A must-see for a master-class in American anti-diplomacy

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2017)

There's little debate that no post-WWII conflict came closer to a true nuclear engagement than the Cuban missile crisis - and rarely does a film work so hard and succeed so thoroughly in telling such an historical tale with substantial historical accuracy as "Thirteen Days."
Starring Bruce Greenwood as a phenomenally on-point John Kennedy, "Days" tells a gripping chronological tale of both official and unofficial diplomacy that turned the crisis from one of war to unmistakable American success. Aside from a pointlessly overblown and annoying part for Kevin Costner as Kenny O'Donnel, "Days" is a wonderfully constructed piece that otherwise strives for historical accuracy from the American discovery of the Soviet-backed missiles in Cuba, to the masterful lecture by Adlai Stevenson in the UN, to the "unofficial" diplomatic offer to retire antiquated Jupiter missiles from Europe in concert with a pledge not to invade the island nation.
"Days" wavers a bit with the needless interposition of nuclear test footage and the infamous "drop and cover" civil defense drills of the era, presumably as a way to punctuate a necessarily introspective and narrative view of the diplomatic back-channels and administration in- fighting undertaken to overcome the crisis. And the principals work too hard to master their New England accents, of which Costner's is easily the worst.
From an historical perspective, those involved during the crisis insist O'Donnell's role is drastically overblown, and clearly Costner's participation seems contrived and self-important. Fortunately, the deft direction Roger Donaldson keeps the viewer engaged with the broader epic and the ultimate focus on Kennedy's wisdom and leadership in it's resolution, guided by the book of the same title written by Ernest May.
"Days" isn't your typical action-adventure thriller, with heroic stars rolling down mountains and firing machine guns at virtual bad guys, but considering it's very real undertones and the reality it depicts, it surely merits the attention of anyone who lived through the crisis, or those now enjoying the fruits of its resolution.