Thirteen Days [DVD] [2001]

Centring around the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962, this is an excellent movie that gives many of us too young to remember an insight into the terrifying events that all so nearly led to WWIII and mutually assured nuclear destruction by the superpowers, of the world as we know it. Criticised for exaggerating the role of white house aid Kenny O'Donnell, you have to question whether or not their would have been the same fuss if it were not for the fact that the aforementioned white house aid was played by Kevin Costner. It always bemuses and frustrates me that the critics are very selective in their criticisms of movies and their historical inaccuracies. How come movies such as the cringeworthy Titanic and Braveheart can take such enormous liberties with the truth and win so many Oscars without barely a whisper of criticism and yet Denzel Washington can be deprived of an Oscar for 'Hurricane' because of an unsubstantiated whispering campaign about its historical accuracy? Wouldn't it be much preferable if we lived in a world without such petty jealousies and vendettas, where credit was given where credit was due? In Thirteen Days the character of Kenny O'Donnell is central to the telling of the story and that aside, the depiction of the historical events are beyond reproach.

Director Roger Donaldson should be congratulated (and should have been Oscar nominated) for successfully serving up a genuine edge of your seat historical political pot-boiler of a movie. Even though I know that we didn't go to war in 1962 and that it was all resolved amicably in the end (well, nearly), I was still riveted and anxious throughout the whole movie. I almost had my fingers crossed, praying that everything worked out, even though I knew it did. Now that's great film-making and quite an achievement to exact that effect. Kudos also for Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp for their understated performances as JFK and Bobby and for Kevin Costner for avoiding the showy role (of JFK) and returning to form. Costner also deserves praise just for bringing this personal project of a movie and history lesson to our screens, as does David Self for the excellent screenplay. Thirteen Days is the type of thought-provoking and intense movie we could with seeing Hollywood make more often.

What is more, if you buy the Infinifilm edition, you can enjoy watching it again and again and (with infinifilm enabled) in the process learn more about the historically crucial thirteen days in October 1962 when the world stood still. Partly because of its historical significance but mainly because its an excellent and very intelligent movie, Thirteen Days is a must see!

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 :)

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