Gripping, Intelligent, Moving Political Thriller

Rating: 9/10 (28 February 2006)

"Thirteen Days" is a gripping, intelligent, moving political thriller of the kind which is all too rarely made in the US any more.
You may be thinking, "Do I want to watch this? How can I get involved in the plot? After all, we all know how the Cuban missile crisis ended -- neither Kennedy nor Krushchev dropped the bomb." That's what I thought. I thought a movie whose suspense hinges on whether or not the bomb will be dropped would bore me, given that I know how events turned out.
The movie is well made, though, and I was gripped by it from the first scene. I really was on the edge of my seat.
So, yes, even though these are historical events, the film is highly suspenseful.
It has more to offer than suspense, though, something very important in these waning days of George Bush Jr.'s second administration.
The film depicts the most powerful men in the world struggling NOT to flex their power.
They have the bomb -- and they don't want to drop it. They have evidence that America's arch enemy, the Soviet Union, has weapons of mass destruction a few miles off America's shores, in Cuba -- and they don't want to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro.
They could bomb the missile sites in Cuba, but they don't want to, because they know that that would turn world opinion against the US.
They stayed up late at night worrying about any American fighting men whose lives their actions might imperil. They stayed up late at night worrying about any innocent civilians in Cuba who might be collateral damage.
You get the picture. These men are depicted as the opposites of George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, et al, who wanted to use America's power to destroy, world opinion, and casualties, be damned.
Every scene in this movie is an education in how power can be used to restrain itself.
Too, there is a behind the scenes look at how advisers, the joint chiefs of staff, and cabinet secretaries jockey for position and work, by hook or by crook, to advance their point of view. There are a couple of really interesting screaming matches.
There are similar hints at what was going on in the Kremlin at this same time. There are spies and counter spies, and analysts trying to figure out who is in charge in Russia by, for example, analyzing letters the White House is receiving -- did Krushchev write these letters? Or has there been a coup? The film is full of eye candy. There is archival film footage of aircraft carriers, submarines, missiles, rockets, planes ... if you are an ordnance nut, this is the film for you. There are, of course, recreations of all those hot fashions, the skinny ties and pastel dresses, men and women wore in those days.
The cast is great. Bruce Greenwood and Steven Kulp look a bit like JFK and RFK, but don't have their charisma. (Who does?) Dylan Baker is especially good as Robert McNamara. Kevin Costner is Kevin Costner, which, for those of us who like Kevin Costner, is a good thing. His accent is a bit wobbly, but I forgot about it after a while, I was so involved with the movie.
At the end of the movie, one of the very powerful men whose work we have been following breaks down in tears. I did, as well, appreciating how much this movie stimulated me to think, and moved me, as well.
Strongly recommended.