Great film of the 1962 crisis.

Rating: 9/10 (15 August 2001)

"Thirteen Days" depicts the extremely tense moments during the cold war between the US and the USSR. It also gives a glimpse of what might have gone on in the White House during that time. I highly doubt the makers of this film had complete access to the records from this time but they may have had some. I am also sure that many of the details of the events are still classified and will remain that way for many generations to come.

Kevin Costner is excellent as at Kenny O'Donnell and shows just how close and how much influence a presidential advisor has with issues such as National Security and other policy matters. I enjoyed the depictions of stress and out right fear that these events depicted. This made the film seem more real. I am sure that many people, who actually lived during this time, felt this brought back some memories.
The story of the crisis and the extreme care both nations took to try to resolve the conflict without resorting to the unthinkable is well presented. However, the film did not show that Kruschev was in a very difficult position. At this time, he was already in danger of being deposed, which he was a year or two later, and he could not make any withdrawal from Cuba without something to "save face". If he had not, he would have been deposed and things would, very likely, have turned out different. I also have to admit, I really liked the way the film depicts the fear that people felt during this time. Many people felt this was going to start a war between us and the Soviets. Wars of the past had started with much less reason. I also like the fact that it showed that both sides were afraid. In this situation, no one wants a war using nuclear weapons.
Overall, this is a great film and worth seeing (9 out of 10).