Excellent as a thriller, sobering as a record of recent history and riveting from start to finish, 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI should be required viewing by every American.

All the more powerful because it does NOT take an anti-Obama or anti-Hillary stance, the films depicts in great detail the attack in Behghazi of a compound where the US Ambassador is visiting in 2012 on the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks.

Just a mile down the road, a massive yet "secret?" compound houses the CIA and a secret force of six special ops soldiers.

When a crowd emerges and attacks the Embassy without provocation (or any protests against Cartoons, regardless of the crap the White House was trying to sell as why it was somehow our fault they attacked us that day without engagement, dropped months later as unfounded, but well placed as a distraction during the attack) the special forces team is forced to take action to try and save the Ambassador and the Americans caught in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

John Krasinksi is excellent and a long way from Jim on "The Office" here. With about 40 pounds of extra muscle and a serious dramatic performance, his character Jack Silva becomes our window into the event.

Krasinski gets very strong support from James Badge Dale (Ironman 3, The Pacific) as Rone Woods, Pablo Schrieber as Tanto and a solid cast as all their fellow squad members.

As the CIA region chief Bob (David Costabile) shows the same lack of decision making skills as the inept folks up the ladder, Rone and Jack take action in the unending chaos of the attack.

Director Michael Bay is very hit and miss for me as a filmmaker. His "Transformer" movies have degenerated into some of the most noisy garbage in films today, but held to a smaller budget and a tight shooting schedule and telling a true story, Bay reins in most of his worst habits for 13 Hours, wears his patriotism proudly and brings a sure hand to nearly non-stop action as the Americans are attacked again and again over a long 13 hour night.

The firefights are chaotic, well staged and horrifying as every member of the US team is forced to react and defend in a scenario changing virtually every minute.

The scenes of war planes and support standing by and ready to help, sitting on the tarmac waiting for someone in charge in America to say GO are infuriating and draining.

When a French/American CIA agent asks for planes not to attack, just to fly over the camp at a low altitude to scare the locals and just buy them a few extra hours, no one comes, no planes scramble, no one says GO.

Shot on digital by Dion Beebe (Edge of Tomorrow, Collateral) every scene MOVES, the action is relentless and the suspense is nearly as intense as UNITED 93.

The screenplay by Chuck Hogan (The Strain) is very good, save some cliche moments, but its closely based on the book by the surviving team themselves, all of whom retired from active service when they realized that they could no longer rely on the chain of command to have their back.

Another book that can provide some perspective on the issues at hand is a terrific book by Bob Woodward called "Obama's Wars". Woodward, introducing himself in the text as a lifelong liberal, was given full access to Obama's cabinet meetings in his first term to observe and write a book about his leadership.

What emerges in the book instead, is Woodward's growing realization that the man struggled to make a decision. Woodward talks about the advisers in the military and the advisers on the left both becoming equally frustrated, banding together behind Obama's back to talk about the fact that "win or lose on their positions, both sides just wish he could make a decision".

A telling observation, loudly on display here as these brave Americans battle to survive, without the support of the country that put them there.

At the end of 13 HOURS, you are left questioning why this country would leave these men without support. But you are also left with a deeper wave of emotion rooted in the questioning of "What the hell are we doing over there in the first place?".

Regardless of your political leanings, the film is a strong thriller, a story so wild it could only be true and a graphic depiction of American heroes battling for what they feel is right at the sacrifice of their own families.

13 HOURS is two hours of suspense and a strong tribute to the best of America's warriors. It gets a B.