AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

vrabecj I was only a toddler during the crisis, but over the years I have read over 30 books about the JFK assassination and some of those talk about the Cuban Missile Crisis at length.The US was within hours of a nuclear war with the USSR and Kennedy's intelligence and calmness saved the day. The war hawks in the administration along with those with the same sentiment on Khrushchev's side kept ratcheting up their desire to go to war.After JFK was murdered, Khruschev mentioned that the chance of the Cold War ending died with JFK.I have loved this movie since its first release and enjoy watching it still today. A good history lesson for people that want to know more about Kennedy's presidency.As far as Costner's accent, to me it didn't hinder the movie at all. The story is the thing and the acting overall was top notch.

dglink In October 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union were on the verge of war over Soviet missile installations in Cuba. Based on President John F. Kennedy's tapes and a script by David Self, Roger Donaldson's outstanding film, "Thirteen Days," effectively recreates that tense Cold War period. Told from the perspective of JFK's White House, including the president; his brother Robert, the Attorney General; and the Special Assistant to the President, Kenny O'Donnell; the film is largely dialog driven. Evidently based on actual conversations, cabinet meetings, and confrontations between the administration and the military, the proceedings have the ring of truth. Kevin Costner, who also co-produced, heads the cast as O'Donnell; his effective low-key performance communicates the stress of his unique job situation and the toll it takes on his family and private life. In one particularly effective scene, Costner stands outside a church, where a line of parishioners are waiting for confession; a sign says that confession is available throughout the night, and, after a pause, Costner joins the line.Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp play John and Robert Kennedy, respectively; both actors bear a passing resemblance to the Kennedy brothers, and, with Boston accents, they quickly submerge themselves into their parts, and the leads are well supported by a cast of pros, who portray a who's who of Kennedy administration officials familiar to any Baby Boomer who lived through the Camelot era; among them, Dylan Baker as Robert McNamara, Michael Fairman as Adlai Stevenson, and Len Cariou as Dean Acheson are worth mentioning.Although the film's ending is already part of history, "Thirteen Days" remains engrossing, often tense, suspenseful, and fast paced. An excellent score by Trevor Jones punctuates the action, and the footage shifts from color to black and white in a seemingly arbitrary manner; however, whatever the intention, the shifts neither add nor detract from the movie. Stock footage depicts civil defense preparations, and shots of nuclear explosions foretell what could occur if the negotiations between the U.S. and the Soviets had failed. Donaldson avoids claustrophobia by cutting from the White House to action in the skies over Cuba and events at sea as the U.S. blockade of Cuba takes effect. An excellent film that is well made and well performed, "Thirteen Days" is more than a history lesson; it is a warning as well. The film would make a good double bill with Costner's earlier Kennedy movie, "JFK."

slightlymad22 Thirteen Days (2000)Plot In A Paragraph: The Kennedy administration's struggle to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.I think this is a brilliant movie, filled with great performances. Bruce Greenwood as JFK and Steven Culprit as Bobby Kennedy. It is another less is more performance from KC, and he does not steal the limelight from his costars. Every performance in this movie is as flawless as you can get. It's well shot, has amazing tension, whilst the score is another winner too!! This was not only KC's best reviewed movie in years, he also revived great reviews. Gripping, excellent thriller, Fascinating, Terrifically engrossing were all terms I heard/read in relation to this movie, but for some reason nobody went to see it. I remember when it was nominated for the critics choice for best movie, I thought it may be a movie the Oscars love but didn't find an audience, but from memory, it didn't garner a single nomination. I urge everyone who has not seen it, to check it out.

rowmorg Its pretty shattering when Kennedy says he just read "The Guns of August" (by Barbara Tuchman), because it reveals what a nightmare the 20th century was. I remember that Friday night in 1962 going to bed wondering if I'd get up in the morning. It was truly ghastly to feel that the whole civilised world could be blown to bits by lunatics like Gen. Curtis Lemay and Gen. Lemnitzer. Of course, the war party ultimately won by Kennedy getting assassinated, something that traumatized my whole life and has never been resolved. Gen. Lemnitzer got promoted to run the whole of NATO and the hideous Gladio programme that distorted European politics. All those guys are still there and they faked the 9/11 events to promote more war in the 21st century: it's so sad that the US public gets lied to again and again, and just laps it up or turns off. Kennedy was the one guy who had a chance to turn over a new leaf, and it was stolen from him --- and from his brother. This is a very sad film, in view of what transpired: although, sadly, few Americans are aware of what happened afterwards, or even before, such as the Bay of Pigs fiasco that led directly to this trauma, and got Lemnitzer fired by Kennedy. We now know that Kennedy was corresponding with Kruschev throughout.