With much of the public’s attention being aimed squarely at the Democratic candidates for the U.S. Presidency, thanks to the big debate on Monday night, the New York Times has published an interesting piece about how a Hollywood blockbuster could impact one of the campaigns. You see, Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State during the attacks that took place in Benghazi back on September 11, 2012. Michael Bay’s film, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, will explore what happened during that tragic night and could, incidentally, draw Clinton back into a crossfire that she may have thought was behind her. 

The release of Bay’s film is set for January 15, a mere two weeks before party caucuses in Iowa. An issue that was basically a nonstop talking point in conservative news media for a long while, but that was ultimately laid to rest once bipartisan investigations found no credible links between what went wrong during the attacks and the office of Secretary Clinton, now has the chance of going mainstream. Especially if the film becomes a blockbuster on the level of Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper. 

Lines of dialogue like, “We got nobody backing us up here. Nothing!” are likely going to get audiences wondering why the Obama Administration seemingly did zero to quell the attacks, which lead to the death of four Americans. While the answers to those questions are now known, the fact that the film centers strictly on the 13 hours of the attack will likely leave little room for the full story to be told. 

For its part, the film apparently isn’t intended to cause any political stirs. It’s an action film and, according to one of its producers, isn’t interested in the “Left vs Right” political rhetoric that has surrounded the real-life event. “While the events have been the subject of continuous heated debate, few have heard or seen the story told from the perspective of these brave men because it has been largely lost amidst the political back and forth,” said producer Erwin Stoff, clarifying what the film’s goal is. 

Regardless of the film’s intentions, it’s going to be interesting to see what effect- if any- it has on the currently political landscape and, specifically, the Presidential campaign of one Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

I’ll be keeping an eye on this. How about you?

SOURCE: NY Times