Powerful, brink of war drama

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2002)

This movie is what every movie should be. Incredible acting, great directing, brilliant screenplay. I was impressed by how accurate it was to the real story. David Self must have done his homework on the Cuban Missile Crisis when he wrote this script.
The casting was practically flawless. The only small set back was Bruce Greenwood as JFK. Not because anything in his performance was lacking, but just because he didn't seem to put a great deal of effort into the Boston accent. Most of the time it was quite obvious that he was a Canadian trying to fake a Boston accent, but this is so trivial that it has no effect on the movie. Even down to the small supporting performances this movie was very well acted. The only performance I didn't care for was a guy with only two lines and who really cares about that. The highlight of this movie was Steven Culp as Bobby Kennedy. His performance was subtle, but brilliant. I firmly believe that he deserved the Academy awards for best supporting actor. Him not even getting a nomination is the biggest robbery since Citizen Kane lost Best Picture. Dylan Baker as Robert McNamara was another highlight. I had no clue who the heck he was the first time I saw this movie, but I walked away praising his performance. Kevin Costner gave a great performance, but it's overshadowed by the supporting performances.
Just like Tora! Tora! Tora! Thirteen Days proves that you can have a completely historically accurate film, without any dramatization or Hollywood-ization, and still make it entertaining and brilliant.

A 10 out of 10.