Cuban Missile Crisis

Rating: Null/10 (7 February 2006)

Thirteen Days is a film about the Cuban Missile Crisis, the issues on Soviet point of view as well as a U.S. stand point, and the problems it would cause world wide. John F. Kennedy played by Bruce Greenwood along with Robert Kennedy played by Steven Culp, work to find a solution so as not to start a nuclear war in the United States much less a third World War. Kevin Costner plays Kenny O'Donnell special assistant to the president and acts as the only fictional character in the movie that during the crisis didn't exist and basically narrates the story for its viewers. Although he is a fictional character he clearly sets up the historical facts in the right way to show the significance and importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
While JFK struggles with the news about nuclear weapons so close to home, other political figures of the government have to also come to an agreement on what should happen with the issue. Some can be called "hawks" like certain generals that want to just bomb Cuba with their own nuclear weapons to finish off the communist government in Cuba as well as the power the Soviet Union had imposed on the United States by placing their weapons in such close range. Others can be called "doves" because of their more peaceful minds in that they would rather use a strong and forceful talk with the head of the Soviet Union at the time.
The implications brought up by the Soviets having placed their missiles so close to the U.S. is that the U.S. was now in danger that a nuclear war could wipe out most of their country as well as start a third world war. It also meant that the U.S. might be seen as an enemy to other countries if their decision was to bomb Cuba and killing innocent peoples in trying to destroy the missiles.
The film portrays JFK as most would have liked to know him. It depicted him as very proud and glorious moment in history as opposed to the Bay of Pigs incident a while before where he in a way "lost" the battle. But the film also showed him as a much stressed out man, one who drank a lot, took medications and had a lot on his mind. The film clearly shows who are the doves and who are the hawks letting a more realistic view into the mind of a lot of political leaders at the time of the Cuban Missile Crises. The film has good historical facts while also letting in the Hollywood perspective on the issue. Overall I give the movie a two thumbs up and at least a four star review.