Rating: 
Summary: Powerful film -- Amazing DVD
Review: "Thirteen Days" is an intelligent and thought-provoking movie with relentless edge-of-your-seat suspense throughout. This fascinating drama takes you right into the oval office and the Pentagon during the Cuban Missile Crisis when only the courage and leadership of a handful of men kept the world from nuclear war. Expertly directed by Roger Donaldson, the film showcases some top-notch performances by Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp as JFK and RFK and by Kevin Costner as presidential advisor Kenny O'Donnell. If you missed "Thirteen Days" during its theatrical release, be sure to catch the DVD version which has layers and layers of extra features, historical data, "making of" information, and commentaries by both the film-makers and by the actual participants themselves. This amazing DVD should be in everyone's collection.
Rating: 
Summary: The Crisis That Shook the World Makes For a Fine Film
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertainment yes! History no!
Review: 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. I also tend toward the conservative side in political views. Thirteen Days is a good movie. From a dramatic standpoint it is a success. Bruce Greenwood I thought did a particularly good job as JFK. I think the speech and manners were well done and his general bearing and tone are convincing. The supporting cast, for the most part, is good to very good. I was particularly impressed with Len Cariou, in a minor role as Dean Acheson. I had not been previously aware of this actor. Kevin Costner has been criticized for a bad accent and a stiff performance. I thought that the script overplayed his role in the Crisis. Perhaps this was because his star status demanded more lines? And I am not able to accept the almost saint-like image that the role gives to his portrayal of JFK assistant Kenny O'Donnell. At times the camera time seems to give the impression that Costner/O'Donnell is the focus of the film. This was all a bit distracting but not serious enough to wreck a good dramatic effort. The characters and the script are all well delivered and believable. Even though you know the outcome the tension and suspense work. It is good cinema. As for historical accuracy the overall effect gives JFK a hero aura. In one sense he deserves this. It was a serious crisis and he got out reasonably clean without war. On the other hand all that he he had previously done badly, which undoubtedly contributed to Kruschev's willingness to take the risks, were simply not mentioned. In addition Hollywood consistently portrays the military in the poorest light. They didn't fail us here. General Curtis LeMay is portrayed as little short of an overbearing, arrogant savage. Admiral George Anderson comes across as a pompous man who fails utterly to understand the geopolitical aspects of the naval blockade action. A good show if you are looking for entertainment. If you looking for history read the relevant history first. So armed this film will help bring it to life for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great material;good acting
Review: Thirteen Days covers the events of October, 1962, commonly referred to as "The Cuban Missile Crisis." Bruce Greenwood (the husband in Double Jeopardy and National Security Advisor in Rules of Engagement) does an admirable turn as President John F. Kennedy and Steven Culp (best known for his recurring role as CIA agent Clayton Webb on JAG) gets to sink his teeth into a passionate Bobby Kennedy. Costner plays Kenny O'Donnell, a powerful but behind the scenes player who was probably not well known prior to this movie. Neither Greenwood or Webb looks like or is made-up to look like Jack or Bobby and that's a good thing. The rest of the supporting cast mostly resembles the characters they play. Robert McNamara (Dylan Baker), Dean Rusk (Henry Strozier), Dean Achenson (Len Cariou) and Adlai Stevenson (Michael Fairman) are almost dead on. Kevin Conway swaggers in as General Curtis "bomb 'em back to the stone age" Lemay in a wonderful portrayal of the powerful Air Force general. This is one film where you may want to view the extensive biographical material on each character before you actually see the film, especially if you are unfamiliar with the people I have mentioned above. Short clips of each are combined with modern commentary that give you insight into each distinct player in the drama and watching it will not deter the impact of the drama. When this film opened in December, 2000 (it didn't get to any theater near me until mid-January) it was met with critical rebuke partly for historical "inaccuracies," and the choice of Kenny O'Donnell as a major player in the drama. Both are a little picky. O'Donnell was involved to some extent and the inaccuracies are modest at best. Collateral material is excellent, well done and pivotal to the movie, although some of it can actually get too long.
Rating:
Summary: On The Brink
Review: In October 1962, the world came closer to nuclear extinction than it ever had before or would again. When a U-2 spy plane photographed the installation of Soviet ballistic missiles on the island of Cuba, the United States and its president John F. Kennedy were faced with a monumental dilemma: how to force the Soviets to withdraw the missiles without touching off World War III. That is the story ingeniously told in the terribly underrated political drama THIRTEEN DAYS, one of the best films of that type since ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. Seen through the eyes of JFK presidential adviser Kenneth O'Donnell (Kevin Costner), THIRTEEN DAYS is a fascinating look at the machinations that went on in the highest circles of power in Washington during that traumatic time known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Bruce Greenwood, known prior to this for playing bad guys (DOUBLE JEOPARDY; RULES OF ENGAGEMENT), gives an extremely credible portrayal of John Kennedy, who finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side are the Joint Chiefs of Staff, led by staunch Cold Warriors General Max Taylor and Dean Acheson, pushing for an invasion and surgical strike against the missiles. On the other is the president's own conscience, for he knows that anything as rash as what the Joint Chiefs are leaning hard on could mean the end of life on Earth. Alongside Greenwood's sterling performance, Steven Culp portrays his brother Bobby Kennedy with the right tact and straight-forward believability. Costner's heavy Boston accent is not always credible, but this is only a minor flaw in his performance as Ken O'Donnell, which is otherwise quite good. A true standout performance is Michael Fairman's portrayal of UN ambassador Adlai Stevenson, a former presidential candidate and an old "political cat" who denounces the Soviet Union's stonewalling at the United Nations in front of the world--"Yes or No?! Don't bother to wait for the translation"; "I'm prepared to stay here until Hell freezes over, if that's what it takes!" David Self's screenplay is very cagily based on White House tapes, documents, and memos from that two-week edge-of-the-seat rollercoaster ride the human race had to endure. It all comes together under the crisp, taut direction of Roger Donaldson, who directed Costner in 1987's NO WAY OUT. Even though it is a rather long film at 146 minutes, it plays like Great American theatre, the kind that Hollywood has somehow left behind in its rush for big bucks. Like any film drama based on real events, besides the slight fictionalizations, a person's knowledge of these events might make THIRTEEN DAYS predictable. But the reason these kinds of films work is not so much the end result as to finding out how the end result was achieved. That is the real triumph of this movie, and why it ranks very close to ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, in my book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I give this movie a two thumbs up!! It is a wonderful, realistic movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis and accurately described the situation. I even had my students watch and and the LOVED it!
Rating:
Summary: Captures the tension
Review: Recently my teenage son asked me if the horror of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks was the most significant event of my lifetime. Of course, the answer is "yes," overshadowing such monumental events as JFK's assasination, the space shuttle explosion, Armstrong setting foot on the moon and the crisis depicted in this movie ... the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nontheless, the Missile crisis was a monumentally significant event and this movie captures the tension that I remember so well. Some reviewers have critcized Kevin Costner's characterization of Kenny O'Donnell, noting that the movie assigns him a greater role than O'Donnell actually played and also noting that Costner's "Havad" accent was overplayed. This is a minor concern, however, since docudramas often need a protagonist from whose eyes we view unfolding drama. Costner helps provide those eyes, for us, the viewers. What is striking about this film is that it captures the tension felt in October 1962. I remember that there was indeed a concern that we might go to war; that the unthinkable might happen ... a nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union. In this movie, the tension is captured from the point of view of President Kennedy, his brother Bobby, the military leaders, and others in the seat of power. It starts with a report of a possible missile buildup in Cuba and the tension mounts as these reports crystalize into a confirmed fact. The Kennedy administration used both the carrot and the stick in negotiations as they were willing to make a few concessions to the Soviet Union while standing firm as to the consequences if the Soviet Union did not remove her missiles from the Carribean Island just 90 miles from our shores. The movie tends to lionize JFK and his brother Bobby. They were certainly less than perfect human beings but, their conduct during this crisis may have well been their finest hours. Accordingly, the glowing portrayal of them in this movie is justified. Also, I was not aware, until seeing this movie, that Adlai Stevenson was sought for advice but that ultimately, Stevenson could not be relied on, that JFK had to stand and make his own decisions. Of course, Stevenson did stand tall in his conduct on the floor of the United Nations (to the delight of a jubilant Kennedy Admisistration which had it's doubts) but the new generation of leadership, not Stevenson, had the forsight and resolve to get us through the perilous times. I remember well that as a nation, we put our trust in JFK to get us through the crisis and avert a launching of a nuclear attack by or against us. I was only 11 at the time but, I remember that despite the fears and rumors that we were at the brink of war, there was a confidence that things would work out despite Kennedy's earlier failure at the Bay of Pigs. This movie shows we were indeed at the brink of war and that there was indeed much pressure by military leaders and others in the administration for us to launch a first strike. In the end, the nation's trust that JFK would get us through the crisis was well placed.
Rating:
Summary: Great material;good acting
Review: Thirteen Days covers the events of October, 1962, commonly referred to as "The Cuban Missile Crisis." Bruce Greenwood (the husband in Double Jeopardy and National Security Advisor in Rules of Engagement) does an admirable turn as President John F. Kennedy and Steven Culp (best known for his recurring role as CIA agent Clayton Webb on JAG) gets to sink his teeth into a passionate Bobby Kennedy. Costner plays Kenny O'Donnell, a powerful but behind the scenes player who was probably not well known prior to this movie. Neither Greenwood or Webb looks like or is made-up to look like Jack or Bobby and that's a good thing. The rest of the supporting cast mostly resembles the characters they play. Robert McNamara (Dylan Baker), Dean Rusk (Henry Strozier), Dean Achenson (Len Cariou) and Adlai Stevenson (Michael Fairman) are almost dead on. Kevin Conway swaggers in as General Curtis "bomb 'em back to the stone age" Lemay in a wonderful portrayal of the powerful Air Force general. This is one film where you may want to view the extensive biographical material on each character before you actually see the film, especially if you are unfamiliar with the people I have mentioned above. Short clips of each are combined with modern commentary that give you insight into each distinct player in the drama and watching it will not deter the impact of the drama. When this film opened in December, 2000 (it didn't get to any theater near me until mid-January) it was met with critical rebuke partly for historical "inaccuracies," and the choice of Kenny O'Donnell as a major player in the drama. Both are a little picky. O'Donnell was involved to some extent and the inaccuracies are modest at best. Collateral material is excellent, well done and pivotal to the movie, although some of it can actually get too long.
Rating:
Summary: COMPARE THE CUBAN CRISIS WITH IRAN-CONTRA
Review: "Thirteen Days" re-created the Cuban Missile Crisis, elevating the Kennedys to virtual sainthood while painting Curt LeMay as an advocate for nuclear holocaust. It was a fantastic picture, like many of them, but in it is an interesting scene in which Kenny O'Donnell, played by Kevin Costner, tells a Navy plot to lie to LeMay about being shot at, because LeMay would supposedly have ordered a strike if he had been. The film paints this lie as the right thing to do because it advocates the Kennedy's position, which was to maintain level heads and a calm demeanor. However, in 1987 Ollie North was excoriated by the Left for lying about the funding of anti-Communist guerrillas, which was Reagan's position. Funny about that. STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM
Rating:
Summary: "Jack and Bobby are smart guys"
Review: Ken O'Donnell (Kevin Costner) reassures his wife over the phone in the midst of the crisis. Kevin Costner's accent was unintelligible to me at first, couldn't place it, and I assumed he would be playing Bobby. Once I figured out who was who in the cast, (I thought so many of the cast looked very much like the people they played), I began to remember the story as it unfolded told by RFK in the book of the same name. I've watched this movie three times now; as I've said before, I'm no movie critic, just love a good story. This one of course, is true. My mother remembers seeing the trains, filled with our soldiers, on the track leading to Florida from her window in downtown Memphis, TN. The clip of air raid drills showing people outside crouching on the ground, looked so much like people praying to Allah, it was eery to me. I felt the movie was well done all around; it has so much to offer besides the acting. The book is as good as the movie, in my opinion; I thought Bobby's version in writing conveyed better somehow the tension and stress they were truly under. As to Costner's bad Boston accent, I've lived in the Boston area for 12 years plus now, and I still can't understand these people sometimes!!! Boston accents are supposed to be bad!
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