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Student John Doe

AP U.S. History

Mr. Bradley

May 13, 2010

The Real 13 Days Movie Review Two of Three Reviews

This fast moving thriller reveals how incredibly close we all came to World

War III back in October 1962 after President John F. Kennedy had discovered the

Soviet Union had installed nuclear missiles in Cuba.

Thirteen Days, directed by Roger Donaldson, is told from the point of view of

presidential aide Kenny O'Donnell, who is well played by Kevin Costner. Through his

eyes, we gain access to President Kennedy's inner-most circle during the whole

crisis.

At first glance, the fake Bawsten (Boston) accents were a bit distracting, as they are

in any Kennedy flick. People in Hollywood don't seem to realize that the Kennedys

don't have a real Boston accent. They invented their own.

Anyway, JFK is probably one of the more difficult historical characters to

portray, given the lingering impact of old film and TV clips ("Ask not what your

country can do for you," etc.). Bruce Greenwood as President Kennedy is quite

outstanding, wisely choosing to understate his Kennedyness while nicely showing us

how cautious and reflective the President actually was throughout the crisis. Steven

Culp as his younger brother Bobby is also fine.

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The film pretty much follows the historical timeline of events, beginning with

a high-flying U-2 spy jet taking photos over Cuba uncovering missile bases under

construction. The President must then decide how to respond to this major incursion

by the Soviets in the Western Hemisphere, so near to the U.S.

The film's strongest point is that it clearly shows how even the slightest

misjudgment by the U.S. or the Soviets during the crisis might have caused events

to spiral out of control so that no one could prevent a nuclear holocaust. Amid the

overwhelming stress and fatigue, President Kennedy must struggle to avoid making

that one mistake which might be seen as an outright act of war by the Soviets.

Meanwhile, the President is under heavy pressure from his gung-ho military

chiefs who want to shoot first and deal with the consequences later. They play by

old-fashioned military rules of engagement, not realizing the rules are changing now

from moment to moment.

One of the best scenes in the movie is a shout-down between Defense

Secretary Robert S. McNamara (Dylan Baker) and a pompous Navy admiral in which

McNamara forbids any unauthorized use of weapons. The admiral responds by

boasting that the Navy has been conducting naval blockades since the days of John

Paul Jones (the 1700s). McNamara is justifiably incredulous at his dangerously out-

of-date mentality.

The excellent script by David Self was meticulously researched and is largely

based on the secret tape recordings made inside the White House by President

Kennedy. In a few instances, the dialogue is lifted verbatim from the tapes. There is

also the expected dramatic embellishment to make this thing a marketable product.
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The biggest leap of faith is the propping up of O'Donnell's importance to the

President during the missile crisis. O'Donnell, one of the so-called 'Irish Mafia,' was

only Kennedy's appointments secretary, not a National Security Advisor as one

might think from this film. Although he was a long-time aide and trusted political

hand, he had nowhere near the influence that Costner's character has. But this is

entirely forgivable, considering the necessity of a big role for superstar Costner

(also a co-producer) or this wonderful historical film might never have been made.

Rated PG-13 for language.

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Works Citied

13 Days. Dir. Roger Donaldson. Perf. Kevin Costner and Bruce Greenwood. Alliance Atlantis, 2005.

DVD.