Thirteen Days of history with unthinkable consequences. One-hundred and fifty minutes of film. Almost sheer brilliance.
Director Roger Donaldson offers an ambitious, arty and absolutely gripping take on the Cuban missile crisis in the political thriller, Thirteen Days.
Ambitious because of the scope and depth of the subject that he tries to cover. From the harrowing depiction of JFK and his personal assistant Kenny O’Donnell, to minor political figures involved, to the fighter pilot taking surveillance pictures of Cuba, Donaldson covers much ground without ever losing the film’s good pacing and inherent tension.
Arty because Donaldson mixes actual newsreel footage from the ’60s with his own film, which itself fades to gray during the more intimate moments of the Kennedy oval office.
And absolutely gripping because Donaldson mixes the intimacy of Kennedy’s close circle of friends with the dizzying nature of escalating national and international pressures. This is where O’Donnell (Kevin Costner) enters the political fray. Long time friend and personal advisor to the president, O’Donnell provides a distinctly compassionate barometer for Kennedy in the face of incringing political pressures. Likewise, O’Donnell provides our emotional barometer in the film. He admires, and perhaps is a bit intimidated by, the Kennedys’ intelligence and political prowess, yet he deeply trusts them in this crisis despite the possible consequences (namely his family).
The Bobby/Jack/Kenny relationship provides the film with intimacy and humor, and often breaks up the sequences of nerve-wracking political developments. It also paints America’s royal duo in a quite human light, perhaps the films greatest and most revealing achievement.
Bruce Greenwood plays the idealistic president, who was a cultural icon in his own time, with an amazing vulnerability. Sure, the president lashes out at political mishaps and underminings, but more often he seems haunted and introspective. Greenwood wonderfully conveys the weight and gravity with which Kennedy must have labored over the Cuban situation. He does not seem at all like the leader of the Free World, but rather a concerned father and confused friend.
Steven Culp very much follows suit as Bobby Kennedy, the heir apparent to the Kennedy throne and confidante to his brother. In one particularly unnerving scene, Bobby tells Kenny, “I hate that people think I’m the smart one, that I’m the ruthless one. I’m not that smart. I’m not that ruthless.” It’s scenes like this one that make Thirteen Days a good film, not simply a rehashing of historical events.
Kevin Costner is fine here as the Kennedy advisor, overcoming a bad Boston accent. He is reserved and understated, almost fading to the background while giving his best performance in a long while.
Don’t be intimidated by Thirteen Days’ long running time. You never really notice it. The film has you interested from the very beginning and does a wonderful job of maintaining tension throughout. I could have perhaps done without all the shots of the atomic bomb exploding and some of the more saccharine family scenes, but these critiques are minor – not enough to spoil the film. Political junkies will more than likely love Thirteen Days. Everyone else should see it. For a film which could have easily fallen into an “America is good” mold, it is well-acted, insightful and beautifully handled by Donaldson.
