Thirteen Days (2001)

When released in December 2000, Thirteen Days was pummeled for taking liberties with the facts of the Cuban missile crisis and smothering its compelling drama with phony Boston accents by its primary stars. More tolerant critics hailed it as one of the year's best films, and that's the opinion to believe for anyone who enjoys taut, intelligent political thrillers. For those too young to relate directly to the timeless urgency of the crisis that played out over 13 days in October 1962, Thirteen Days joins the classic TV treatment The Missiles of October (1973) as an intense and thought-provoking study of leadership under pressure.

The film (and costar-coproducer Kevin Costner) drew criticism for fictionally enhancing the White House role of presidential aide Kenneth O'Donnell, but while Costner's Boston accent may be grating, his fine performance as O'Donnell offers expert witness to the crisis, its nerve-wracking escalation, and the efforts of John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) and Robert F. Kennedy (Steven Culp) to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Russia. While Soviet missiles approach operational status in Cuba, director Roger Donaldson (who directed Costner in No Way Out) cuts to exciting U.S. Navy flights over the missile site, ramping up the tension that history itself provided. Donaldson's occasional use of black and white is self-consciously distracting, and he's further guilty of allowing a shrillness (along with repetitive, ominous shots of nuclear explosions) to invade the urgency of David Self's screenplay. Still, as Hollywood history lessons go, Thirteen Days is riveting stuff. You may find yourself wondering what might happen if reality presented a repeat scenario under less intelligent leadership. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

PROPAGANDA

This movie presents just a half of the truth. Ussual american way to present political events - cut arguments and facts of the supposed enemy.

Facts that weren't presented

1962

USA - 6000 of nuclear warheads.
USSR - 300 of nuclear warheads.

As you can see USSR had just 5% of American nuclear arsenal.

In 1960 USA placed american middle range nuclear Missiles in Turkey. To answer this, USSR was forced to send Missiles to CUBA. After Cuban crisis, american Missiles from Turkey and soviet Missiles from Cuba were withdrawn.

There is only one explanation for Cuban Missiles Crisis - do not do any harm for anyone and you will not get harm in exchange.

American propaganda machine is alive and functioning. 300 billion of american citizens in USA have no idea about real events. Everybody just belive that that damn Russians had put Missiles to Cuba just to destroy America. Bloodthirsty russians just wanted to destroy America. Just wanted KILL THE FREEDOM. Just wanted KILL THE DEMOCRACY.

Good explanation. Primitive minds always easily accept such explanations.

You're really crasy if you belive that everyone wants just to destroy you for no reason. Guess what - evryone just want to survive when you attack them.

1 million dead in IRAQ. 5 million REFUGIES. America is the best weapon of mass desstruction in the world.

This is not only one event wrongly prsented by American propaganda machine. Nobody in Western world does not know how USSR supported eastern europe after the war. Millions of tons of food and supplyes were sent to Eastern Europe in attempt to avoid hunger and unessary deaths of native population.

Everyone knows about Marshall plan, but IT WAS TO LATE AND TO SMALL. No body knows how Stalin, despite hunger in Russia was sending a lot of food to Hungary and Chehoslovakia. (When Russia stoped sending food and coal to these countries they just revolted)

Guess what is going to happend with eastern Europe when America runs out of money because of economic depression? You think they are your friends? Get real, they are your friends untill you sending them MONEY! Poland not long ago asked 20 billions dollars from Bush for army modernization. If Bush will say NO, Putin will say YES!

Russians and Americans! Do not be fooled by propaganda from either side. Learn real facts of history or you will defenetly see how history repeats itself before your eyes.





May 10, 2008

Outstanding film

Historical and New England accent accuracies aside, this was a fabulous cinematic endeavor. I'm no Kennedy fan by any stretch of the imagination, but I am now a Roger Donaldson fan, so put that in your piece pipe and smoke it. Gripping drama. Check it. December 3, 2007

Faked Up, But So What?

The Bahston accents are atrocious. The facts are changed. The historical roles inflated. Still, this isn't a documentary. It's a drama, and as such, it's pretty good. The script is relatively intelligent, and although it drops into melodrama in the family scenes of Kenny O'Donnell, it's better than the reviews would indicate. Well worth a rent. Just don't let the kids think this is how it really happened. October 27, 2007

Excellent Movie

This movie portrays the events in the white house during the cuban missile crisis. Excellent acting. Captivating even though we know how it plays out. If half the portrayal of JFK's actions and words is accurate I tip my hat to him for standing up to the military and saving a lot of lives. August 28, 2007

Gripping Historical Drama !

A well researched, gripping tale of the Cuban Missile Crisis told from the American viewpoint. August 18, 2007

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