Benghazi Simplified

Rating: 7/10 (19 April 2017)

I am giving this movie only 7 out of 10 stars because I think the producers and writers did not go far enough to clarify why more help did not come. It is nice to see the humanity and heroism of some of the people who were there when the ambassador was attacked. It was informative to see how it unfolded according to those who were on the ground, assuming the storytellers were true to their accounts and their accounts were objective. To be objective means you have to recognize that you don't know what you don't know and you might be wrong about what you think you know.
So it was an interesting movie to watch, a sad story, a mess, maybe a stupid mess, but every person who was there had a choice whether or not to be there. Personally, I don't understand why any sane person goes to the Middle East. If you choose to put yourself in the middle of that mess, don't expect me to sympathize or cheer when you survive their tribal egomania.
The Middle East is a lost cause, that's what this film confirms. It reminds us that outsiders don't belong there. It shows us why it was a mistake to get involved in their tribal conflicts. We have better things to do - there are many places in this world where the majority of the people and the governments want our help and we do not give them our help - that is the question. Why wasn't there better security for this small group of Americans who shouldn't have gone there in the first place? That's someone else's question, not mine. My question is why are we in the Middle East at all? Why aren't we "helping" Africa and/or South America? Why aren't we helping the governments and people who have real problems and who want our help to become more civilized? Why is that conflict - in that region between those tribes who have hated each other for thousands of years - why is that conflict worthy of the sacrifice of our sons and their children?
Yes, the people who were there and were faced with aggression and certain death were remarkable in their struggle to survive. It's a bit like cheering for someone who survives diving into a snake pit.
Don't dive into snake pits.