Starring Bruce Greenwood, Kevin Costner, Stephen Culp, Dylan Baker, Michael Fairman, Henry Strozier, Frank Wood, Kevin Conway, Tim Kelleher, Bill Smitrovich, Len Cariou. Written by David Self. Directed by Roger Donaldson. In October 1962, American spy planes spot a military building in the jungles of Cuba, and discover they are setting up nuclear missiles that will be operational in 10 to 14 days. President Kennedy (Greenwood), Attorney-General Bobby Kennedy (Culp) and special Assistant Kenneth O'Donnell (Costner) assemble their military staff and political advisors to decide what to do. The Kennedy's are encouraged by the joint Chiefs of Staff to prevent the missiles from becoming operational by making a surprise attack on Cuba to destroy the missiles and the Soviet soldiers. Some even suggest invading Cuba and putting an end to Castro once and for all. As the crisis deepens, it soon becomes clear that the Russians have been and continue to lie, and Kennedy's own military men are trying to force their hand and escalate the crisis so the President will have no choice but to attack. But he holds firm, and instead orders a "quarantine" (blockade) of Cuba to stop any further Soviet equipment getting into Cuba. Several gut-wrenching days ensue until the crisis concludes. Thirteen Days is an account of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 based on White House tapes, memoirs, CIA transcripts and personal interviews. It shows the U.S., and the world, very close to nuclear war with Cuba and the U.S.S.R. Co-produced by Kevin Costner and re-united with the director of one of his better films No Way Out, the film is not focused on President Kennedy but is instead centered around Costner's chief of staff Kenny O'Donnell and the effect the crisis had on him and his family. You'd think that would be a bad thing. But Costner is as good as he's been in a long, long time and the movie spreads screen time to the various characters involved in the drama such that it never feels like Costner is hogging the screen. Not familiar with the details of the Cuban Missile Crisis myself, I found Thirteen Days very suspenseful, with surprising twists and turns, and excellent at showing the personal effects on many different politicians, diplomats and military personnel whose lives were on the line and at the whim of their political and military masters. The film does not portray the American chiefs of staff in a positive light, showing them as anti-Red hawks chomping at the bit to start a war, partially as a means to atoning for the Bay of Pigs fiasco that had previously screwed up. The Kennedy's and O'Donnell are shown as stressed-out humans doing their best to navigate not only the deceptive Soviets, but their own manipulative military, and the three come off very well. The film takes pains to show the Soviets in sympathetic human terms, showing many of the Soviet characters, including Khrushchev, as victims of the political machinations of Politburo hardliners who were trying to flex their muscles. It shows Russian diplomats and beaurocrats scared and eager to get themselves and the world out of the mess their superiors had created. An interesting theme that emerges stems from a book the President read about World War I that described how generals on both sides were sure they had learned the lessons from mistakes in past wars, but when they implemented their strategies, they found with new weapons and chemicals available, those lessons were obsolete. Every new confrontation is unpredictable, and once weapons are unleashed, no one knows how events will unfold. The performances of the ensemble cast are first-rate. Standing out is Bruce Greenwood as President Kennedy. Almost unrecognizable in his suit and New England accent, he masterfully projects a man not always sure what to do, but strong in his resolve to avoid unnecessary war that some of his advisors wished to thrust on him. Stephen Culp is also excellent as the feisty Attorney-General who refuses to accept military attacks as the only response available. Thirteen Days is a beautifully made, well-written and performed with intensity, and for those who enjoy political and historical stories, it is one likely to please. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page