Rating: 
Summary: 13 days equals masterpiece.
Review: This is a really great film who is a fan of Kevin Costner. I'm very pleased with his acting in this then other of his other box office slammers.
Rating: 
Summary: Whitewash at the Whitehouse.
Review: The actual Cuban Missile Crisis provoked 2 films, one (Dr. Strangelove), arguably the most daring, funny, and ferociously facetious satire ever made; the other (Fail Safe) a sober, thought-provoking thriller. Like this. Fail Safe flopped, because by treating the subject with due earnestness it made it seem not very scary, whereas Kubrick's laughter was noose-swingingly gallows. But at least Fail Safe retained its grim integrity - 13 Days, especially towards the end, needs increasing doses of uplift and religious sentiment. This is a comforting, nostalgic, macho film that sets its narrative in the present tense so we can forget the dubious legacy of its protagonists. What saves it is a haunting final image that seems to undermine the previous two and a half hours.
Rating: 
Summary: A compelling drama
Review: Whatever else you might say about Kevin Costner I don't think even the most cynical of critics could deny that he does make exceedingly good politico-dramas and is a very good character actor, providing the characters all have similar traits. I have to concur that he is not the most naturally expressive person ever to be immortalised on celluloid but what he does he does well. From Elliott Ness in the Untouchables via John Dundee in Dances with Wolves and Jim Garrison in JFK to Kenny O'Donnell in Thirteen Days, Costner portrays four men with very single-minded, driven characters. They are not necessarily likeable but they are all intriguing and very captivating. The film is based upon the actual events surrounding the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, at the height of the Cold War and probably the most politically turbulent period since World War Two. This powerful docu-drama reveals the character of the Kennedy's as they really were, men of determination and compassion, not just the darlings of the nation. In many respects I wish that this movie had been released prior to JFK, sort of a part one of the story, as it provides significant insight as to the cause of the subsequent Kennedy assassination in the following year. Not only does Thirteen Days give you a stage by stage account of events but also conveys the feelings of terror that must have been felt by all involved. The thought of being responsible for potentially destroying humanity is one that chills me. The strength that JFK and Co. showed during this time, when his Joint Chiefs of Staff were baying for Russian blood after the Bay of Pigs fiasco, deserves the highest accolade and recognition, as does this account of those events. It is a film that would probably be even better digested second-time round, after having been given time to ruminate on the all the political events which occurred during this period This movie shows how a man of peace and genuine concern for the common man, regardless of how he lived his personal life, was almost unknowingly manipulated into an unthinkable situation and who suffered the ultimate retribution as a consequence of his convictions. Anyway, enough of my political rantings. There have been a number of truly magnificent films that have been released recently and this, for me, is one that can rightfully sit at the top of the pile and stay there for a long time to come. It will definitely be added to my home cinema collection when it is available.
Rating:
Summary: Best Field Trip My School Ever Went On
Review: What a film! None of us ever knew how close we were to coming to war with the Russians. My dad still tells me stories about how he used to 'duck and cover' in school ever since we went to see "The Iron Giant." It is hard to think that all this happened right here in America and right off our shores. My dad told me he still remembers President Kennedy coming on TV and how scared everybody was afterward. I liked this movie. There was a lot of talk but it moved fast and with conviction. The acting was perfect. Bruce Greenwood as John F. Kennedy gave his best performance to date. Kevin Costner's accent was a bit over-the-top but he was pretty believable especially in the scene with the pilot who was later downed over Cuba and the scene at the breakfast table at the conclusion of the crisis. My teacher said it was mostly accurate but again who really knows all the events. This was a good film and one that all young Americans should see.
Rating:
Summary: STUNNING
Review: ... While Kevin Costner is better than good (the accent was a little much, however, one can look past that), Steven Culp and especially Bruce Greenwood, are absolutely brilliant. The intensity emanating from this cast is by far, without comparison. It was as if the Kennedy brothers came back to life just to star in this film. On another note, we all know Hollywood has a tendency to take "creative liberties". Here, they've done - for the most part - history justice in explaining just how close we really came to a nuclear meltdown. A tense, exciting and stunning 2+ hours of time well spent; no down time here. "Thirteen Days" is a fine film, with an outstanding starring cast and stellar supporting cast. They don't make them much better than this. Shame on the Oscars for not recognizing this film - especially Greenwood's performance.
Rating:
Summary: SPELLBINDING COLD WAR DOCUDRAMA
Review: Having lived through the events on which THIRTEEN DAYS is based may have biased me towards this docudrama. By far the most convincing performance was handed in by Bruce Greenwood as John F. Kennedy. Steven Culp was similarly excellent as the wise cracking Robert Kennedy. However, aside from a good job of playing the intensely frantic Kennedy sidekick and Chief Political Advisor Kenny Odonnell, Kevin Kostner as the big name actor was pretty awful. It is, not so much his dramatic skills which distracted me, but rather his terrible New England accent (which sounded like sour notes every there were dialogues with either of the two Kennedy characters). I think Kostner never got over his drawl as New Orleans's prosecutor Jim Garrison in Oliver Stone's JFK! From beginning to end, the action and drama holds us in the grip of fear as the world teeters on the edge of doom.... But by and large this is a terrifically entertaining and informative movie.
Rating:
Summary: Thirteen Good Parts
Review: This movie takes place in the inner circle of JFK's (Greenwood) White House as news of missile in Cuba create an atmosphere of fear and danger, as seen through the eyes of Kennedy's Chief of Staff (Costner). Will the U.S. become locked in a nuclear war with a threat so close to its border?
Rating:
Summary: Great for Political / History Buffs
Review: I went to this movie not knowing what to expect. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The film does a great job of capturing the incredible drama that played out within the White House during the Cuban Missile Crisis. What emerges is a glimpse of what happens to many Presidents, and for that matter CEOs: Often they are at the mercy of the information provided to them by their staff. Kennedy's military advisors are head strong to use force and various random acts (a nuclear test, a U2 flying over Siberia, etc) complicate Kennedy's ability to design a solution. What emerges is how crucial communication is for diplomacy and how close we came to a military conflict because of a lack of communication. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy is an art as much as it is a science and often that requires managing the events around the issue you're negotiating. This is a great film for anyone interested in foreign policy, history, or just the drama and intrigue of the decisions behind the President.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent drama of how JFK stood up to the warmongers
Review: 13 Days has a dramatic intensity to it enhanced by the fact that it's a depiction of real events. I disagree with the criticisms of some reviewers regarding the accents, the black and white, and the nuclear explosions. The recurrent motif of nuclear blasts works on a few different levels. One is it drives home what this administration avoided. Also it was the nightmare that many in the world had over this crisis. Okay, the accents aren't perfect and JFK doesn't look like JFK, nonetheless neither of these things detracts from excellent acting. By the way, RFK looks just like the real one. The significance of this crisis is really beyond our comprehension. Had things gone differently most if not all of us wouldn't be here. The depiction of the military warmongers dying for a nuclear war was chilling and rang true. The way JFK maneuvered between them and the "Soviet" to come out the other side peacefully must have ----ed off the military royally, considering he was assassinated 1 year later. In a sense JFK did give his life to save the world. I thank God Dubya wasn't in office during that time. As we enter the new century nuclear war becomes more plausible from many sources. This film is a fitting tribute to our last great president and captures the tension, the secret negotiations, and intelligent dialogue (yes, in a Hollywood film) that went on behind the scenes.
Rating:
Summary: A Gripping, Edge of Your Seat Drama
Review: Being both a Kevin Costner fan and a fan of John F Kennedy, I was eagerly anticipating the release of this movie. I was not disappointed. The movie captures what surely must have been one of the most tense times in the history of this country. Even knowing how the story ends, I was on the edge of my seat through the entire movie. The performances by the lead actors were exceptional - Bruce Greenwood as John F. Kennedy was so good, I forgot I was watching an actor in the role and Steven Culp as Robert Kennedy was equally as good. Kevin Coster as Kenneth O'Donnell was the emotional center of this movie, showing us the toll this stressful time took on not only the central characters involved but on American families as well. Anyone who finds his Boston accent laughable or grating has obviously not listened to conversations involving the actual people who surrounded the Kennedys. Their Boston accents were very pronounced and I feel Costner handled the accent very well. This is a movie I would recommend to anyone who likes well written, well acted, intelligent movie making.
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