Mandatory viewing for every American

Rating: 10/10 (25 January 2001)

This film is very nearly perfect, and should be shown to every single American high school history class. It's riveting, and terrifying sending the most powerful message about cold war politics, and is dead accurate right down to the vintage Ovaltine bottle on the kitchen table.
It certainly answer the big question: how important is it to have the most intelligent person you can as President of the United States. (I couldn't help thinking about George W. Bush during the film... how would he have reacted in this situation? Scary.)
Costner is masterful, and his accent is just fine. (Do you want to see him speak the same way every single time? Open your hearts and minds, and suspend the fact that you saw Waterworld for just a moment.)
Bruce Greenwood's performance is exemplary. He shows a JFK who is both supremely in charge, and extremely human, fallable in both character and confidence in his own leadership.
There's nothing funny about any of this, and though I'm not old enough to remember the event, I am sure that it tells the inside story in a way that most people would never have known. I can imagine no time in the history of humanity where we were closer to extinction than these thirteen days. It is a deeply important message to learn.
Directors: yes, please!!! More films like this, which unlike The Patriot and U-571 (decent films), tell real, true stories of our past and history. Our heroic forefathers, John Paul Jones, George Washington, Eddie Rickenbacher, etc. were certainly colorful enough!