Swift suspense in a sporadic setting

Rating: 7/10 (5 April 2016)

Real life event can be a very compelling material on silver screen, although it has to balance the plausibility and the dramatic interpretation. "13 Hours" is not Argo or Black Hawk Down, although it manages to keep the tone in serious manner and also delivering a constant barrage of bullets and intense sequences on the longest night of the participants' lives.
The aim here is to set up a crisis by first introducing the people involved within it. There's ample time to portray these contractors, although it can be a bit too crowded at times. A couple of the subplots rise above the others. Pablo Schreiber as Tanto and David Denman as Boon look more natural, although the majority of cast fit the military visage requirement.
The drama is not all hit, Michael Bay delivers a more constrained direction, leaning towards Pearl Harbor than his Transformers days. It tries to humanize these characters and portrays them as heroes, which they are. However, the attempt feels bland on half the cases, it's the casual army gig and its human spark might not be as strong as the combustible action scenes.
When the movie gets its momentum it doesn't disappoint. The skirmishes are high octane, furthermore it's not sheer random shooting, there's strategy at play here. Each fight feels different with respective field and perimeter. If they are going for the chaotic vibe, it definitely reaches the objective.
"13 Hours" presents the human dilemma in manageable pace and the warfare in splendid bright flashes.