13 Hours – yup, that's about right

Rating: 4/10 (23 June 2017)

Sometimes a film's title really does tip you off as to what it's going to be about. 'Snakes on a Plane' is one such example. What you see is what you get. '13 Hours' is another. Having watched it, I can definitely confirm that it felt like I had wasted 13 hours of my life watching this. And that's a shame. Despite Michael Bay's notorious reputation since his stint at the helm of the infamous 'Transformers' franchise, I still think he's a reasonably good director (I am just about the only person alive who enjoyed his 'Pain and Gain' film!) so, when I heard he was directing a film about hired security officers in the Middle East, I thought it would be worth a watch.
Now, you can probably tell I wasn't impressed and I feel I should probably start listing the various reasons as to why I felt this way. However, I can sum it up in one word: boring. And I could probably leave the review there. I didn't think it was terrible, just boring. 'The Office's' John Krasinski plays the lead security officer and, if you've seen him taking fire from Michael Scott, then you'll probably know that he can hold his own in dangerous situations. He's – as predicted – a likable character who you always feel like you could probably share a beer with. But the film was still boring. Yes, it does show us westerners a window into what life must be like in Middle Eastern countries and what Westerners have to go through when living/working there. The scenery is certainly nice and interesting to look at – certainly a change from watching films set in New York or other recognisable locations. And there is definitely a gritty undertone to the whole story. You can feel the dirt and danger these people have to go through on a daily basis. But I was still bored. Yup, there are some – sort of – car chases and gunfights. These are naturally well executed (in true Michael Bay style), but I've seen all these before and, yes, I was bored.
Overall, '13 Hours' is a nice (and dare I say 'accurate?') portrayal of what life must be like in that unstable region of the world, but, ultimately, despite its good points, it just didn't grab me. I was bored (although I'm guessing that this was still better than 'Transformers 5: The Last Knight!').