Thirteen Days

 

 

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An unbelievable deal that seemed to good to be true, but it was real. Will purchase more in the future.

Roger Donaldson's Thirteen Days, overwhelmingly ignored by moviegoers three years ago, is perhaps Hollywood's first theatrical recreation of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. It's a pity, too, because this film is a gripping recreation of our closest brush with global thermonuclear war. With a mix of Tom Clancy-like attention to detail and the human drama of decent men and women on both the American and Soviet sides to avoid World War III, this movie clearly deserved more attention and acclaim than it received.

Perhaps it was the lack of suspense - after all, we are here and the world did not end in 1962. Perhaps it was the fact that moviegoers normally don't like true-life historical dramas. Perhaps it was the presence of oh-so-dour Kevin Costner in this picture. (Poor Costner...once so promising and guaranteed box-office gold....once he earned those Oscars for Dances With Wolves he became so darned serious! And boring!) Perhaps it was apathy about yet another film with John F. Kennedy as a major character. For whatever reason, Thirteen Days had one heck of a short run that could be measured in a span of days.

As I said, pity. The movie itself is extremely well made, with good pacing, able directing from Donaldson and fine acting from JAG's Steven Culp as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Bruce Greenwood as President Kennedy, and the still-dour Costner as Kenneth P. O'Donnell. (Costner's faux Boston accent does tend to come and go, but accents have never been old Kevin's strong suit anyway.) The special effects sequences are top rate, almost as good as any in a Star Wars film - but more down-to-Earth, as it were. And for a movie that tackles such a heavy topic as the Cuban Missile Crisis, it never drags.

The DVD from New Line Home Entertainment is one of those rare Infinifilm releases, with more extra features in its single disc than some double disc "special edition" DVDs. Although it has no captions for the hearing impaired, it does have a Historical Information Track, which features information on the crisis. The Historical Figures Commentary features archival audio of JFK, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Ken O'Donnell, Pierre Salinger, and Nikita Khruschev's son Sergei, and of course the director's behind-the-scenes commentary track.

While I do not recommend this to casual movie watchers, Thirteen Days is still a good movie for history buffs and young people who did not live through the darkest days of the Cold War.

"Thirteen Days" is an absolutely wonderful movie that somehow allows the spectator to be a witness of some of the meetings behind closed doors that took place in the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis, in October 1962.

Among the people that participated in those meetings, the most important ones were probably the president John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood), Robert F. Kennedy (Steven Culp), Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (Dylan Baker), presidential aide Kenneth O'Donnell (Kevin Costner), Adlai Stevenson (the US Ambassador to the UN, played by Michael Fairman), Secretary of State Dean Rusk (Henry Strozier), National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy (Frank Wood) and Ted Sorensen as Special Counsel to the President (Tim Kelleher).

That was a moment in time when nuclear war was a very real possibility, and J.F. Kennedy did all in his power to avoid such an event. The actor that plays him said something that I consider noteworthy: "There is something immoral about abandoning your own judgement". I think that the director (Roger Donaldson) tried to highlight with that phrase the ultimate responsibility of the president regarding the course of action that his administration was going to take. All his advisors could give their opinion, but in the end it was J.F. Kennedy's decision that mattered.

What triggered that dreadful situation, that lasted 13 days?. The URSS secretly sent ballistic missiles to Cuba, missiles capable of destroying many United States' cities, thus threatening national security. The Americans discovered that, and had to reach a decision regarding what to do. The responsibility was immense, because a simple mistake could mean the beginning of a nuclear war.

All throughout the movie we can see that the president of the United States knew that the consequences if the matter got out of hand were going to be catastrophic. But what to do?. Many of his advisors had vastly different opinions, ranging from invading Cuba immediately to waiting a little for a political solution to the problem. It is really interesting to realize how difficult it was for them (and specially the president) to reach a decision, when so much was at stake, and they had incomplete information about URSS' intentions.

Of course, "Thirteen Days" isn't entirely historically accurate, overemphasizing the role of some of the characters, and maybe not paying enough importance to others. All the same, that often happens in movies, and that doesn't mean that they aren't good. If you want a completely accurate recount of the Cuban Missile Crisis, read a history book like "The Kennedy Tapes: Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis". If you just want to watch a good film that will give you a fairly accurate idea of what happened then, watch this film. My recommendation?: do both things.

On the whole, I think that you are highly likely to enjoy "Thirteen Days". You will be entertained, but at the same time you will have a glimpse of how the process of decision during crisis really works in real life, and how difficult it is to conciliate the views of different agencies. What is more, and if you don't know much about the Cuban Missile Crisis, this film might be perfect as an small introduction to the matter. Truth to be told, I had already studied this crisis at university, but I enjoyed watching Roger Donaldson's take on it :)

Belen Alcat

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1.0 out of 5 stars Boring
I saw this film in a history class I was taking and it definitely was not viewed for the sake of accuracy, more as a comparative piece to an actual historical documentary and I... Read more

Published on July 11 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Spell binding from beginning to end
I had seen this movie only in bits before on TV but had never seen the whole thing. I recently purchased it and within the last week have literally watched it again and again. Read more

Published on July 9 2004 by Toni Shutt

5.0 out of 5 stars COMPARE THE CUBAN CRISIS WITH IRAN-CONTRA
"Thirteen Days" re-created the Cuban Missile Crisis, elevating the Kennedys to virtual sainthood while painting Curt LeMay as an advocate for nuclear holocaust. Read more

Published on Jun 7 2004 by Steven R. Travers

5.0 out of 5 stars "Let's hope cooler heads will prevail"
Ken O'Donnell (Kevin Costner) reassures his wife over the phone in the midst of the crisis, "Jack and Bobby, they're smart guys". Read more

Published on May 24 2004 by Scamp Lumm

4.0 out of 5 stars First-Rate Docudrama
"Thirteen Days" is one of the best historical dramas ever made, a genuinely suspenseful rendering of the most on-edge period in American peacetime. Read more

Published on May 19 2004 by C. Gardner

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
I give this movie a two thumbs up!! It is a wonderful, realistic movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis and accurately described the situation. Read more

Published on May 6 2004 by Amy

5.0 out of 5 stars "Edge of your seat" history.
Credit must be given to Roger Donaldson and Kevin Costner for bringing the suspense and tension of the Cuban missile crisis onto the silver screen. Read more

Published on May 5 2004 by MrSherlockHolmes

4.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful cinematic experience...
Aerial photos taken by a U-2 spy plane reveal that the Soviets have moved nuclear long range missiles into Cuba, which is against the agreement between the U.S.A and Russia. Read more

Published on April 14 2004 by Kim Anehall

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertainment yes! History no!
Since I am a history buff I tend to eventually get around to most of the films that are history based. I am old enough to remember the Cuban Missile Crisis very well. Read more

Published on Feb 29 2004 by Eugene L. Stickley

4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Biased but a Great Film
We shouldn't really treat cinema as politics but if the film is political then it deserves some historical critic in the same way that Saving Private Ryan is a five star movie but... Read more

Published on Jan 11 2004 by OverTheMoon

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