Thirteen Days [VHS] Overview
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
Customer Reviews
Given the large number of books and films "represent high-stakes scenario, where the fate of the world (real or imagined) in the balance, it is interesting to note that relatively little attention has been paid in recent years, the only, if the fate of Our world is really poised. The Cuban missile crisis of 1962 is the next that the Cold War was heating up (surely a moment later it was known at the time of a computer malfunction during the year 1983, Sovietextremely dangerous, but not until much later note), when the United States and the Soviet Union from each other and looked more cautious diplomacy should be used to defuse the crisis. The diplomatic resolution of the crisis was very complicated by the lack of direct methods of communication between the White House and the Kremlin, with messages that are sent in the channel back and probes extended from the media and the UN. In fact, the crisisled to the installation of the Washington-Moscow hotline to avoid such problems in future.
Roger Donaldson's film, was released in late 2000, tried to chronicle the crisis only in terms of the U.S. government. There are scenes set in Havana or Moscow, and the scenes are just in transition in Cuba are built on the progress of the missile and managed. This approach is very effective, as it means the audience is so blind, whatunderway in the USSR and Cuba as the president and his advisers are, and increases dramatic moments at the end of the film, where important decisions must be nearly assumptions: Khrushchev was ousted in a military coup was, or not? If a peace offer is real or just an attempt to gain time? Just as the president and his entourage had no way of knowing, in 1962, so the audience did not know in the movie.
The film makes the interesting choice haveMeasures from the perspective of Kennedy's appointments secretary (and effective chief of staff) have seen, Kenneth O'Donnell, who had no formal policy or advisory role, but it was a close friend and historian of JFK and his brother Robert. This is an interesting and wise choice, because many of the other characters are involved in the crisis, the politicians or the general stature rather large itself, as General Le May, McNamara, Adlai Stevenson and so on, and they made the film as Main POVMore on the crisis of her. The relatively unknown O'Donnell, played very well by the surprisingly good Kevin Costner (fighting manfully with a bad accent), carries less baggage and the film is not so much about him (despite some timid family scenes), as the Kennedy brothers and the same crisis
Bruce Greenwood plays JFK and Steven Culp his brother Robert, and both are excellent, really inhabit their characters. Greenwood provides particular real gravitasas President, but can also slip a few moments of anger and contempt for some of his advisers, that dogged some of the tensions, President Kennedy. The lack of confidence that Kennedy is dealing with the crisis between the military and almost hear the heavy wear of the turn, the President is well represented, with Greenwood.
The film contains several points of historical interest. While some factors such as the value of Counsel O'Donnell (Kennedyview consult with O'Donnell and apparently listening to his advice more experienced, which is doubtful), are historically questionable, the idea that the fate of Kennedy in Cuba and Berlin, and embraced a U.S. attack against Cuba provoke a Soviet attack on Berlin pushed hard in the film. deep concern about Kennedy in Berlin, which increased the recent construction of the Berlin Wall would lead him to visit famous historical city, a few months after the CubanMissile Crisis.
Less successful is the representation of the military. The film begins with the idea of a credible enough for the military action. A rapid and massive U.S. air attack on Cuba is not automatically lead to war (it would be during an invasion), but could the United States the moral authority in any future conflict to destroy shown. However, the benefits of strong aerial assault courses are initially presented fairly. Yet ever since then the military optionpresented as "evil" and some of the admirals and generals of high level, such as Le May, are almost as bad that even try some work around Kennedy, presented to trigger a conflict. This simplification of military actions during the crisis, the film is the most important vulnerabilities and related questions and a few clouds to come across as a futile attempt to introduce more drama script.
This weakness is a shame as the rest of the film is very good. The dramaticThe tension and updating of political confusion during assembly fog of diplomacy as in retrospect the Soviet motives at the end of the movie are seeking excellent workmanship. Performance in the film should prove to fly first class on virtually all areas (themes Costner accent aside), and the few special effects sequences Cuba spy planes and so far effective, if expensive, inexplicably, the film had a budget of 80 million dollars, more like Independence Day,and is completely devoid of similar effects or sequences.
Thirteen days (****½) is a very solid film. It shows the pressure on the government effectively and shows a period in world history that should never be forgotten. The film is now on DVD (UK, USA).
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