Film Snail

7.0

Thirteen Days

PG-13·2000·145m

History

Thriller

History

Thriller

Summary

The story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962—the nuclear standoff with the USSR sparked by the discovery by the Americans of missile bases established on the Soviet-allied island of Cuba.

Cast

Kevin Costner

Kenneth 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

Kevin Conway

Gen. Curtis LeMay

Tim Kelleher

Ted Sorensen

Len Cariou

Dean Acheson

Bill Smitrovich

Gen. Maxwell Taylor

Shawn Driscoll

U-2 Pilot

Drake Cook

Mark O'Donnell

Stephanie Romanov

Jacqueline Kennedy

Lucinda Jenney

Helen O'Donnell

Caitlin Wachs

Kathy O'Donnell

Jon Foster

Kenny O'Donnell, Jr.

Matthew Dunn

Kevin O'Donnell

NPIC Photo Interpreter

Janet Coleman

Evelyn Lincoln

Bruce Thomas

Floyd

Dakin Matthews

Arthur Lundahl

Liz Sinclair

Kenny's Assistant #1

Colette O'Connell

Kenny's Assistant #2

Karen Ludwig

Operator Margaret

Audrey Rapoport

White House Operator #1

Marliese Schneider

White House Operator #2

Ed Lauter

Gen. Marshall Carter

Walter Adrian

Lyndon Johnson

James Karen

George Ball

Dan Ziskie

Gen. Walter 'Cam' Sweeney

Peter White

John McCone

Kelly Connell

Pierre Salinger

Olek Krupa

Andrei Gromyko

Elya Baskin

Anotoly Dobrinyn

Timothy Jerome

Journalist

Jack McGee

Richard J. Daley

Lamar Smith

Aide

John Aylward

Orville Dryfoos

Madison Mason

Adm. George Anderson

Vivien Straus

White House Aide

Christopher Lawford

Cmdr. William B. Ecker

David O'Donnell

Lt. Bruce Wilhemy

Gene Del Bianco

Petty Officer

Benjamin Koldyke

RF-8 Pilot

Daniel Vergara

OAS Secretary General José A. Mora

Ruben Moreno

Argentine Diplomat

Thomas Roberts

Sonar Operator

Sean Bergin

Chief Sonarman

Alan Francis Sullivan

Executive Officer of USS Pierce

Robert Munstis

Radio Room Operator #1

Michael Gaston

Captain of USS Pierce

Joseph Repoff

Radio Room Operator #2

J. Tucker Smith

Captain of USS Kennedy

Chris Henry Coffey

Officer of Destroyer

Oleg Vidov

Valerian Zorin

Radu Gavor

Romanian Delegate

Zitto Kazann

Chilean Delegate

Alex Veadov

Radio Room Operator #3

Jack Blessing

John Scali

Tom Everett

Walter Sheridan

Karl Makinen

Young FBI Agent

Boris Lee Krutonog

Alexander Fomin

Charles Esten

Maj. Rudolf Anderson

Charles Barrett

Air Force NCO

Darryl Smith

Football Coach

Allan Graf

Football Referee

Robert Miranda

RFK's Driver

Todd Sible

RFK's Staffer

Marya Kazakova

Soviet Woman

Cliff Fleming

Aerial Coordinator

Craig Hosking

Pilot

Michael R. Bowman

Aide to JFK (uncredited)

Greg Bronson

Secret Service Agent (uncredited)

Walter Cronkite

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ryder Davis

Boy Scout (uncredited)

Roger Ferreira

Army Lieutenant General (uncredited)

Armen Garo

Crewman on Freighter (uncredited)

Gilley Grey

Air Force Pilot (uncredited)

Phil Hawn

UN Administrator (uncredited)

Rick Kain

Carpenter (uncredited)

John F. Kennedy

Self (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)

Steven Koller

White House Staff (uncredited)

Pramod Kumar

U Thant (uncredited)

Richard Rossi

Reporter (uncredited)

Larry Strauss

Treasury Secretary Douglas Dillon (uncredited)

Brad Yoder

Sorensen's Assistant (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Roger Donaldson

Book

Ernest R. May

Screenplay

David Self

Reviews

John Chard

July 25, 2015

The art of political film making in all its glory.

"Communicate with the Soviets? We can't communicate with the Pentagon - and it's just across the goddamn river!"

October 1962, for 13 days the American government fought to avert a nuclear war when it was discovered that the Soviet Union had deployed nuclear missiles in Cuba. This is that story.

Many superlatives can be chucked at Thirteen Days, and all are viable. In simple terms it's an intelligent and gripping political thriller, superbly scripted and performed by a cast firing on all cylinders. It's a treat to find a film of this type that educates while it pitches you into a world of political intrigue, to provoke real life thoughts even as the suspense takes a hold. Yes it's talky, of course it is, but these conversations are real and riveting. And while there's not a duff performance in the acting pack, Bruce Greenwood deserves special praise. He is the leader, the fulcrum, there's not a false note by him, JFK becoming the role he was born to play.

Superlatives were invented for films like Thirteen Days. Assuredly so. 9.5/10