Paramount Pictures has released the red-band trailer for director Michael Bay’s Benghazi film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Based on the non-fiction book by Michtell Zuckoff, the film tells the story of the six members of the security team that fought to defend the Americans stationed at the embassy in Benghazi when it came under attack. John Krasinski leads a cast that includes James Badge DaleMax Martini (Pacific Rim), Pablo Schreiber (Orange Is the New Black), and David Denman (The Office), and the screenplay was penned by The Strain author/writer Chuck Hogan.

From the opening shots it’s clear that this is a Michael Bay movie through and through (there’s even time for product placement), but 13 Hours marks fascinating territory for Bay in that he’s not only telling a true story, but one that’s somewhat of a hot-button political issue. His filmography proves that he’s got the “heroism” thing down pat, but can 13 Hours transcend being just another action drama to touch on something more timely? Or is Bay content to just translate his handle on action to real-world scenarios without delving deeper into character? It's tough to get an accurate read on the movie based on this action-heavy trailer, which frankly looks like Zero Dark Thirty without the nuance, but I’m incredibly curious to see what Bay has up his sleeve here.


Watch the red-band trailer for 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi below.  The film opens in theaters on January 15, 2016.

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Image via Paramount