Thirteen Days (2000)

A dramatization of President Kennedy's administration's struggle to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis in October of 1962.

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers:

David Self, Ernest R. May (book),

Stars:

Shawn Driscoll, Kevin Costner, Drake Cook

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shawn Driscoll	...	U-2 Pilot
Kevin Costner	...	Kenny O'Donnell
Drake Cook	...	Mark O'Donnell
Lucinda Jenney	...	Helen O'Donnell
Caitlin Wachs	...	Kathy O'Donnell
Jon Foster	...	Kenny O'Donnell, Jr.
Matthew Dunn	...	Kevin O'Donnell
Kevin O'Donnell	...	NPIC Photo Interpreter
Janet Coleman	...	Evelyn Lincoln
Bruce Thomas	...	Floyd
Stephanie Romanov	...	Jacqueline Kennedy
Bruce Greenwood	...	John F. Kennedy
Frank Wood	...	McGeorge Bundy
Dakin Matthews	...	Arthur Lundahl
Liz Sinclair	...	Kenny's Assistant #1

Storyline

In October, 1962, U-2 surveillance photos reveal that the Soviet Union is in the process of placing nuclear weapons in Cuba. These weapons have the capability of wiping out most of the Eastern and Southern United States in minutes if they become operational. President John F. Kennedy and his advisors must come up with a plan of action against the Soviets. Kennedy is determined to show that he is strong enough to stand up to the threat, and the Pentagon advises U.S. military strikes against Cuba--which could lead the way to another U.S. invasion of the island. However, Kennedy is reluctant to follow through, because a U.S. invasion could cause the Soviets to retaliate in Europe. A nuclear showdown appears to be almost inevitable. Can it be prevented?

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Plot Keywords:

missile | cuba | blockade | soviet union | military | 

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Taglines:

You'll Never Believe How Close We Came

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Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Spanish Romanian

Release Date:

12 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Trece días

Filming Locations:

Alhambra, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£330,822 (UK) (16 March 2001)

Gross:

ESP 172,811,365 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Beacon Communications, Tig Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

President John F. Kennedy very frequently set up recording machines during meetings at the White House. Much of the dialogue from the movie is taken directly from Kennedy's tapes.

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Goofs

A protester in front of the White House carries a sign decorated with "peace" symbols, which were introduced as "nuclear disarmament" symbols in 1958.

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Quotes

Robert McNamara: A quarantine prevents any more missiles from reaching Cuba, but it doesn't remove the missiles already there; it gives the Soviets a chance to pull back without a war. If they refuse to remove the missiles, we retain the option to strike and invade.
Robert Kennedy: A sneak attack would be counter to what the United States stands for. It leaves us no room to maneuver, and the inevitable Soviet response would force us into a war.

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Connections

Version of The Missiles of October (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Yellow Rose Of Texas"
Arranged by Peter Tomashek
Courtesy of Megatrax Production Music, Inc.

User Reviews

" I can wait till hell freezes over for your answer"

In the 1960's few realized how close the world came to Nuclear Winter. Even today, with all the resources at hand, fewer care who prevented the Third World War. One thing is certain, America was enormously fortunate to have had as President of the United States, John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) during those nearly fatal "13 Days." As the thinking man's president, Mr. Kennedy was lucky to have in his cabinet men of intellect and reason. His main confident was his younger brother, Robert Kennedy (Steven Culp) who proved invaluable as Attorney General. When the world learned of the Nuclear threat ninety miles away, Kennedy came to rely heavily on his political adviser Kenny O'Donald (Kevin Costner) who displayed cautious insight and prudent judgment in critical moments which could have proved disastrous had the Joint Chiefs of Staff gotten their way. Further, Kennedy was definitely fortunate to have selected as his ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson (Michael Fairman) who stood toe to toe with Russian's Valerian Zorin (Oleg Vidov) and did not back down. The film is dramatic and terrifyingly accurate with dated Black and White footage and actual verbal scripts from hidden recordings from the oval office. What we know today is; had the Administration followed the prodding of the military, they would have initiated the Third World War as the Russian military in Cuba, actually had short range Atomic warheads at their disposal. This is a frightening film for rational people. ****