Thirteen Days Review
by David Kingsley

For 13 days in October 1962, the United States and Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war because of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when U-2 surveillance photos revealed several medium range nuclear missiles being installed in Cuba for a probable Soviet first strike attack. The events surrounding this crisis are dramatized in Thirteen Days, starring Kevin Costner as Kenny O'Donnell, a political advisor to President John F. Kennedy, who was probably the closest thing that we've ever had to having a superhero as president.

The movie is seen mainly from the point of view of O'Donnell, although President Kennedy is the main protagonist. Nevertheless, O'Donnell was just as involved in the political discussions as the president, and we see how the time he spends on resolving the crisis affects his family, which he hardly got to see during that time. As reported elsewhere, Costner's New England accent is bad, but thankfully he doesn't always use it. President John Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, are portrayed by Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp, respectively, both of whom are good look-alikes for their counterparts and handle their accents well.

Although we know how the crisis ends, the movie does a good job of keeping us in suspense during the individual events that are not detailed in the history books. While Kennedy's staff is trying to find a peaceful solution, his military advisors are trying to maneuver events to escalate the conflict into an invasion of Cuba. When pilots are sent to take surveillance photos, we're not sure whether they'll be coming back alive. We also get an idea of the panic and fear that gripped America when the existence of the missiles was revealed to the public.

In case you're still not sure whether the movie is worth seeing, it is preceded by a teaser trailer for Lord of the Rings. The trailer doesn't tell you too much but leaves you interested in knowing more. It also reveals that each movie in the trilogy will be released around each of the next three Christmases.

Thirteen Days

Four Beakers
(out of five)

Search This Site