit from not having heapings of CGI thrown in on top of them. These sequences are thrilling as well, but not in a way where it seems like Bay is trying to turn this into outright entertainment.
He's also able to get some really strong performances out of John Krasinski and James Badge Dale, both of whom own this movie. Krasinski is especially impressive because we're so used to thinking of him as Jim from The Office, but in this movie, he proves that he has some serious dramatic chops, and it's he and Badge Dale who carry us through most of this movie.
All that said, 13 Hours -- like most war films -- still incorporates some tired-out plot devices, most notably the soldier who wants to get back home to his family, his life back home looking all perfect, etc. And like I said, the few times where Michael Bay employs some of his overused techniques do serve to momentarily take you out of the story and action. But overall, 13 Hours is a damn good movie and certainly the kind that Bay was in need of. If he can do more like these in between the gazillion Transformers movies he'll end up directing after saying he won't, then that'll be perfectly fine by me.
***1/2 /****
He's also able to get some really strong performances out of John Krasinski and James Badge Dale, both of whom own this movie. Krasinski is especially impressive because we're so used to thinking of him as Jim from The Office, but in this movie, he proves that he has some serious dramatic chops, and it's he and Badge Dale who carry us through most of this movie.
All that said, 13 Hours -- like most war films -- still incorporates some tired-out plot devices, most notably the soldier who wants to get back home to his family, his life back home looking all perfect, etc. And like I said, the few times where Michael Bay employs some of his overused techniques do serve to momentarily take you out of the story and action. But overall, 13 Hours is a damn good movie and certainly the kind that Bay was in need of. If he can do more like these in between the gazillion Transformers movies he'll end up directing after saying he won't, then that'll be perfectly fine by me.
***1/2 /****
