13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a 2016 American biographical action-thriller film, directed and produced by Michael Bay. Written by Chuck Hogan, it is based on Mitchell Zuckoff's 2014 book. The film follows six members of the Annex Security Team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya after waves of attacks by militants on September 11, 2012. The film stars James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, Max Martini, David Denman and Dominic Fumusa, with supporting roles by Toby Stephens, Alexia Barlier and David Costabile. Filming began on April 27, 2015, in Malta and Morocco.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
A soldier running from an explosion, fire and dirt in the air. Text is overlaid in large white block letters "When everything went wrong six men had the courage to do what was right"
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Bay
Screenplay byChuck Hogan
Based on13 Hours
by Mitchell Zuckoff
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDion Beebe
Edited by
Music byLorne Balfe
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • January 12, 2016 (2016-01-12) (AT&T Stadium)
  • January 15, 2016 (2016-01-15) (United States)
Running time
144 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50 million[2]
Box office$69.4 million[2]

Upon its release on January 15, 2016 by Paramount Pictures, 13 Hours grossed $69 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million, becoming one of Bay's lowest-grossing films. It also received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its performances, action sequences, and dark tone, but criticized the script for historical liberties. Bay's direction also received a mixed response, with many criticizing his emphasis on over-the-top action, but some also noting it as one of his most mature and grounded films. 13 Hours received an Oscar nomination for Best Sound Mixing at the 89th Academy Awards.

Plot

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In 2012, following the overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Benghazi is named one of the most dangerous places in the world. While several countries have pulled their embassies out of Libya in fear of an attack by militants, the U.S. still has a diplomatic compound open in the city. Less than a mile away is a CIA outpost called the Annex, which is protected by a team of private military contractors from Global Response Staff (GRS). New to the detail is Jack Silva, who arrives in Benghazi and is picked up by Tyrone "Rone" Woods, commander of the GRS team and a personal friend of Silva. Arriving at the Annex, Silva is introduced to the rest of the GRS team and the CIA Chief-of-Station, who constantly gives the team strict reminders to never engage the citizens.

The U.S. Ambassador Stevens arrives in Benghazi to maintain diplomatic connections amidst the political and social chaos. Despite warnings, he decides to stay at the Special Mission with limited protection from a pair of Diplomatic Security (DS) agents, Wickland and Ubben, and guards hired from the local February 17th Martyrs Brigade militia, nicknamed "17-Feb". On the morning of the eleventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Stevens notices suspicious men taking pictures of the compound and notifies his security detail. Back at the Annex, Silva finds out that his wife is pregnant.

That night, a group of militants from Ansar al-Sharia assault the compound. The 17-Feb guards quickly surrender their posts, allowing the attackers easy access to the Special Mission compound. Wickland takes Stevens and Smith, an IT specialist, into the safe room. Unable to breach the safe room, the attackers set the building on fire hoping to burn the men out. Wickland is able to escape but loses both Stevens and Smith. At the Annex, the GRS team desperately wants to go to the compound to help, but the Chief refuses, fearing that the team's departure would leave the Annex vulnerable. However, the team dispatches to the compound and meets up with the DS agents. Silva and Woods go into the building to try to find Stevens and Smith, but are only able to find Smith's body. The DS team from the compound retreats to the Annex; but after Wickland goes in the wrong direction, they are followed back to the Annex. Later, the GRS team also retreats to the Annex.

Knowing an attack by the militants is imminent, the CIA staff of the Annex makes several desperate calls for help. The only help they can get is from Doherty, a GRS officer in Tripoli, who forms a team including two Delta operators that fly to Benghazi after several delays. Meanwhile, the GRS team fends off the militants as they try to breach the Annex perimeter. After repelling the largest attack wave, the Annex receives word from ISR that help is en route.

The Tripoli GRS reinforcements arrive and begin preparing the CIA and DS staff to depart for the airport. The militants launch a mortar attack in which Ubben and Geist are wounded; Geist's left arm is partially severed and Ubben's right leg suffers a compound fracture. Woods rushes to aid Geist and is killed by another mortar round. Doherty is also killed when a mortar detonates directly in front of him.

With the GRS team compromised, and the Annex now vulnerable, the remaining GRS operators watch as a convoy of vehicles rolls toward the Annex. Fearing the worst, the operators prepare to make a final stand, until it is revealed that the convoy is an element of the Libya Shield Force militia escorting the GRS reinforcements. They also find out that Stevens was found behind the compound, but was pronounced dead at the hospital.

At the airport, the CIA staff and the wounded Geist board the plane to Tripoli while the remainder of the GRS team waits for the next plane with the bodies of Stevens, Smith, Woods and Doherty. Closing titles reveal that all of the surviving members of the Annex security team received contractor medals in a private ceremony and have since retired from the GRS team and live with their families.

Cast

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GRS Team

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U.S. State Department

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Civilians

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Production

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Development

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On February 10, 2014, it was announced that Paramount Pictures was in talks with 3 Arts Entertainment to acquire the film rights to the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff, with Erwin Stoff to produce.[12] Chuck Hogan was set to adapt the book, based on the true events of the Benghazi attack by militants on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, on the evening of September 11, 2012.[12] The film would focus on six members of a security team that fought to defend the Americans stationed there.[12] On October 29, 2014, Michael Bay was set to direct and produce the thriller.[13]

Casting

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On January 14, 2015, John Krasinski was cast to play a leading role, playing a former US Navy SEAL.[3] On February 3, Pablo Schreiber also signed on to star in the film, playing Kris "Tanto" Paronto, one of the six-man security team.[8] On February 6, James Badge Dale was set to star, as the leader of the security team.[5] Max Martini was cast as another member of the security team on February 17, 2015.[6] David Denman signed on to star in the film on March 3, 2015, playing Boon, an elite sniper.[9] On March 5, 2015, THR reported that Dominic Fumusa also signed on, to play John "Tig" Tiegen, one of the members of the security team, who is also a former Marine with weapons expertise.[7] Freddie Stroma was added to the cast on March 17, 2015, to play the role of an undercover CIA officer in Libya.[10] On May 7, 2015, Toby Stephens was set to play Glen "Bub" Doherty, another of the security team members.[14]

Filming

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Principal photography began on April 27, 2015, in Malta and Morocco.[9][15] A large film set was built in March 2015 in Ta' Qali, Malta at 35°53′58.9″N 14°25′42.6″E / 35.899694°N 14.428500°E / 35.899694; 14.428500.[16][17]

Release

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On June 30, 2015, Paramount announced that the new title would be 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, and set the film to be released on January 15, 2016, on the MLK Holiday weekend.[18] The film premiered on January 12, 2016, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas,[19] benefiting the Shadow Warriors Project, which supports private military security personnel and other groups.[19]

Unusual for a major American film, the film was given only a limited release in Canada during its American wide opening weekend, playing in select theatres in six cities. The film expanded to a wide release in Canadian theatres the following weekend, January 22–24.[20][21]

Paramount specifically marketed the film to conservatives,[22] in a method similar to previous films Lone Survivor and American Sniper, both of which had beaten box office expectations. This included screening 13 Hours for key Republican Party figures in order to generate endorsement quotations.[23]

Home media

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13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 7, 2016. Likely due to a boost from the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, the film made $40 million in DVD and Blu-ray sales by August 2016.[24][25] It was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on June 11, 2019.[26]

Reception

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Box office

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13 Hours grossed $52.9 million in North America and $16.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $69.4 million, against a production budget of $50 million,[2] making it Michael Bay's lowest-grossing directorial film to-date.[27]

The film was projected to earn around $20 million in its four-day Martin Luther King weekend debut. It faced competition from fellow newcomer Ride Along 2, as well as holdovers The Revenant and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[28] Other films in a similar vein that had opened on the MLK weekend in previous years, American Sniper ($107.2 million in 2015) and Lone Survivor ($37.8 million in 2014), found success, although they had faced weaker competition, and were considered less politically divisive.[29] However, The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film could outperform expectations if it was buoyed by waves of patriotism.[29] The film made $900,000 from 1,995 theaters during its Thursday previews and $16.2 million in its opening weekend, finishing fourth at the box office.[30] The film added 528 theaters in its second weekend and grossed $9 million, a 39.8% drop.[31]

Critical response

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13 Hours received mixed reviews from critics, though some viewed it as a welcomed tame effort from Michael Bay.[32][33][34][35][36] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 51% based on 222 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The site's consensus reads, "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a comparatively mature and restrained effort from Michael Bay, albeit one that can't quite boast the impact its fact-based story deserves."[37] On Metacritic the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[38] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[30][39]

Soren Andersen, writing for The Seattle Times, gave the film 3 stars out of 4, criticizing the lack of distinctive characters but ultimately summarizing 13 Hours as "engrossing" and "a ground-level depiction of heroism in the midst of the fog of war".[40] Richard Roeper similarly praised 13 Hours in his review for the Chicago Sun-Times. Although he lamented the script, Roeper found the film to be a "solid action thriller with well-choreographed battle sequences and strong work from the ensemble cast".[41] Like Roeper's review, New York Daily News' Joe Dziemianowicz was less receptive toward the script, but applauded the film's focus on the real-life attack, summarizing: "War is gritty here, not glamorous... [Michael Bay] delivers a gripping, harrowing, and heartfelt film."[42]

In a mixed review, Inkoo Kang of TheWrap praised 13 Hours for its action scenes, but panned Bay's direction as "myopic". She writes, "13 Hours is the rare Michael Bay movie that wasn't made with teenage boys in mind. But that doesn't make his latest any less callously juvenile."[43] Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press was critical of the film's direction and cinematography, and found the screenplay to be confusing.[44] Similarly, The Economist described the film as "a sleek, poorly scripted and largely meaningless film".[45]

Libyan response

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The film caused controversy in Libya.[46][47] Many Libyans believed it ignored the contributions of local people who attempted to save the US ambassador.[48] Libya's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Salah Belnaba, denounced the film's portrayal of the Libyan people and described it as "fanatical and ignorant."[49] Culture and Information Minister, Omar Gawaari, also criticized the film saying: "the movie shows the US contractors who actually failed to secure the ambassador [...] as heroes", adding that Michael Bay "turned America's failure to protect its own citizens in a fragile state into a typical action movie all about American heroism".[48][49][50]

Accolades

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At the 89th Academy Awards, 13 Hours received a nomination for Best Sound Mixing.[51] However, Greg P. Russell (one of the four nominees from the film) had his nomination rescinded when it was discovered that he had contacted voters for the award by telephone in violation of campaigning regulations.[52]

Historical accuracy

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The film's historical accuracy has been disputed. In the film's most controversial scene, the CIA chief in Benghazi (identified only as "Bob") tells the military contractors there when they seek permission to go defend the embassy to "stand down" and thus denies them permission. The real-life CIA chief stated that there was no stand-down order.[53] However, no help was sent even though officials at the highest levels had found out about the attack within the first few hours out of the 13. Also, the National Review commentator David French argues that the Senate committee cited above found plenty of evidence of the "stand down" order in the form of personal testimony from multiple witnesses but chose to rule that the contrary testimony outweighed it.[54]

Kris "Tanto" Paronto, a CIA contractor who was involved in action during the event, said, "We were told to 'stand down'. Those words were used verbatim—100 percent. If the truth of it affects someone's political career? Well, I'm sorry. It happens."[55] The CIA base chief portrayed in the film has directly contradicted Paronto's claims, saying "There never was a stand-down order.... At no time did I ever second-guess that the team would depart."[56]

Also disputed is the film's portrayal that air support was denied. A House Armed Services Committee report found that air support was unavailable or that it would have arrived too late to make a difference.[45]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of Benghazi (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 19, 2016. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (January 14, 2015). "John Krasinski to Star in Michael Bay's Benghazi Movie '13 Hours'". variety.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  4. ^ "Benghazi as Zombieland". National Review. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 6, 2015). "James Badge Dale Lands Lead In Michael Bay Benghazi Project '13 Hours'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (February 17, 2015). "'Pacific Rim' Actor Max Martini Joins Michael Bay's '13 Hours' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Ford, Rebecca (March 5, 2015). "Michael Bay's '13 Hours' Adds 'Nurse Jackie' Actor Dominic Fumusa (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  8. ^ a b Kroll, Justin (February 3, 2015). "'Orange is the New Black' Actor Pablo Schreiber Joins Michael Bay's '13 Hours' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c Kit, Borys (March 3, 2015). "Michael Bay's '13 Hours' Finds Its Sniper in 'The Office' Actor (Exclusive)". hollywoodreporter.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Pedersen, Erik (March 17, 2015). "Freddie Stroma Has '13 Hours'; Christopher Gorham Lands Lead In 'Po'; 'Exeter' Set For DirecTV Bow". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  11. ^ Matt Letscher at IMDb
  12. ^ a b c Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 10, 2014). "Paramount In Talks For Benghazi Attack Film Based On Book By Survivors". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 25, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  13. ^ Kit, Borys (October 29, 2014). "Michael Bay in Talks to Direct Benghazi Movie '13 Hours' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  14. ^ Kroll, Justin (May 7, 2015). "'Black Sails' Actor Toby Stephens Joins Michael Bay's '13 Hours' (EXCLUSIVE)". variety.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
  15. ^ "On the Set for 4/27/15: Jennifer Lawrence Wraps David O. Russell's Joy & Starts on X-Men: Apocalypse". ssninsider.com. April 27, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
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  17. ^ "13 Hours movie set at Ta'Qali, Malta on 05-05-2015. - Images | Airphoto Malta - Custom Aerial Photos". Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  18. ^ Lincoln, Ross A. (June 30, 2015). "Paramount's '13 Hours' Benghazi Drama Confirmed For MLK Weekend 2016". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  19. ^ a b Cieplyjan, Michael (January 5, 2016). "'13 Hours' Gives Benghazi Attack Cinematic Treatment". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  20. ^ "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi". Tribute.ca. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  21. ^ "New to Theatres This Weekend: 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Ride Along 2, Norm of the North – Film Junk".
  22. ^ Pulver, Andrew (January 15, 2016), "Benghazi attack film 13 Hours is marketed to conservative audiences", The Guardian, archived from the original on January 26, 2016, retrieved January 24, 2016
  23. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 17, 2016). "'13 Hours' Opens Lower Than Expected; Being Politicized Didn't Help". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  24. ^ "Michael Bay's '13 Hours' gets huge sales boost as election nears". Fox News. August 5, 2016. Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  25. ^ McClintock, Pamela (August 4, 2016). "Michael Bay's Benghazi Film Gets Trump Bump in Home Video". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  26. ^ 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi 4K Blu-ray, archived from the original on April 23, 2019, retrieved April 23, 2019
  27. ^ "Michael Bay Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  28. ^ Faughnder, Ryan (January 13, 2016). "'Ride Along 2' is likely to take over No. 1 spot at box office this weekend". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  29. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (January 12, 2016). "Box-Office Preview: Michael Bay's Benghazi Movie '13 Hours' Could Be Politically Divisive". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  30. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 18, 2016). "'Ride Along 2' Continues No. 1 Journey With $41.5M; '13 Hours' Clocks $19.65M – Monday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2020. Paramount Pictures' controversial 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is coming in lower than its $20M-$23M industry projection, but stronger than anticipated with a $19.65M FSSM and $16.2M in its 3-day B.O.
  31. ^ Brevet, Brad (January 24, 2016). "'The Revenant' Weathers Snow Storm While Weekend's Newcomers Perform as Expected". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 25, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  32. ^ Guzmán, Rafer. "'13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' review: Dramatized look at the deadly 2012 Benghazi attack". Newsday. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
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  34. ^ "Movie Review: '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' – The Young Folks". The Young Folks. January 16, 2016. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  35. ^ "Fat Guys at the Movies - '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi' Movie Review". Fat Guys at the Movies. January 15, 2016. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  36. ^ Wolcott, Gary (January 14, 2016). "Mr. Movie: '13 Hours' a dragged out version of Benghazi you've never heard". Tri-City Herald. Archived from the original on June 20, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  37. ^ 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi at Rotten Tomatoes
  38. ^ 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi at Metacritic  
  39. ^ "The Grades Are In". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
  40. ^ Andersen, Soren (January 14, 2016). "13 Hours: a gripping look at what happened in Benghazi". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  41. ^ Roeper, Richard (March 6, 2016). "'13 Hours' keeps focus on Benghazi fight, fighters". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  42. ^ Dziemianowicz, Joe (January 13, 2016). "Movie review: Michael Bay's '13 Hours' is a gripping Benghazi story with a ripped John Krasinski". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  43. ^ Kang, Inkoo (January 13, 2016). "'13 Hours' Review: Michael Bay's Benghazi Tale Has Way More Bullets Than Brains". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  44. ^ Bahr, Lindsey (January 14, 2016). "Review: '13 Hours' Is Thrilling, but Too Video Game-Like". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  45. ^ a b M.S.R. (January 18, 2016). "Could a Hollywood film about Benghazi damage Clinton?". The Economist. Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
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  47. ^ "Hollywood Benghazi film sparks controversy inside Libya". New York Post. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on June 27, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
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  49. ^ a b "Hollywood Benghazi film sparking anger inside Libya". CBS News. October 20, 2015. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  50. ^ "فيلم حول الهجوم على القنصلية الأمريكية في بنغازي يثير جدلا داخل ليبيا" [A film about the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi is stirring controversy inside Libya]. BBC (in Arabic). October 21, 2015. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  51. ^ "La La Land equals record for most Oscar nominations". The Guardian. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  52. ^ Calvario, Liz (February 25, 2017). "Academy Rescinds Sound Mixing Nomination for Greg P. Russell of '13 Hours'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  53. ^ Beauchamp, Zack (January 15, 2016). "Michael Bay's 13 Hours promotes some of the worst Benghazi conspiracy theories". Vox. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  54. ^ French, David (January 15, 2016). "13 Hours: Of Course There's Evidence of a 'Stand-Down Order' in Benghazi". National Review. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  55. ^ Bade, Rachael (January 14, 2016). "New Benghazi movie reignites 'stand-down' order debate". POLITICO. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  56. ^ Daly, Matthew (January 20, 2016). "AP FACT CHECK: Benghazi movie misstates some facts". WTOP (Associated Press). Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
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