Thirteen Days
Thirteen Days is a perfect example of how real life is often more thrilling than fiction. How's this for plot: The world's two leading superpowers come head to head with the threat of nuclear warfare a highly realistic possibility. The fate of billions of people hangs on the decisions of a small group of leaders, many of whom are scared, nervous, fearful -- even as they do their best to cover up these emotions. And the man at the top? He's one of the most controversial, beloved and maligned historical figures of all time.
The scenario, of course, is the Cuban Missile Crisis, which took place in 1962 when the United States discovered that Russia was installing missiles in Cuba, less than 90 miles from U.S. soil. President John F. Kennedy, coming off the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion and facing heavy pressure from military zealots, had to make crucial decisions that would potentially decide the fate of the country, and possibly the world, and he had to make those decisions quickly and under intense scrutiny and pressure.
Thirteen Days takes us behind-the-scenes to see the strategic debates taking place between John Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood), Attorney General Robert Kennedy (Stephen Culp), Kennedy's aide Kenny O'Donnell (Kevin Costner) and various military personnel. Should the U.S. attack Cuba? Attack Russia? Blockade Cuba? Can the president afford to take a "soft," more pacifist stance and risk losing the faith of the people and inciting the wrath of the military? Can he afford to take a more aggressive stance and risk war? Director Bruce Donaldson & Co. have fashioned the "thirteen days" of the Cuban Missile Crisis as a mesmerizing chess match between U.S. and Russia, with the fate of the world as the minor issue at stake.
The screenplay, adapted by David Self from a book by Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow, is one of the smartest of 2000. This is a thriller that promotes intelligence over action, mining surprising amounts of suspense from people using their minds to solve problems, rather than their fists, guns, bombs, whatever. The script's only flaw is its emphasis on O'Donnell's family life. That aside, this is screenwriting at a higher level.
Credit Director Roger Donaldson, whose recent work includes such unspectacular fare as Dante's Peak and Species, for refusing to conform to genre standards in crafting this thinking-person's thriller, and for drawing impressive performances by two journeyman actors, Greenwood and Culp. Faced with the difficult task of impersonating well-known historical figures, these two nail their accents and deliver rock-solid, understated performances.
The same can't exactly be said of Costner, whose Bah-stan accent may have you cringing through the movie's first few minutes. After that, however, you'll likely forget about the accent and grow to admire Costner's generally stellar work, his finest since A Perfect World. Costner also deserves kudos for sharing the limelight with Greenwood, Culp and the rest of the film's solid ensemble cast.
Unfortunately, despite garnering good reviews and boasting Costner's name recognition, Thirteen Days was a bomb at the box office, grossing only about $20 million compared to a budget of more than $70 million. The damage may already be done, but a strong showing on the video rental charts might help convince studios to make more big-budget historical fare like Thirteen Days, and less like Pearl Harbor. With the abysmal films in the theaters right now, what have you got to lose?
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If you can figure out a way to work some drinking activities into a viewing of this serious political thriller, you're a better man (or woman) than me.
Sadly, Costner's days as a heartthrob seem to be behind him. And this ain't no Bull Durham when it comes to romance subplots, either.
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