Best film in years!

Rating: 9/10 (4 May 2001)

Now that was a movie. I call it terrific, fantastic. Bruce Greenwood deserves to be considered by the academy. He overpowered Costner, who was better than expected. It's the Cuba Crisis. Two weeks of tension. Emotion, anger, fear, power, responsibility hence, politics. The setting: the White House. The protagonists: the Kennedy Brothers, O'Donnell, McNamara. A tribute to JFK. The American perspective. Proud. But not exaggerated, not overdone. Wise. Which is important for me because of my European perspective. Not always dominating political power. Not always confident, noisy; but weak moments, doubts, sincerity. Think of it that way: they tell you a story you already know. You heard and learned about it in school, history classes, even my father told me about it. How scared he was. So you know the story, you know about the happy end. But still, you are tensed throughout the entire movie. No fancy special effects just pure acting. Beautiful. Now, which movie has achieved that in recent years. Most of them don't get your attention with stories you don't know. "Thirteen Days" tells you a story you already know and manages to incorporate you, forces you to partake. You're a part of the team. Counselor. You feel like sitting on those sofas with them in the oval office. Thinking, not finding a solution. You feel the burden of responsibility on your very own shoulders. But you're just sitting in your local movie theater. Outstanding. Best picture 2001.