John Krasinski’s career was forever changed by the 2016 thriller, a box office flop that grossed $69 million.

John Krasinski’s starring role in Michael Bay’s 2016 action thriller 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi completely transformed his acting career. Krasinski got his start in Hollywood when he landed the role of Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office, a role that would define his career for years to come. He was always (and honestly still is) best known for playing Jim, the popular class kid at Dunder Mifflin High School in Scranton, Pennsylvania. However, that has changed somewhat in recent years, and that change can be traced back to 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is based on the true story of the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack at the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. The film draws from Mitchell Zuckoff’s 2014 historical book, 13 Hours: An Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, and is told from the perspective of those who defended the embassy during the attack. Unfortunately, the film was a box office flop and a critical flop, but 13 Hours marked a turning point for Krasinski.

13 Hours: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi transformed John Krasinski into an action hero

Krasinski plays Jack Silva in 13 Hours

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi marked John Krasinski’s first lead role in an action film or TV show, cementing his status as an on-screen action hero. Krasinski played Jack Silva, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and the newest member of the Global Response Staff (GRS), stationed at the Annex, a CIA outpost near the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, during the September 2012 terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists.

The cast was filled with actors playing key roles, but Krasinski’s Jack was the face of Michael Bay’s films. It was surprising to see Krasinski playing an action hero rather than a serious character. He has mostly played comedic roles in movies and TV shows, but 13 Hours saw Krasinski try out new territory. Krasinski clearly enjoyed the role, and after 13 Hours, he went on to star in more action and thriller films.

How John Krasinski took over his role in Michael Bay’s film

Krasinski played Jack Ryan

After his lead role in 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi in 2016, John Krasinski has taken on more serious film and TV roles, including Detroit and A Quiet Place (which he also directed and co-wrote). However, the actor’s most successful action hero role is undoubtedly Jack Ryan in Amazon Prime Video’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. The political action thriller series is based on the character from the Ryanverse series and aired from 2018 to 2023. The four seasons and 30 episodes of Jack Ryan were a major win for Krasinski, further solidifying his place in the action genre.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi was Krasinski’s first attempt to break away from the reputation of only being known for his role as Jim in The Office, and it worked. Krasinski had previously played sarcastic goofballs on NBC sitcoms, but now he’s a believable action hero. Krasinski also ventured into the horror genre with the series A Quiet Place, showcasing his versatility when it comes to film and TV.

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13 Hours: Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is worth watching despite mixed reviews

13 Hours has a Tomatometer score of 52% on Rotten Tomatoes.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi marked the beginning of John Krasinski’s journey as an action hero. However, the controversial war movie directed by Michael Bay underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews. It grossed $69 million against a budget of $50 million and has a 52% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, 13 Hours is worth watching, as evidenced by its 83% audience score. The average viewer seems to have liked 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi for its thrilling moments, impressive action scenes, great acting, and well-written script, but you’ll need to watch it to form your own opinion.

13 hr

2.5

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a biographical action film based on the novel of the same name by Mitchell Zuckoff. The story revolves around the six-man Annex Security Team who defended the US diplomatic compound in Libya from a militant attack in September 2012. The film cost approximately $50 million to make and was shot primarily in Malta and Morocco.

release date January 14, 2016

Distributor Paramount Pictures

writer Chuck Hogan, Mitchell Zuckoff

runtime 144 min

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Source: Rotten Tomatoes