American Heroes Save 31 Lives (inc their own)

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2016)

13 Hours is not for the faint of heart. It is not for children or for those with a weak constitution. Blood and gore alone is not the issue. The violence is almost non-stop. Our heroes and the people they protect face certain horrific death if they fail. And in some cases they do.
The good guys slaughter their attackers at a pace that makes Total Recall pale in comparison. All of this is explicit, graphic, gory, and obscene. It's also totally appropriate. It is a war film after all.
Much has been made of the political implications of this film, but the film lacks any bias if one accepts the idea that American mercenaries have the right to defend the people they are supposed to protect.
Bay wisely choose not to insert any propaganda into the film. The only overt political message was the testimony of the American combatants. At the end of the film, one character sees a Libyan transport approaching, and he mutters something about 'no Americans.' If that doesn't say it all, I don't know what will.
Film critics have attacked the film, but frankly that's their bias showing. If these were anti-Americans doing the same thing to freaks, monsters, or genocidal maniacs, the critics would fawn over it.
Bay has outdone himself, and not only produced a great film, but he went beyond his own personal views to tell the story.