Rating: 
Summary: Not your typical Hollywood rubbish, but a fine movie.
Review: It is October 1962, and US intelligence have discovered that the Soviet Union is placing nuclear weapons in Cuba, within striking distance of Northern America, and with the capability of wiping out much of the area within minutes. President Kennedy and his advisers are faced with the daunting prospect of responding firmly but responsibly. In the thirteen days of the crisis, the need to first and foremost, defend America from the threat of extinction by invading Cuba, is weighed up against the possiblity that an invasion of Cuba will lead to Russian retaliation in eastern Europe. It seems that whichever way he goes, Kennedy will be staring at some sort of world war. The film takes painstaking effort to portray this background accurately, and does a remarkably good job. The acting of Bruce Greenwood as the President, and the much-maligned Kevin Costner as his adviser Kenny O'Donnell is excellent, while Steven Culp as Bobby Kennedy is exceptional. Some might say, "Steven who?", but that is the point. Many of the people who played out this drama in real-life are faceless nameless figures who 99.9% of the US population would never have heard of. A cast of unknowns is therefore appropriate, and besides, the acting from all the cast is very very good. Overall, the two commendable features of the film are that a). It never trivialises the seriousness of the real-life situation, and doesn't pander to Hollywood; and b). It isn't afraid to have long scenes of hefty but highly fascinating and invigorating dialogue. It uses music and dramatic effect, but never at the expense of the dialogue. Obviously, this film will not be everyone's cup of tea. You can't really sit down feeling tired at the end of a long day, and expect to flake out in front of the TV watching this; Thirteen Days demands your attention, and has to be given the time, space and patience to enravel the dramatic events of October 1962. It's worth it though. This is a most educational and interesting movie worth buying, and I will stress "buying", because you will need, and want, to see it more than once, as there is an awful lot to take in.
Rating: 
Summary: I was surprised
Review: I expected this to be the usual Hollywoodized historical drama, but it was a complex and intelligent take on the Cuban Missile Crisis that takes history and ideas seriously and expects the audience to do the same. The best thing about it is the conflict between the hawks, the doves and the Kennedys -- each of whom has a strongly felt and defensible point of view on responding to this deadly dilemma. You get a feeling for what a dangerous course the US and USSR were on and how hard it was to step back from the brink of nuclear war when logic and sound strategy seemed to point in that direction. My only reservation is that the Kennedys can do no wrong in this movie, and I suspect that they don't quite deserve the uncritical treatment they get here.
Rating:
Summary: Great and Enjoyable Historical Film
Review: Great Film; history that should be known. Kennedy demonstrated his grit through this crisis, and avoided an almost certain war. The DVD Infini-film has great background information that really brings the film forward (but, also see negatives). Summary
Thirteen Days re-enacts the Cuban Missile Crisis. We have all heard of it, but few know the real issues that took place behind the scenes. This movie takes us into Kennedy's Cabinet meetings to experience the true depth and danger of the challenge as well as the personal and philosophical conflicts that existed on all sides. 13 Days has a well developed script, and terrific performances by a very broad, solid cast. A very enjoyable, and dynamic film.
Most Kennedy re-enactment films come off really weak with poor imitation and bad accents. Well, this film was convincing, all around, and brings the viewer to the time and issues. Negatives:
The accents are better than others, but still off. Sorry, I'm a Cape Codder with a real accent, and it ain't like that! I drive to the store in a cah, not carr! The infini-film is really useful in this film to give the viewer a good perspective of the real people and history of the movie. But, it also gets in the way of watching the movie because it offers so much information on so many topics. So, make sure you watch the Infini-film after you have enjoyed the movie. Also, the DVD lacks a directors commentary which I think is essential for a film like this.
Rating:
Summary: Jack -I mean- Kenny of All Trades
Review: Who was this Kenneth O'Donnell guy? Never heard of him. I read he was someone in the Kennedy administration; some second-rank politico. That's it. That's all. No big deal but nothing to be ashamed of, either. However, according to critic Roger Ebert, it just so happens that "O'Donnell's son Kevin, the Earthlink millionaire, is an investor in the company of "Thirteen Days" producer Armyan Bernstein". Well, reading between the lines, I can't think of a worst way to honor someone's dad than to ignore his actual deeds by making him the larger-than-life figure he never was. For if one is to believe this movie, Kenneth O'Donnell was "the fifth Kennedy"! This guy ran the White House all by himself or so it seems, because his role includes everything, from serving coffee when needed, to ammending Jackie's guest list, protecting a dovish JFK from the big bad top brass, reprimending the National Security Advisor, instructing Adlai Stevenson (no less!) on how to answer the Russians, and, mostly, telling everyone else how to do their jobs right in order to enter History (with a big H). He's always there to dispense the brothers with some pep talk, infallible advice and obsequious flattery. In the movie's worst scene, for instance, while RFK and ambassador Dobrynin hold a crucial meeting, he's on the next room whistling "O Danny Boy" to remind the Attorney General how much he believes in him. One wonders why Bobby never yells him to shut up, or why President Kennedy never made him Chief of Staff! Alas, poor Mr. O'Donnell! Thanks to this movie we'll never know who he really was ... That aside, the movie is a good historical thriller. The major events are accurately re-enacted, the characters well portrayed and the cast certainly looks the part. Tension builds on acting instead of special effects, and these are GREAT because, being unnoticeable, they never distract you from the plot. As for the obnoxious Boston accent, myself not being American, I didn't notice and can't tell.
Rating:
Summary: Great storytelling, incredible features
Review: I managed to escape higher education without learning a thing about history. I happened upon this movie while it was in the house DVD player, and it has greatly added to my understanding of US history. The storytelling is very engaging, but the real reason to actually buy the DVD is the extensive background information. I don't think this applies to people who know a lot about history, because I get the impression it is just an overview. However, for those of us who know a lot about something but could never deal with a serious history book, the overview is perfect. The 2-minute biographies of practically every major player in the Cuban Missile Crisis put the name and role to a face - crucial for my memory. The analysis provided by various historians address the liberties taken by the film, and tell you exactly how much evidence they had. There are lots and lots of audio clips of the real voices, providing us young'uns with what Kennedy actually sounded like. The interviews with the son of Khrushchev give more life and perspective to Nikita than any history book ever could. Buy this for your uninformed children - too many of us have little or no perspective of how our nation has been sculpted by the events we know only by title.
Rating:
Summary: Common Man's View of Cuban Missile Crisis
Review: This is a good film, but not a terrific film. Costner attempts an almost "Common Man's" view of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the movie Thirteen Days. Taken from White House Political Advisor Kenny O'Donnell's memoirs, Thirteen Days actually manages a few historical accuracies over the 1970s book and TV Movie: "The Missiles of October" and other works on the subject. O'Donnell correctly attributed the "you're in a hell of a mess, Mr. President" comment to Air Force General Curtis LeMay. A fact actually discovered to be backed up by recently discovered tapes of the conversation made by the White House. While I liked both of these movies and books, and while I feel that "Missiles of October" gives the audience a better view of the political thought processes during the crisis, Thirteen Days makes no attempt to idolize John & Bobby Kennedy. In "Thirteen Days" they appear as much less decisive and strong as they appear in "Missiles of October". "Missiles of October" falsely makes it appear as if all the major ideas during the crisis came from Kennedy. Kennedy's career showed that he was a man of cautious consensus - especially after the disastrous political defeat at Munich and the even more disastrous military Bay of Pigs incident. Thirteen Days is far more consistent with reality in this sense. Everybody appears weak. Everybody makes stupid mistakes which could have been disastrous. Nobody is overly romanticized. More importantly, Thirteen Days attempts (whether accurately or fictitiously) to show the crisis from the side of the pilots and smaller people normally ignored in the history books. You're given a feeling of the danger of the reconnaissance missions and the political agendas of mission debriefings. Thirteen Days also gives us an inkling of just why the Vietnam War was run with such silly, strict rules of engagement. Both the Democratic and Republican Administrations in the White House after Kennedy felt that the military had been out of control during the Cuban Missile Crisis. With the normal vying for power between State Department and Defense Department that occurs in any administration, the Cabinet and the Executive Branch of the US Government would never be run exactly the same after the Cuban Missile Crisis. They held tight reigns during the Vietnam War and consequently made even darker mistakes that cost thousands of lives. Thirteen Days glamorizes no historical figure. While I fault the film for omitting many of the key facts and events of the crisis, it still does an exceptional job of looking at the Cuban Missile Crisis from the Bottom Up, as opposed from the Top Down. Just as it is normal for fans or football teams to tend to overly glorify or idolize a single key athlete, Thirteen Days reminds us that no single person deserves all the credit or blame in a nuclear crisis or any other political crisis in history. Thirteen Days reminds us that we are all human, and that whatever good or evil comes from our actions and weaknesses, Americans have had the uncommon great fortune of placing people in their government and military who are somehow, collectively able to overcome and rise above their individual weaknesses and do the right thing for America survive and succeed.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done
Review: Good historical review of this time.
Rating: 
Summary: Cringe
Review: If you want to learn about the Cuban Missile Crisis...go to the library -- it is more exciting, and you won't have to listen to some of the worst accents ever attempted. NO STARS!
Rating:
Summary: THIRTEEN DAYS THE EARTH STOOD STILL
Review: This is an excellent and unfairly overlooked movie that should have at least generated Oscar nominations, if not Oscars, twelve months ago. Unfairly criticised for fictionally enhancing the White House role of presidential aide Kenneth O'Donnell and taking liberties with the facts, this is the kind of Costner bashing that its star and co-producer must be pretty familiar with by now. 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!
Rating:
Summary: gripping historical drama
Review: In just the past few months - since the United States has once again been put on a state of high alert after the September 11th terrorist attacks - "Thirteen Days" has assumed a position of much greater pertinence than it did when it was first released in theatres in late 2000. What at that time might have seemed like little more than a quaint history lesson - dealing with issues and events from a bygone world and era - now suddenly throbs with a contemporary relevance it didn't have before. "Thirteen Days" derives its title from the two-week period in October 1962 when, during the famed Cuban Missile Crisis, the world was brought almost to the brink of nuclear annihilation. In this Halloween horror to end all Halloween horrors, the citizens of the planet held their collective breaths as President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev faced off over the Soviets' attempt to employ nuclear weapons, aimed directly at the United States, in Castro's Cuba. The most admirable aspect of "Thirteen Days" is that the filmmakers understand the power of their material and feel no need to hype or gussy it up with irrelevant side issues or cheap melodramatics. For 147 minutes, we are thrust into the center of this volatile moment in time as President Kennedy, his Attorney General (and brother) Robert Kennedy, and Special Assistant to the President Kenneth P. O'Donnell - who serves as the Everyman focal point for the audience - weigh what options they have in trying to avoid the hitherto unthinkable possibility of global, all-out nuclear war. Complicating their decisions are many of the contending forces in their own ranks - be it Congress, the Joint Chiefs of Staff or the media - all of which have a particular point to make, job to do, or political ax to grind. The film is fascinating just on the level of allowing us to see the complex and often ugly nuts-and-bolts aspect of high governmental drama. Yet, although the film never wavers from the issue at hand, it manages to achieve remarkable depth of character as we see these three men of goodwill struggling with an issue of unprecedented life-or-death global importance. We come to see the toll such stress brings to bear even on men who, in our tendency to romanticize our heroes, often seem superhuman from our outside-looking-in perspective. Despite the fact that the movie rarely leaves its Washington setting, we are still afforded chilling images of life on the outside during these two amazing weeks: anchorman Walter Cronkite intoning a bleak sign-off to his broadcast during one of the gloomiest hours of the crisis, hordes of somber Catholics queuing up outside a church where round-the-clock confessions have been instituted, and masses of people depleting grocery store shelves in preparation for the worst-possible-case scenario. Kevin Kostner as O'Donnell, Bruce Greenwood as JFK and Steven Culp as RFK all deliver superlative portraits of serious minded and compassionate adults who comprehend the gravity of the situation in which they find themselves. What is most amazing about "Thirteen Hours" is that, even though we already know how it is going to end, we still find ourselves caught up in the suspenseful nature of the situation. Particularly gripping is the scene in which Adlai Stevenson, then U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., confronts head-on the Soviet ambassador who attempts to deny the truth of the allegations made against his country. It is a moment of high political and emotional conflict worthy of Greek or Shakespearean drama. One wishes that the makers of "Pearl Harbor" had taken the same approach to their historical event as the makers of "Thirteen Days" did to theirs. Then we might have been spared the inane, puppy-love scenario that all but sank that later film. Imagine if the focus in "Thirteen Days" had been on John having to break the news to Marilyn while a jealous, rheumy-eyed Bobby looked on from the wings. Thank God saner heads prevailed and we have a film on this subject that serves both as a fascinating lesson in history AND as a gripping study of human behavior in a time of crisis. Given what the world is going through right now, "Thirteen Days" emerges as a film deeply relevant to our time.
| 
