Rating: 
Summary: Costner... the forgotten Kennedy
Review: A political thriller starring Kevin Costner about the Cuban Missile Crisis during Kennedy's administration. Costner, who seems to envision himself as the third Kennedy, is the Special Political Advisor to the president. I mean, if we are to believe what we see here, he is the real hero of the Cuban missile crisis. He saved the world from getting into a nuclear battle. This film is kind of a yawner with too much camera time spent on Costner and that enormous melon he calls a head. His accent is irritating at best. He character wants so much to be a Kennedy. It seems that the Kennedy's can't make a move or a decision without the advice of this guy. I don't know if this was true or not about this guy, it just seem Costner (who long movies are hard to take) makes it seem so. Costner is not a character that wants to be a Kennedy, it's COSTNER who WANTS to be a Kennedy. COSTNER has this hero worship wannabe in practically every LONG movie that he is in (and most of the short ones). He loves having the camera on him which makes this picture suffer. There are some wonderful actors in this movie but they hardly get screen time. The film should be called 13 Days of Kevin Costner's enormous ego. Now to other cast members. Bruce Greenwood does a good job playing JFK, but since the picture isn't about him, we don't get to see too much of him in action as president. I mean, all the important calls are made by Costner. Stephen Culp could be mistaken for Robert Kennedy. If you have ever seen footage of Robert Kennedy, you would think that you were watching the actual former Attorney General on screen here. This was the most convincing performance even right down to the accent. This film is way longer than it needs to be. About 30 minutes into the film I looked at my watch, then looked at it again 30 minutes later, and one last time with about 20-30 minutes to go in the picture. It's not a bad picture, but it's certainly nothing to write home about. You will not be on the edge of your seat and they had all the tools to get you that way. If the camera spent less time on Costner and more time away from Ego-tripper, perhaps this film would have been more enjoyable. Every since the much deserved success of Dances With Wolves, Costner seems to think that people only want to see him in screen. Thank goodness he knew better to share the screen in 3000 Miles to Graceland. Too bad he couldn't follow that recipe.
Rating: 
Summary: Required viewing for all Top Management
Review: My first encounter with this film was in the Top Management Process course at the Columbia Business School. In addition to the film's historical and political context, it also has a lot to say about leadership, organizational behavior and executive decisionmaking processes. When watching the film, keep an eye on Kevin Costner who plays the role of Kenny O'Donnell. Also observe JFK and his handling of the Generals. The film clearly demonstrates the pitfalls of organizational silence, the negative outcomes of groupthink, the need for contrarian opinions, and the management of emotionally invested opinions. The Cuban Missile Crisis clearly portrays the evolution of JFK as an executive. Contrast the Cuban Missile Crisis with the Bay of Pigs and it becomes quite clear how JFK evolved as a leader.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent film, and it's not that inaccurate
Review: Let's get the negatives out of the way first: Costner's Boston accent and a historical liberty. Yes, the accent is terrible, but get over it. If that's the one thing you're concentrating on during this movie, then it's probably going over your head anyway. The other major criticism is that the movie is historically inaccurate. This is true in the strict sense that Kenneth O'Donnell (Kevin Costner) had very little to do with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Instead, O'Donnell is a composite character made up of about a half-dozen other presidential aides. The movie would have certainly been more confusing if you had to keep track of six more characters. As any student of the Cold War will tell you, however, that's about the only inaccuracy in the entire movie. This is a smart movie. You could teach an entire course on international politics and decision-making from this movie. The real genius of the movie is not that it shows you WHAT happened during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but it shows you HOW it happened. The power struggles between the White House and the military, the miscommunications, the misinterpretations, and the uncertainty are all forces that weigh in on Presidential decision making. If you want to really understand how foreign policy decisions are reached, you should study this movie in conjunction with Graham Allison's "Essence of Decision." This masterful book gives you a thorough, organized explanation of how Kennedy made the decisions he did. "Thirteen Days" clarifies that it wasn't all that organized and really makes one appreciate President Kennedy's ability to safely navigate us through the crisis.
Rating:
Summary: ....Not one of Kevin Costner's best films.
Review: "Thirteen Days" is an epic-saga with the premise centered around the "Cuban Missle Crisis" [circa. 1960's]. Kevin Costner plays the famous president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. He uses this fake sounding New-England accent throughout the movie, it's gotta be one of the worst attemps by an [actor] Kevin to validate the viewers belief he's the president. (He sounded like someone getting high on drugs.) Kevin's portrayal of JFK comes-up way short - he sounded and looked nothing like him. There's some genocide in the film, with some brutal war-scenes being valiantly fought between the heavily armed American and Cuban forces. There're some pretty gruesome details of this movie, that I would prefer not to divulge. The action drags-on for too long. This movie made me want to fall asleep, because I thought it was boring. Anyhow, this movie is not one of Kevin Costner's best films. He's done much better in films playing an action-hero like "Dances With Wolves" and "Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves."
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT Film
Review: My favorite film!
This fascinating political suspense flick serves as a tribute to the fine work that President Kennedy and his advisors did, amidst military pressures for war, during the thirteen days of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Now, I wasn't around in '62, but it seems quite accurate from my point of view. In fact, the biggest 'mess-up' I could pick out was a quick glimpse of a C-130 Hercules (cargo plane) taxiing, wearing the current USAF paint scheme and not the 1960's SEA (Southeast Asia) camouflage or old Military Airlift Command colors! The computer-generated aircraft scenes did a little to detract from the realism, but there are no RF-8s, U-2Cs, or F-101s still flying, so at least the producers took the time to make the aircraft accurate. I did like the Vietnam-era carrier footage and the aircraft scrambles, however! Those were the real thing! By the way, if you haven't noticed, I'm quite the aviation nut. The cast line-up was pretty impressive: Kevin Costner as special assistant to the president Kenny O'Donnell, Bruce Greenwood as JFK, Steven Culp (best known for his role as Clayton Webb on "J.A.G.") as Bobby Kennedy, Bill Smitrovich as Gen. Maxwell Taylor, Elya Baskin as Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin, and a selection of other fine actors. This is probably the most underrated film I know of, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Cuban missile crisis or who enjoys political dramas.
Rating:
Summary: very interessing!!
Review: this movie learn us a lot about the cuban missile crissis.
it says to us how great were Jack and Bobby Kennedy.
the actors acts very well and the story is conform of RFK's book, read it too!!!
1962 was a very dangerous year, but the kennedys prevented a nuclear war against the USSR.
I suggest it to all the kennedys fans and for people who are interessing in history.
Rating:
Summary: Good account of the cuban missile crisis!
Review: Costner's "Boston" accent is horrible, you'd mistake him as a southener! The story is interesting and close to historical facts, but it doesn't put enough forward JFK's and RFK's incredible political courage!!! They went to the end of their ideals, doing everything possible to avoid a nuclear war with USSR!
Rating:
Summary: You'll never believe how close we came...
Review: This movie was incredible. It fits all the requirements for receiving 5 stars. For one thing, the acting was flawless. I never would have guessed Kevin Costner could do such a wonderful job in a movie not relating to baseball! The actor who played Robert Kennedy did a good job, as well. I forget his name, but some of you might know him from JAG as the charactor, Clayton Webb, the CIA agent. The storyline was intoxicatingly frightening with the unreal but real threat of the Soviet Union launching a nuclear missile at the United States. After seeing it, it is hard to believe how close we came. In addition, I was impressed by the action scenes in the aircraft while taking survaillance photos above Cuba. One thing that struck me odd while watching the trailer provided on the DVD disc, they showed a clip from the flight of F-8 Crusaders over Cuba. Strangely enough, one second they were F-8's, the next it was a LearJet. For any of you who know anything about aircraft, that ain't right. After doing a little more research, I found that they used LearJets for the aerial filming. Some foul-up, huh? Oh, well, it's just the trailer. Hell of a movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Intresting stuff
Review: With a running time of almost 2 and a half hours, this movie almost feels like 13 days. Still, it's an intresting perspective on the events of the Cuban missile crisis. Although I'm not a historian, it's obvious that the film makers want to glorify JFK and his handling of the situation. In reality, he and his administration did a good job of keeping us out of WW3 and I do believe the Military was pushing for an attack to redeem themselves for the Bay of Pigs fiasco. But lets not forget it was under his administration that the Bay of Pigs even happened, that's never really touched on. He also had a problem with infidelity to his wife, the man was not the peaceful saint that most movies make him out to be. Costner gives a decent performance, although being one of the producers I'm sure he had a hand in expanding the role of Kenny O'Donnell to give himself more to do. In addition, his Boston accent shows us why he didn't try the britsh accent in Robin Hood, it's teeth clenchingly bad. Thankfully, it seems to tone down as the movie goes on. Bruce Greenwood gets some great moments as JFK and there are quite a few great dramatic moments.
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece !
Review: The nineties were a decade much different from the ones preceding it. The world found itself in an unfamiliar situation after the collapse of the Soviet Union. No more did one live in a world driven by the cold war's military buildup and paranoia. The United States remained the only true superpower. After several years filled with the joy of peace and entertainment, New Line Studios produced a film in 2000 called Thirteen Days. It addresses arguably the hottest point of the Cold War-the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is this paper's position that, through an accurate historical description, the film serves as a valuable reminder for the young generations that the Cold War was indeed the most dangerous war the world has experienced. The movie is situated in America in the fall of 1962. The Soviets had been providing Cuba with medium range nuclear missiles. The administration of John F. Kennedy (played by Bruce Greenwood) found out about the missiles in October of that year and considered them immediately as the highest threat to its national security. The movie focuses on the thirteen days that the presidential cabinet spent on devising a plan of removing the missiles from Cuba. The principal character of the movie is Kenny O'Donnell (Kevin Costner). The story is predominantly portrayed through Kenny's eyes as he served as the personal advisor to John F. Kennedy. He seems to be a part of every secret meeting attended by the president. Moreover, the president never makes a decision before consulting Kenny. Kevin Costner does an excellent job of acting in this role. The only complaint I have is Costner's Boston accent, which was carried out in a poor way. The director (Roger Donaldson) chooses O'Donnell to be a family man in the movie. There are no other characters that are portrayed in such a way. One can speculate that Donaldson purposely chose at least one character in order to identify how American families were living in the Sixties. Hence, the O'Donnells' represent an American ideal of a cold war family. The role of the president must have been a challenge for any actor, since John F. Kennedy was a figure of a notable historical importance and is known by many from the older generation. Bruce Greenwood seems to be the right man for the job. The director should be praised for paying attention to portraying details of Kennedy's life that not many people are familiar with. Contrary to popular beliefs that Kennedy was a very healthy and desirable man, the movie makes a point of showing that in reality Kennedy suffered major health problems. There is a scene where Kennedy takes 3 large pills while talking with Kenny O'Donnell. Robert Kennedy (Steven Culp) also plays an important role in avoiding a nuclear conflict. He is JFK's most trusted advisor. The general feel a viewer gets from the movie is that O'Donnell was the most trusted advisor to the president. However, the director creates a particular scene where O'Donnell is asked to leave the president and his brother alone to discuss the possibility of trading Jupiter missiles for the Cuban ones. The main dilemma of the plot is definitely that the president is trying to find a sane solution to the crisis while being pressured by all military fractions into a sneak attack against Cuba. Such attack would render the United States as an aggressor towards a small country. In addition, it would be deemed to fail justification on the grounds of United Nations. Kennedy is holding the attack as the last possible option. The military personnel led by General Curtis LeMay (Kevin Conway) are restlessly trying to persuade the president that there are no other options and that the Soviets only understand the language of action and force. Ultimately, an atmosphere is created where the viewer sees the president (plus his personal advisors) as the only person with a cold head surrounded by a sea of crazy military generals. It may seem a little strange in the historical context of the time. The fact that many high-ranking generals were fired after they had orchestrated a "brilliant" operation known as "the Bay of Pigs" should lead one to believe that Kennedy would surround himself with people of a better military judgment. However, the director masterfully rejects even such speculations. Based on historical facts, the movie shows that LeMay instructed the United States military forces to move to DEFCON 2 while the president only approved DEFCON 3. This indeed proves that the military personnel were plotting behind Kennedy's back and they may have been deliberately trying to pick a fight with the Soviets. The director doesn't give any credit to the Soviet leadership for handling the crisis with a cold head. However, this fact is not disruptive to the overall experience since the focus of movie is solidly based on the American view of the crisis. It would have been too difficult for the movie to portray both views in the same manner as it did with the American side. Thirteen Days is easily the most historically accurate film I've seen. It is amazing how many historical details it throws in front of a viewer. One should not overlook the fact that a historical accuracy does not necessary guarantee a good film. However, the Cuban Missile Crisis is known to be a very-if not the most-dramatic moment in the Cold War history. Therefore, even if followed verbatim, the Cuban Missile Crisis produces a dramatic script. And when it is coupled with good acting and production, the viewers of such a movie are not going to be left without a great experience. After watching it, everyone should also be able to feel that, indeed, in 1962 the world was in a great danger.
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