13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
The whole 2012 Benghazi incident is something that has been a heavily publicized and heavily debated incident for years since the horrible tragedy took place on Libyan soil. When I heard that Michael Bay was going to direct a film about the incident my first thought was to roll my eyes into the back of my head and just throw my hands up in disgust. Michael Bay is one of the most entertaining, yet reviled film makers in modern history for his love of things that go boom and complete disregard for cinematic tastes. I will admit that I’m 50/50 on the man as he’s made some amazing fun popcorn flicks like “Bad Boys” and “Bad Boys II”, “The Rock”, “The Island” and his pet project, “Pain and Gain”. On the flip side, he’s the poster child for mindless, brain numbing stupidity with the other half of his film repertoire. The “Transformers” films rake in BILLIONS of dollars, but are the cinematic equivalent of a lobotomy. That being said I started hearing positive reactions from close friends, sources I trusted and the general public (although it was split pretty much down the middle with critics), enough to make me tentatively curious and excited. So color me one eager beaver when the review copy of the Blu-ray shows up at my doorstep and I get to finally toss it in for a spin. Needless to say was bowled over at one of my Michael Bay’s more mature films, bringing him back up to the status of “The Rock” and “The Island” once more, blending his trademark action sequences with a tear jerking and salute inspiring retelling of that tragic 13 hour period when the temporary U.S. embassy in Benghazi was under fire from insurgents, and the men who fought to their very last breath to make sure as many people as they could would make it home.

Instead of focusing on the actual Benghazi embassy workers and the men and women who were brutally slaughtered by terrorists, Michael Bay focuses on the private security detail that tried to rescue the Ambassador and his aides in the situation. The time is Sept 2012, the location is Benghazi. Specialist Jack Silva (John Krasinski) is back in the game after coming back from 11 different engagements. Attached to a special CIA detail that is operating under the radar in Benghazi, he thinks he’s in for a cake walk. However we all know that this is just the calm before the storm. He and his six men security detail are unprepared for the hell that is going to be raining down on them that very night. Without warning a group of 30-40 men breach the temporary embassy that is located just a mile away from the CIA compound and the only ones left to stop the massacre are Jack and his team of elite operatives. The only thing is that they are ordered to stand down by the CIA lead agent (played by David Costabile), leaving the embassy open to complete decimation.

Refusing to follow the CIA directive, group leader, Tyrone Woods (James Badge Dale) and the rest of the detail saddle up and go straight into the mouth of the beast. Sadly they are a little too late to save the Ambassador, but they are able to rescue a few of his personnel from the destruction. As much as this seems like a bittersweet ending, this game is far from over as now that they have made the CIA presence known to the insurgents the installation is the next target. Desperate for support and low on help Tyron, Jack and the rest of the men have one objective in mind. Hunker down in their base and protect every man woman and child from an assault that very well may overwhelm them until help can arrive.

Michael Bay is not known for his cultural sensitivity, but 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is one of his more mature films in recent years. Much like “Pain and Gain”, 13 Hours was kind of a passion project for the director. Instead of getting heavily political he takes the angle of the security forces, the real heroes of that day, and lets the actions of these brave men and women come to the front screen. However, while there is no DIRECT political statement or diatribe from the characters, there is enough undertones coded into the film to get the message across. There have been rumors and intimations that something dirty and underhanded was going on behind the scenes, and while the film never says the name Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, those accusations to the Secretary making a stand down order are there as plain as the nose on your face (while we never see her give an order the CIA agent in charge uses those EXACT same words at one point in the film). The civilians in the base desperately call for air support hoping that the military could come to their aid with planes, but they get limited response, or they are jerked around by their chain as the bullets wiz overheard. The same can be said for the complete lack of military armaments that are afforded the makeshift embassy. 5 security personnel and some M4 Carbines are all that protect them when a full military guard with heavy weapons were usually proved, even to temporary embassy locations.

While the movie has a few conservative undertones (makes you wonder about Michael Bay’s political affiliations after having watched this pattern show up in several of his films), it is a thrilling ride from beginning to end. Michael Bay does what he does best and crafts a film that blends the patriotic heroism of these soldiers, as well as the incredible action sequences that the man is known for. I literally HATED “Transformers 4” and considered it a mind numbing assault on the senses with nonstop action, and even though there is tons of action in the 2 hour and 24 minute film, it never feels over bearing or “too much”. Guns, explosions, death and bayistic carnage are all present and accounted for, but the solid connection that the men have between each other allows for the viewer to bond with and feel for these men.

By the end of the movie I was snuffling like a child, with tears in my eyes and a deep sadness in my heart for the men who lost their lives that day. Much like “Lone Survivor” that sense of what might have been weighs heavy on me and I truly salute those soldiers for their dedication to survival. While I loved every second of the action film, I do have to acknowledge that SOME of the events of the day were based off of information that has never been truly confirmed, such as the stand down order from Clinton or the reason for the air ships never coming to back them up. That being said, the movies lives and survives off of the comradery of the six commandos present and their incredible will to survive.




Rating:

Rated R for strong combat violence throughout, bloody images and language




4K Video: Video:

13 Hours sported a PERFECT (imo) video encode on the 2016 Blu-ray, and was shot using 35mm film and various digital cameras (mostly in the POV shots) and transferred to home video with a 2K digital intermediate. Now, I have no reports of a new master being struck, so I’m going to assume that the 4K UHD disc is based off of that 2K master, and my opinions on the disc itself seem to back that up. The Blu-ray was marvelously detailed and the typical upticks in clarity from a 2K master are present. Facial details get a moderate uptick, while the foregrounds seem to retain most of their clarity. The real benefit comes from the HDR and expanded color spectrum, as well as a slight tweak to the brightness. Right off the bat I noticed that the 4K UHD disc was a bit darker, and comparing side by side the Blu-ray almost looks overblown in comparison. This darkening creates a much more natural looking color setup, and the HDR color really do shine here. The green leaves on Benghazi flora is deeper, richer, and more vibrant, while primary splashes of red bandannas and the like pop off the screen. The use is subtle due to the duty yellow earth tones present, but it makes the viewing experience that much better. Also, the dark shots are deeper and more vibrant, showing off more shadow detail than the Blu-ray as well. The disc may not live and die on it’s fine detailing clarity upgrades, but the use of HDR and some fine tweaking of the light levels make it a very solid upgrade over the 1080p disc.






Audio:

I really just want to scream “THIS…IS…MICHAEL BAY!!!!” while kicking someone into a pit all King Leonidas style here, as the Dolby Atmos track is a monument to the man who loves to watch (and listen to) the world just explode. Paramount’s Dolby Atmos track is absolutely flawless, with thunderous explosions and a hail of bullets coming from every direction. I’m not 15 minutes into the film before I’m giggling like a schoolgirl from the sheer immersiveness of the track. The surrounds are basically engaged from beginning to end, with all sorts of directional queues that shift the action around soundstage. The crumbling of wall fragments crash to the floor behind you, while the roar of a mortar flies across the overheads and slams into the ground with concussive force that keeps the LFE channel gasping for breath. Honestly I don’t think the subs EVER turned off as Michael Bay’s stereotypical love affair with heavy duty bass is satiated with nonstop explosions, car crashes and heavy intense bass lines litter the action movie. Dialog is always intelligible, even in the heat of battle and the dynamic range is punishing, with moments of quiet clarity torn apart at a moment’s notice with a slurry of intense action and gunfire.




Extras:

• For the Record: Finding the Truth Amid the Noise
• Uncovering Benghazi's Secret Soldiers
• Preparing for Battle: Behind the Scenes of 13 Hours
• Operation "13 hours" Premiere
• In Memoriam

Final Score:
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13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is not a perfect film, but it comes pretty stinking close to that mark, with thrilling action and nonstop tension from beginning to end. Bay refrains from over the top stupidity and his typical over indulgence in special effects, while crafting a film that is still full to the brim with incredible fight scenes and gut wrenching knowledge of the reality of the situation. The Blu-ray itself was given flawless audio and video encodes as well as a decent set of extras, and the 4K UHD improves upon that package with a stellar 4K UHD encode. Interestingly enough this is the first 4K UHD package that ISN'T a combo pack. Instead of including the Blu-ray feature film, Paramount has put the special features Blu-ray that was found in the Blu-ray set in here to coincide with the 4K disc. Not a wild deal, just strange. The audio is the exact same stunning Dolby Atmos track that the Blu-ray had (it was one of first Atmos track Blu-rays out there) but I still heartily recommend the upgrade to 4K as the new 2160p image is fantastic. Even if you’re not a fan of Michael Bay, I have to give a solid two thumbs up to the director for making a great movie about a very touchy subject. Highly recommended.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: John Krasinksi, James Badge Dale, Pable Schreiber, David Denman, Dominic Fumusa, Max Martini, Alexia Barlier
Directed by: Michael Bay
Written by: Chuck Hogan (Screenplay), Mitchell Zuckoff (Book)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English French, Spanish, Portuguese DD 5.1, English DD 2.0, English DVS
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese,
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 144 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 11th, 2019

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I agree, this is a good film to watch. Saw it long time ago and it is worth seeing.

 

[Asere]

Thanks for the review. I had the opportunity to see John Krasinksi and Michael Bay along with some of the real soldiers at a film promotion event. I own the bluray but one day I may get the 4K version.

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Amazing story... unbelievable what happened here.

 

[JBrax]

Thanks for the review Mike and I’ll be adding this one to the collection.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Interesting that this movie doesn’t ship as a combo pack... that’s gotta be a first!

Great flick... crazy story... glad the video upgrade matches the awesomeness of the BD’s original Atmos encode.

 

[Michael Scott]

yeah, that's the first time I saw that. It's weird because they included the special features blu-ray disc from the Blu-ray combo pack (all the special features were on a sep disc to max the Blu-ray's bitrate I believe) but no copy of the feature film on Blu-ray. Kind of weird from what we've seen so far, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

 

[Todd Anderson]

4K sales make up a sliver of the market... I’m actually surprised they haven’t killed the idea of two separate releases, just making each release a dual BD and 4K BD package.

 

[JBrax]

4K sales make up a sliver of the market... I’m actually surprised they haven’t killed the idea of two separate releases, just making each release a dual BD and 4K BD package.

Befuddling for sure but I’m guessing they’re making more money this way.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Well, the data say that DVD sales still make for over 50% of the market. Then BD... then about 5% is 4K BD.

People aren't buying it... I have some theories – beyond expense and convenience – as to why. But it's a real problem.

 

[NoUDont]

Bay's best film by far. I bought John Wick 1&2 combo pack at Target for $15. Only includes the 4K discs. No bluray, no digital. Perfect! Want more of that.

Picture of cover on best buy website for 13 Hours shows only 4K disc and Digital. Description says 4K, Bluray and Digital. They are going have trouble over that.

 

[Michael Scott]

Bay's best film by far. I bought John Wick 1&2 combo pack at Target for $15. Only includes the 4K discs. No bluray, no digital. Perfect! Want more of that.

Picture of cover on best buy website for 13 Hours shows only 4K disc and Digital. Description says 4K, Bluray and Digital. They are going have trouble over that.

yeah, that caught me by surprise when I saw it. BB and a few others list it as a combo pack, but the front doesn't show the Blu-ray (which it doesn't come with)... I think a lot of retailers were just copy/pasting from a template as pretty much all releases so far have been combo packs lol