Good script, acting, poor direction...

Rating: 7/10 (25 August 2004)

This film has an excellent, suspenseful, nuanced script, and two great actors (Bruce Greenwood and the other fellow playing Bobbie K.) that suck us into the tense 14 days (where'd they get '13' from?) that made up the Cuban missle crisis. Unfortunately, this film suffers from two huge weaknessess. The director is unsure of himself, beginning the film with a very awkward (and obviously CGI) shot of a jet flying over Cuba that could've been handled in a briefing room discussion with the President (thus giving us the same information, but sparing us the gaudy CGI effects; B-grade acting of the pilot and overall 'shoe-horned in' feel of the whole scene. If this story was part of 'West Wing', the latter would've been filmed, and the results would've been far classier). Overall, the movie looks cheaply lit, and we are subjected to useless detours in Black & White that have NO pattern and serve NO purpose. All the scenes with Kevin Costner's family are useless and were probably added in by Costner as a way of 'fleshing out' his character. Speaking of Costner, he is the other thing that nearly ruins this otherwise fine film. The simple fact is this: Kevin Costner is not a good actor, and he never has been. His role in 13 Days is BY FAR the worst (or best?) example of this. His Boston accent is atrocious, and one can only sit back and admire an actor like Bruce Greenwood for not bursting out laughing every time Costner opens his mouth. In all honesty, I don't know how this guy still gets work, let alone the starring role in a fair-sized budgeted film like this. I think he deserves to be on the same has-been list as John Travolta (no more $20 M for him!) and Sly Stallone. No one likes Kevin's acting, but he just keeps on trucking like everyone does. Ah well, enjoy the script... 7/10