Simply brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (25 August 2001)

Anybody who says facts are boring has never seen "Thirteen Days."
"Thirteen Days" portrays the factual story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, mostly through the eyes of Presidential Special Advisor Kenny O'Donnell. (It has been dramatized at some points, obviously.)
There are many good things about this film. First, it has a fine cast and excellent performances. Anybody watching can figure out who is Kennedy and who is MacNamara and who is LeMay.
Furthermore, unlike most movies, "Thirteen Days" does not spend the first half-hour setting up or creating a background. It just jumps right into the story. Kenny O'Donnell wakes up, eats breakfast, kisses his wife goodbye, goes to work, and BOOM! learns that there are Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Third, once the 143-minute-film grabs you five minutes in, it does not let go until the very very end. It isn't edutainment. It is a high-stakes thriller that happens to be a true story.
"Thirteen Days" ought to be used to teach the Cuban Missile Crisis to students.
The tagline for "Thirteen Days" is completely true. The truth is, "you'll never believe how close we came" to killing each other.
A must-see for all.
10/10