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IMDbPro

Thirteen Days

  • 20002000
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
60K
YOUR RATING
Kevin Costner, Steven Culp, and Bruce Greenwood in Thirteen Days (2000)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer2:46
1 Video
88 Photos
DramaHistoryThriller
In October 1962, the Kennedy administration struggles to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis.In October 1962, the Kennedy administration struggles to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis.In October 1962, the Kennedy administration struggles to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
60K
YOUR RATING
    • Roger Donaldson
    • David Self
    • Ernest R. May(book "The Kennedy Tapes - Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis")
    • Philip D. Zelikow(book "The Kennedy Tapes - Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis")
  • Stars
    • Kevin Costner
    • Bruce Greenwood
    • Shawn Driscoll
    • Roger Donaldson
    • David Self
    • Ernest R. May(book "The Kennedy Tapes - Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis")
    • Philip D. Zelikow(book "The Kennedy Tapes - Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis")
  • Stars
    • Kevin Costner
    • Bruce Greenwood
    • Shawn Driscoll
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 387User reviews
    • 88Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:46
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos88

    Kevin Costner, Steven Culp, and Bruce Greenwood in Thirteen Days (2000)
    Bruce Greenwood in Thirteen Days (2000)
    Kevin Costner and Steven Culp in Thirteen Days (2000)
    Kenny & JFK
    Kenny, JFK and RFK
    RFK, Kenny & JFK
    Kevin Costner stars as Kenny O'Donnell
    Steven Culp stars as Bobby Kennedy
    Bruce Greenwood stars as John F. Kennedy
    Bobby and John F. Kennedy
    A missile
    Steven Culp stars as Robert F. Kennedy

    Top cast

    Edit
    Kevin Costner
    Kevin Costner
    • Kenny O'Donnell
    Bruce Greenwood
    Bruce Greenwood
    • John F. Kennedy
    Shawn Driscoll
    Shawn Driscoll
    • U-2 Pilot
    Drake Cook
    • Mark O'Donnell
    Lucinda Jenney
    Lucinda Jenney
    • Helen O'Donnell
    Caitlin Wachs
    Caitlin Wachs
    • Kathy O'Donnell
    Jon Foster
    Jon Foster
    • Kenny O'Donnell, Jr.
    Matthew Dunn
    • Kevin O'Donnell
    Kevin O'Donnell
    • NPIC Photo Interpreter
    Janet Coleman
    • Evelyn Lincoln
    Bruce Thomas
    Bruce Thomas
    • Floyd
    Stephanie Romanov
    Stephanie Romanov
    • Jacqueline Kennedy
    Frank Wood
    Frank Wood
    • McGeorge Bundy
    Dakin Matthews
    Dakin Matthews
    • Arthur Lundahl
    Liz Sinclair
    • Kenny's Assistant #1
    Colette O'Connell
    Colette O'Connell
    • Kenny's Assistant #2
    Karen Ludwig
    Karen Ludwig
    • Operator Margaret
    Audrey Rapoport
    Audrey Rapoport
    • White House Operator #1
      • Roger Donaldson
      • David Self
      • Ernest R. May(book "The Kennedy Tapes - Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis")
      • Philip D. Zelikow(book "The Kennedy Tapes - Inside the White House During the Cuban Missile Crisis")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The fact that John F. Kennedy agreed to secretly remove US missiles from Italy and Turkey did not become public knowledge until many years later.
    • Goofs
      President Kennedy wanted an eyewitness account so badly that Commander Ecker was ordered to the Pentagon to brief the Joint Chiefs of Staff immediately after landing his RF-8A Crusader, sweaty flight suit and all. This is often thought to be a glaring error in the movie, but his attire is absolutely accurate. Cdr. Ecker was not even allowed to exit his Crusader when he landed at NAS Cecil Field, Jacksonville FL. His film canisters were unloaded from his aircraft, he was refueled and sent immediately to Washington D.C., landing at Andrews AFB and whisked by limousine directly to the Pentagon where he met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, apologizing right away for appearing at the briefing in his sweat-soaked flight suit. Cdr. Ecker, parched from the Cuba overflight and then the flight north to Washington, asked in a hoarse voice for a drink of water when he arrived. He refuses it in the movie.
    • Quotes

      Kenny O'Donnell: If the sun comes up tomorrow, it is only because of men of good will. And that's - that's all there is between us and the devil.

    • Connections
      Edited from Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      The Thunderer
      Written by John Philip Sousa

      Courtesy of Associated Production Music, LLC

    User reviews387

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Thirteen Days was a wonderfully acted, wonderfully told story about the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a time when the world almost came to an end.
    Shown through the eyes of presidential aide Kenneth P. O'Donnell (Kevin Costner), we see the inner workings of President John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) and his closest advisors as they try and find the best way to end a potentially devastating showdown with the U.S.S.R. In October of 1962, the U.S., during a regular mission photographing Cuba, spotted a missile buildup by the Russians. The missiles were powerful enough to kill 80 million Americans with only 5 minutes of warning time. President Kennedy had to decide quickly what action to take. With his trusted aide Kenny O'Donnell and his brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy (Steven Culp), and others such as Robert McNamara, Adlai Stevenson, McGeorge Bundy, Dean Acheson, Dean Rusk, and many more, Kennedy needed to figure out the best course of action. If he allowed the Russians to aim these missiles at the U.S., the United States would be placed in a potentially deadly situation. If Kennedy allowed the military to attack the missiles and destroy them, what would Russia do as a response? If he waited too long, would Russia simply attack the U.S.? If he backed down and agreed to take down U.S. missiles in Turkey, would the U.S. then look weak to the rest of the world? For such a young President, Kennedy had a lot of tough decisions to make, in a short amount of time, with the world hanging in the balance.

    I wasn't alive during the Cuban Missile Crisis as it occurred, so seeing Thirteen Days was like having a history lesson at the same time as having great entertainment. Even though I knew that we didn't end up in World War III, there were a lot of things I didn't know. I won't go into any of the specifics, but I never fully understood how close we came to destroying the planet. The tensions of the time were brought out successfully by director Roger Donaldson. You could see and feel the sweat on all the major players as each minute ticked by. Bruce Greenwood did a tremendous job as the young President Kennedy, showing how Kennedy was strong enough to stand by his morals and values, even as his most trusted advisors were urging him to go to war. At the same time, Greenwood was able to portray Kennedy as someone who needed help and was able to turn to his brother for guidance. Kevin Costner did a good job as Kennedy's presidential aide. I especially liked his boston accent. Costner was a strong personality that worked well with Greenwood and Steven Culp. I believed that the three of them were friends for 15 years and that they trusted each other with their own lives. Other acting standouts to me were Dylan Baker as Robert McNamara and Michael Fairman as Adlai Stevenson.

    Even running at almost two and a half hours, I was always at the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next. Like I said before, I wasn't even born yet, nor was it something I ever learned about in school, so I had no idea what was going to happen. It was nice being able to get deep inside the mind of these important people during this crucial time. Of course, I have no idea if what was said during these meetings was actually said in real life, but I'd like to believe that at least the outcomes of the meetings were true. I'm a big fan of these kinds of dramatic films based on real life events. While being entertaining, they also have the ability to teach you about history. Reading about these situations in books isn't nearly as enjoyable as being able to watch them on screen. I think screenwriter David Self did a great job of bringing these real life events to life on the big screen. He made it historical but didn't bore you with too much talk or information. Along with Donaldson, he gave you what you needed to know, and let the actors bring you into the action.

    So overall, I thought Thirteen Days was a great film. Well acted, well directed, well written, nice musical score and very entertaining throughout. And if you happen to learn something along the way like I did, then even better.
    helpful•85
    14
    • chrisbrown6453
    • Jul 18, 2001

    FAQ4

    • Were the RF-8 Crusaders real or CGI ? If real, where did they come from ?
    • How accurate is the film?
    • Why are portions of the film in black and white?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 12, 2001 (United States)
      • United States
      • Filmymen
      • English
      • Russian
      • Spanish
      • Romanian
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Philippines
    • Production companies
      • New Line Cinema
      • Beacon Communications
      • Beacon Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 25 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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