The True American Heroism of ‘13 Hours’

The film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” which opened Friday, is about courage and American heroes.

The film is the real-life story of terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 11, 2012, and the men who fought to defend the U.S. embassy (four Americans, including the ambassador, would end up dead). But it captures just that part of the story, those 13 hours on the ground — not the politics involved, where President Obama and Secretary of State were and what they were doing (or, more precisely, not doing).

And here’s why: The story of the six American security personnel (all ex-military) who defended the U.S. State Department Special Mission Compound and a CIA station, the Annex, in Benghazi is about heroes, pure and simple. Director Michael Bay (“Transformers,” “Pearl Harbor”) hews closely to the text of the book, “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi,” and skips the rest, leaving viewers with just the tale of these incredible men, who fought off hundreds of terrorists against all odds.

Three of the men on the ground that night — Kris ‘Tanto’ Paronto, John ‘Tig’ Tiegen, and Mark ‘Oz’ Geist — were integral to the production of the movie. And in the days leading up to the premiere, all three, as well as the families of some victims, came out to defend the film as depicting the truth.

“In the movie, you could absolutely tell that there was the touch of people who were actually there on the ground. You could see that their input was 100 percent taken by Michael Bay and the actors,” said  Jeremiah Woods, brother of Tyrone Woods, one of the four men who died in Benghazi.

“It was Oz, I believe, we were talking after the premiere. He was saying when Michael Bay signed on for the movie, he essentially said (to Bay)  if you don’t get this right, I’ll be waterboarding you,” Woods joked.

The movie is the latest in a growing line of pro-military movies that have ignored typical Hollywood banalities and celebrated military veterans. 2012 brought “Act of Valor,” 2013 gave us “Lone Survivor,” and everybody remembers 2014’s box office juggernaut “American Sniper.”

That true-to-life feeling comes out throughout the movie, and it’s not always pretty or tied up in a neat bow. “These men that were with Ty, they were telling the truth. This is what actually happened,” said Charles Woods, father of Tyrone Woods.

The film stays away from any mention of politics, specifically focusing on the men on the ground. While some are criticizing that choice, the decision adds to the power of the film — it’s just those men, alone, for 13 hours trying to stay alive and save the lives of their comrades.

For one grieving relative, the movie is helping him to come to terms with what happened that night. But that doesn’t mean the movie was easy for them to watch.

“I’d read the book. I thought I was prepared. But when I actually saw my son’s life being taken from him, it was very emotional,” Charles Woods said. “It was almost like I didn’t want to be there, but I’m glad I had the experience. It did add to the healing process, the closure.”

For others, though, the movie was just too much. Pat Smith, the mother of Sean Smith, who also died in the attacks, said on Fox News, “I left as soon as Sean came on screen, or the person who portrayed him. I couldn’t handle it.”

Zachary Leeman contributed to this story.