13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

It plays better than it reviews — the watch lands harder than the write-ups suggest.

• “Sure, Bay indulges some signature cinematic fetishes. But he shows restraint with the slowed-down, sexed-up shots. War is gritty here, not glamorous. Result: characters, stakes and emotions feel authentic — all the more so thanks to terrific actors including James Badge Dale and Pablo Schreiber as actual ex-military men and family men who battled terrorists.”

  Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News · 80

• “The movie’s main drawback is that its main characters are surprisingly ill-defined.... It’s a frustrating flaw in an otherwise engrossing picture.”

  Soren Andersen, The Seattle Times · 75

• “Still, if 13 Hours lacks the gravitas of “American Sniper,” it’s powerful stuff. Bay’s goal is to put you right in these men’s boots, to feel the heat, the fear, the fatigue, the weight of the weapons and the web of camaraderie.”

  Kyle Smith, New York Post · 75

• “This is no “Zero Dark Thirty” or “The Hurt Locker.” Lacking in nuance and occasionally plagued by corny dialogue, “13 Hours” is nonetheless a well-photographed, visceral action film, and a sincere and fitting tribute to those secret soldiers.”

  Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times · 75

• “The movie is imperfect and overlong but it’s never boring.”

  James Berardinelli, ReelViews · 75