Thirteen Days*** out of **** January 16, 2001 BY ADAM KEMPENAARIt's impossible to understand the fear that gripped the country during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis without having lived through it. You'll often hear those who did describe huddling around the TV to watch President Kennedy address the nation or scampering under their desks at school in preparation for a nuclear attack. I recall doing similar drills in grade school, except the only thing we were practicing for was the unlikely event of a tornado, an awfully mild threat in comparison to World War III. In Thirteen Days we get a glimpse of the country's terror -- news footage of nearly bare grocery store shelves and kids performing the aforementioned drills -- but the movie isn't as concerned with the common man as it is with those who are responsible for protecting him. The story is told through the eyes of Special Assistant to President Kennedy Kenneth O'Donnell (Kevin Costner), who was Robert Kennedy's roommate at Harvard and one of JFK's most trusted friends. When reconnaissance photos reveal Soviet missiles just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, the president (Bruce Greenwood) and his advisers, including Attorney General Robert Kennedy (Steven Culp), must figure out how to get them out without starting a war. As RFK suggests, "We've got a bunch of smart people; we'll just lock them in a room until they come up with something." The "hawks" -- JFK's top military advisers -- want an air strike followed by a full-scale invasion of Cuba. The "doves," including U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, recommend diplomacy. Ultimately, the doves win. JFK decides to impose a naval blockade on Cuba before eventually brokering a deal with Khrushchev that involves removing some obsolete U.S. missiles from Turkey. For better or worse, movies based on actual events are always subject to intense scrutiny. Oliver Stone's 1991 movie JFK (which also starred Costner) is still reviled by many for its loose version of the truth. Similarly, last year's The Hurricane was criticized for fabricating characters and manipulating facts. A recent article in Slate concluded that while Thirteen Days doesn't get every detail correct -- as if that were possible -- the movie doesn't try to rewrite history, either. First, the chronology of the crisis is sound. Second, the major characters are portrayed accurately, especially the Kennedy brothers. The choice of O'Donnell as the movie's central character is somewhat perplexing, primarily because there is very little evidence to prove that he had any direct bearing on the crisis. But all agree that O'Donnell was as close to the Kennedys as the movie suggests, and screenwriter David Self doesn't overstate his presence during crisis deliberations, presenting him more as a fly on the wall, acting as the viewer's eyes and ears. Despite a TV-movie style presentation and a few Hallmark-card lines of dialogue ("If the sun comes up tomorrow, it is only through the will of good men," O'Donnell explains at one point), director Roger Donaldson effectively captures the tension of the crisis without trying to manipulate his audience. The tension comes from realizing that despite all the statistics and analysis, it's really just a bunch of human beings, with their egos and ambitions, deciding the fate of the world. Wisely, Donaldson doesn't resort to flag-waving and jingoism (think Armageddon); rather, he lets the drama speak for itself. What's more dramatic than the United States and the Soviet Union slouching toward nuclear war? Perhaps the most chilling scene in the film occurs right after the missile sites have been discovered. As scheduled, the president makes a brief public appearance in Connecticut. We glimpse JFK, with Jackie by his side, waving to the crowd as his convertible glides slowly down the road. It's an eerie reminder of what is to come just more than a year later in Dallas. And Thirteen Days reminds us of the greatness that was lost. Agree? Disagree? E-mail CinemaScoped at: cinemascoped@sbcglobal.net |
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