Directed by Roger Donaldson
Written by: David Self.
Book: Ernest R. May & Philip D. Zelikow (book The Kennedy Tapes - Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Kevin Costner .... Kenny O'Donnell
Bruce Greenwood .... John F. Kennedy
Steven Culp .... Robert F. Kennedy
Dylan Baker .... Robert McNamara
Michael Fairman .... Adlai Stevenson
Henry Strozier .... Dean Rusk
Frank Wood .... McGeorge Bundy
Len Cariou .... Dean Acheson
Janet Coleman .... Evelyn Lincoln
Stephanie Romanov .... Jacqueline Kennedy
Bill Smitrovich .... General Maxwell Taylor
Ed Lauter .... General Marshall Carter
Dakin Matthews .... Arthur Lundhal
Walter Adrian .... Lyndon Johnson

Produced by Marc Abraham, Peter O. Almond, Armyan Bernstein, Thomas A. Bliss (executive), Kevin Costner, Michael De Luca (executive), Paul Deason (co-producer), Ilona Herzberg (executive), Staci A. Hunter (associate), Mary Montiforte (associate), Kevin O'Donnell
Original music by Trevor Jones
Cinematography by Andrzej Bartkowiak (A.S.C.) Roger Deakins Christopher Duddy
Film Editing by Conrad Buff IV

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

RealVideo Clip
RealVideo Trailer
RealVideo Broadband Trailer

Trailer:
Quicktime 20.1 MB 480x360 Quicktime 13.3 MB 320x240
Quicktime 7.5 MB 240x180

1. Lessons Of History
2. The Knot Of War
3. Missile Threat
4. Prayer For Peace
5. Our Rules Of Engagement
6. There Can Be No Deals
7. Eve Of Eternity
8. One Life Left
9. Us And The Devil
10. Death Of Major Anderson
11. The Sun Came Up Today
12. The Will Of Good Men

SYNOPSIS:

For thirteen extraordinary days in October of 1962, the world stood on the brink of an unthinkable catastrophe. Across the globe, people anxiously awaited the outcome of a harrowing political, diplomatic and military confrontation that threatened to end in an apocalyptic nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union.

In Thirteen Days, the power and peril of the American presidency is dramatically explored by director Roger Donaldson, who captures the urgency, suspense and paralyzing chaos of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The alarming escalation of events during those fateful days brought to the fore such public figures as Robert McNamara, Adlai Stevenson, Theodore Sorenson, Andrei Gromyko, Anatoly Dobrynin, McGeorge Bundy, Dean Acheson, Dean Rusk, and General Curtis LeMay. In addition many others -- politicians, diplomats and soldiers -- were on the front line of the showdown. In Thirteen Days, we see all of these people, -- and, above all -- President John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby, through the eyes of a trusted presidential aide and confidante, Kenneth P. O'Donnell (Kevin Costner).

O'Donnell, who served as Special Assistant to the President, was a key White House insider with a birdseye view of the crisis. His office was next door to the President's Oval Office, and he was a major behind the scenes figure in the Kennedy White House. In the film, O'Donnell serves as a conduit to this gripping dramatization of one of the most dangerous moments in modern history.

The film moves from the bitter debates that lingered within 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to the skies above Cuba, where U.S. spy planes reveal the progressive missile build-up, and to the high seas, where a standoff between US and Soviet ships threatens to trigger war.

While mounting evidence suggests that the risk of a nuclear exchange was far greater than previously imagined, no one will ever know everything that happened behind closed doors at the White House. But, drawing on numerous historical sources, including White House tapes, memoirs, oral histories, CIA documents and personal interviews, screenwriter David Self has dramatized and woven together a story inspired by the events of October 1962 into a memorable thriller. Thirteen Days is, at its heart, a story of men who, through a stunning and bold combination of force and diplomacy, attained their shining moment in what appeared to be the nation's darkest hour.
? 2000 New Line Cinema

Review by David Bruce

THE APOCALYPSE THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN

There is a religious tone.
Just before Lt. Anderson takes off to take surveillance photos of the missiles in Cuba, Kenny O'Donnell asks him, "Are you a religious man?"
He replies, "Yes, I am."
"Good."
The Lieutenant does not return. This religious tone is felt throughout the film.

Churches are suddenly open 24 hours.
There is an interesting late night scene of Washington. Kenny O'Donnell is walking down the street and passes by a Catholic church. There is a long line of people in front of the church. A sign reads "Confessions 24 hour. Pray for peace." Kenny stops. Pauses for thought and then gets in line.

There is also a very symbolic scene inside a church on a Sunday morning. There is a tapestry surrounding the communion table. It depicts the Last Supper.

"Everyday that the sun comes up says something about us."
The writers place the emphasis on the human element in saving the world from disaster -- with some suggestion of God's providence. Indeed so, God does works in the background of human history. Unseen. Often unnoticed. But never the less active. Humans would have destroyed this world long ago had it not been for God. I think that the Cuban Missile Crisis was

I think that the Cuban Missile Crisis was a reminder of our dependence on the intervention of God and a reminder of the coming apocalypse.

THE END IS NOT YET, HOWEVER
2 Peter 3:8-15 from Message Translation of the Bible

Don't overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn't late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn't want anyone lost. He's giving everyone space and time to change. But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment. Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?

Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day? but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness. So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master's patient restraint for what it is: salvation.

OOPS, ERROR
Subject: Error in name of character in "Thirteen Days"?
Date: Sun, 04 Mar 2001
From: Ray Chesin

Hi David-- What a blessing to find your web site! I am a lover of the movies, and am a Christian. You've shown me I can be both and not feel guilty.

By the way, I thought I remembered that right at the end of "Thirteen Days", JFK was dictating a letter beginning "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Anderson..." to the parents of the U-2 pilot shot down over Cuba. In your review, you mention the pilot was a Lieutenant Wilhelmy. Was this the pilot's real name, or did I hear wrong?

Yours in Christ,
Ray Chesin,
Director Aria Nuova Presentations Victoria, BC

Response: You are right. Thanks for the corrections.