Susan Granger’s review of “THIRTEEN DAYS” ( New Line Cinema)
Get a baby-sitter, climb in your car, stand in line, buy a ticket and see this strong, very involving chronicle of 13 tension-filled days in October, 1962, when the United States stood on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. While the movie opens with an ominous mushroom cloud, the Cuban Missile Crisis began when U.S. spy planes discovered that the Soviets had installed medium-range ballistic missiles on Cuba. President John F. Kennedy and his White House advisors were stunned: “I feel as if we’ve caught the Jap carrier steaming for Pearl Harbor!” But no one more than Kennedy’s loyal “Irish Mafia” crony, Kenneth O’Donnell, through whose eyes the chaos, confusion and confrontation are seen. Even though you know the outcome, writer David Self and director Roger Donaldson (“No Way Out”) create an urgent, ferociously suspenseful, behind-closed-doors ambiance, particularly in the diplomatic showdown at the UN Security Council. Newsreel footage along with Andrzej Bartkowiak’s photography, Dennis Washington’s production design, Isis Mussenden’s costumes and Trevor Jones’ music evoke the era. Bruce Greenwood is perfect as JFK as is Steven Culp as his brother Robert. As O’Donnell, Kevin Costner is splendid, even grappling with a Boston accent. The rest of the cast is equally admirable, and real-life Kennedy nephew, Christopher Lawford, plays a jet pilot. However, it should be noted that, historically, O’Donnell had little of the importance as a decision-maker or crisis counselor that he’s given in this docu-drama. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Thirteen Days” is a chillingly effective, spellbinding 10. As Abba Eban said, “History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.”
