In October 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union were on the verge of war over Soviet missile installations in Cuba. Based on President John F. Kennedy's tapes and a script by David Self, Roger Donaldson's outstanding film, "Thirteen Days," effectively recreates that tense Cold War period. Told from the perspective of JFK's White House, including the president; his brother Robert, the Attorney General; and the Special Assistant to the President, Kenny O'Donnell; the film is largely dialog driven. Evidently based on actual conversations, cabinet meetings, and confrontations between the administration and the military, the proceedings have the ring of truth. Kevin Costner, who also co-produced, heads the cast as O'Donnell; his effective low-key performance communicates the stress of his unique job situation and the toll it takes on his family and private life. In one particularly effective scene, Costner stands outside a church, where a line of parishioners are waiting for confession; a sign says that confession is available throughout the night, and, after a pause, Costner joins the line.Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp play John and Robert Kennedy, respectively; both actors bear a passing resemblance to the Kennedy brothers, and, with Boston accents, they quickly submerge themselves into their parts, and the leads are well supported by a cast of pros, who portray a who's who of Kennedy administration officials familiar to any Baby Boomer who lived through the Camelot era; among them, Dylan Baker as Robert McNamara, Michael Fairman as Adlai Stevenson, and Len Cariou as Dean Acheson are worth mentioning.Although the film's ending is already part of history, "Thirteen Days" remains engrossing, often tense, suspenseful, and fast paced. An excellent score by Trevor Jones punctuates the action, and the footage shifts from color to black and white in a seemingly arbitrary manner; however, whatever the intention, the shifts neither add nor detract from the movie. Stock footage depicts civil defense preparations, and shots of nuclear explosions foretell what could occur if the negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviets had failed. Donaldson avoids claustrophobia by cutting from the White House to action in the skies over Cuba and events at sea as the U.S. blockade of Cuba takes effect. An excellent film that is well made and well performed, "Thirteen Days" is more than a history lesson; it is a warning as well. The film would make a good double bill with Costner's earlier Kennedy movie, "JFK."

Thirteen Days (2000)Plot In A Paragraph: The Kennedy administration's struggle to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.I think this is a brilliant movie, filled with great performances. Bruce Greenwood as JFK and Steven Culprit as Bobby Kennedy. It is another less is more performance from KC, and he does not steal the limelight from his costars. Every performance in this movie is as flawless as you can get. It's well shot, has amazing tension, whilst the score is another winner too!! This was not only KC's best reviewed movie in years, he also revived great reviews. Gripping, excellent thriller, Fascinating, Terrifically engrossing were all terms I heard/read in relation to this movie, but for some reason nobody went to see it. I remember when it was nominated for the critics choice for best movie, I thought it may be a movie the Oscars love but didn't find an audience, but from memory, it didn't garner a single nomination. I urge everyone who has not seen it, to check it out.

Frankly, I regard "13 days" more like a high-end television movie than a serious docudrama. It is a very American product; viewers unaccustomed to the clichés of standard Hollywood filmography are going to have a hard time swallowing the extremes of overdramatization saturating every single scene of the film. Everything is boosted up to keep the spectator on the edge indefinitely, which may appear as a merit to the American public but easily relapses in cheapness and bad taste to those used to a more thoughtful approach.The way the story and the characters are developed is also standard Hollywood fare, with the black-and-white presentation of Kennedy as a national hero soundly rooted in the values of family, motherland and hard work, who regards his office as the highest duty and finally overcomes the warmongering ambitions of the generals.Looks like being cynical, or simply realistic, is not allowed in American mainstream productions.Even worst, the director makes no attempt to convey a picture of the political situation underlying the crisis, or to offer (even for a moment) the viewpoint of the Soviets and the Cubans. On the contrary, the first half an hour suggests the idea that the United States were the victim of an unprovoked, unilateral aggression. This is junk history. The reasons why the Soviets deployed the missiles in Cuba were 1) to retaliate for the US deployment of about one hundred nuclear missiles in Turkey and 2) to protect Cuba, after the CIA-orchestrated landing at the Bay of Pigs and while the US were practicing invasion forces as a show of strength on islands in the Caribbean. This was perfectly known to the Kennedy administration, and certainly must have played a large part in the conversations on how to deal with the crisis.As a blockbuster "13 days" may have its merits, but as a serious historical movie it has a long way to go.

October 1962.The American Embassy,Grosvenor Square,London.Half a dozen Met cops,rushed for some unfathomable reason from their East London nick are drinking coffee in the underground car park which is rapidly filling with gun - toting U.S.Marines.Our sergeant.a grizzled vet who had seen service with the Welsh Guards in what he called "The Big One" suggested to a nervous - looking grunt that his President might be over - reacting to a typical piece of Kruschevian provocation. "What would Macmillan do if the reds put their missiles in Ireland?"was the response.Taff thought for a moment then said,"Try and set the buggers off,probably".The marine snorted."The Big Red Dog is digging in our backyard".He threw his coffee cup into a bin and went to join his mates who were getting in position to repel a couple of dozen "Hands off Cuba" demonstrators in case they were stupid enough to charge the Embassy. I was reminded of this brief encounter when I watched "13 Days" and the placement of Soviet Missiles in Cuba was referred to in the exact same terms in the film. Fortunately for all of us Mr Kruschev was exercising his penchant for brinksmanship and President Kennedy earned his respect by calling his bluff.There was a deal to be done and both men took advantage of the opportunity. In "13 Days" we see how Kennedy had the moral strength to beat down the military who were set on "First Strike" as the preferred option. In scenes thick with testosterone he defies this baying pack and listens to the voice of reason. Having lived through this event,the details are less of a revelation to me,but that does not detract from the efficacy of the film. The weak point is Mr K.Costner who not only has a very poor accent but also wears his underpants beneath his pyjamas. Just over a year later I was back at the Embassy in the turmoil caused by Kennedy's assassination and a few years further on fought the mob in Grosvenor Square during the "October Revolution".I got a nasty kick on the shin.A small price to pay for supporting our close friends and allies,in my book.