Thirteen Days (2000)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers (WGA):

David Self (written by)
Ernest R. May (book) ...

Release Date:

12 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller

Tagline:

You'll Never Believe How Close We Came

Plot:

The film is set during the two-week Cuban missile crisis in October of 1962, and it centers on how President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and others handled the explosive situation.

Plot Keywords:

Missile | Cuba | John F Kennedy | Military | Nuclear Weapons

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Shawn Driscoll	...	U-2 Pilot
Kevin Costner	...	Kenny O'Donnell
Drake Cook	...	Mark O'Donnell
Lucinda Jenney	...	Helen O'Donnell
Caitlin Wachs	...	Kathy O'Donnell
Jon Foster	...	Kenny O'Donnell, Jr.
Matthew Dunn	...	Kevin O'Donnell
Kevin O'Donnell	...	NPIC Photo Interpreter
Janet Coleman	...	Evelyn Lincoln
Bruce Thomas	...	Floyd
Stephanie Romanov	...	Jacqueline Kennedy
Bruce Greenwood	...	John F. Kennedy
Frank Wood	...	McGeorge Bundy
Dakin Matthews	...	Arthur Lundahl
Liz Sinclair	...	Kenny's Assistant #1

Also Known As:

13 Days (USA) (alternative spelling)
Thirteen Days (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Runtime:

145 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

New Zealand:M | Iceland:L | Philippines:PG-13 | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Denmark:7 | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:AL | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Glendale, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

President Kennedy very frequently set up recording machines during meetings at the White House. Much of the dialogue from the movie is taken directly from Kennedy's tapes.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When JFK left Chicago, supposedly with a cold, he wore a hat to make the story more believable to the press. JFK almost never wore a hat, so it would be noticed by the White House press corps if he actually wore one. In the movie, JFK does not wear a hat when he leaves the hotel in Chicago.

Quotes:

Robert McNamara: We're heading out to the backyard to take a look for that 'big Red dog'!

Movie Connections:

Edited from Trinity and Beyond (1995) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Thunderer

An old Fashioned Nail Biter

Thirteen Days brings back the good old fashioned (and I mean good) nailbiter film here and even if you know history (thus knowing the outcome), there is still some good stuff here. Things that might've not been known to the average American back then now are revealed in thrilling tension that is only slightly eased by Kevin Costner who doesn't need to really be there (and has a stronger JFK accent that JFK does in this movie). The look at the Cuban missle crisis here is the heart of the movie and it works pretty good. Not great but good, and if your looking for a historical thriller, this is the one for the season. B+