Pumped up Military Propaganda

Rating: 5/10 (6 June 2016)

After a string of action films of debatable success, Michael Bay brings us yet another fast paced action film full of the usual U.S propaganda and militaristic rhetoric.
Theme-wise, and just as an action film, sure this movie has your typical action packed sequence of events. Explosions, violence, blood, and death by the dozens from beginning to end. Maybe that's enough for the majority of viewers to feel like they're watching something worthwhile, and if that's all you want, then by all means enjoy this Ramboesque montage of death and destruction. It certainly gets you pumped up, and dramatizes the camaraderie between the soldiers that form the core group in this movie. Their military hardware, wide array of weaponry, and well honed physiques certainly intensifies that feeling of power and superiority, making the life of a mercenary seem like a glorious way to make a living and friendship. It is certainly full of great action, with a cast that plays well off each other (3 of the actors were all in 'The Office '2005-2013' so they had plenty of experience). There is a nice consistent tension throughout the film, and the film focuses on the danger that the U.S citizens are in by keeping a fast pace with loads of violence.
Once you get past all that superficial nonsense, the movie is pretty god-awful at times. It's tries to portray itself as a hero film, similar to that of "Black Hawk Down" (2001), and even goes so far as to mention that film as the current situation that they are in. But this movie is certainly is doing its best to copy the situation. American personal, trapped behind enemy lines, with overwhelming numbers against them... it's a huge carbon copy, just without the helicopters, and a smaller central cast. I mean, kudos to the screenwriter who points out the similarity between the film, and was cheeky enough to put that in the dialogue, but if you're going to copy a film, perhaps is best not to mention it (only because Black Hawk was a much better film in so many ways).
Likewise, the movie is heralded as a true story from the beginning. However, several eye-witness accounts have mentioned that this movie is far off the mark from what really happened in the course of the 13 hour siege on the CIA base in Libya. So much so that the CIA operative who was in charge of the base at the time, issued a press release shortly after the film's premiere, criticizing the film as a "distortion of events." The situation stems from the military contractors adamantly saying they received stand down orders, when no such orders were given. The dramatization of events isn't anything new in film, but if you're going to take a whole lot of leeway with true events, then you can't really call it a 'true story' anymore. Of course, it all depends on who you believe, but if the movie and book aren't based on the facts, they are therefore, untrue. However the movie isn't a lesson on failed policies, or truth. It's an action flick, so it's up to the viewer to make up their own mind about what happened that day. If you want to create a pumped up action film, then stick to that and don't call it a true story. I'm not sure that this movie pays tribute to the life of U.S senator John Christopher Stevens in a way that honors his sacrifice for his country.
Overall, it's a solid action film, and Michael Bay does his thing well. He really drives home the fact that, despite what happened that day, America still kicks ass.
'Murica!
5/10