Thirteen Days touts itself as a political thriller dealing with the thirteen pivotal days after it was discovered that the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missles in Cuba. In fact, Thirteen Days is more than just a thriller - it provides an inside look at what really took place during those days and how close we really came to WWIII. With a small amount of fictional liberty taken, including the creation of a Special Assistant to the President (Kevin Costner), Thirteen Days looks deeper into the behind-the-scenes goings on and presents a very powerful look at what really happened.

At the start of the story, President Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) and his brother, Bobby (Steven Culp) are preparing for the November elections (Thirteen Days takes place in October, 1962). During this preparation, U2 spy plane photos show a massive build-up of Soviet missles in cuba, and, quite literally, all hell breaks loose. The newspapers can't know about it, Russia can't know that we know, and there's a limited amount of time left between the missles are ready for deployment. The Army wants war to redeem themselves following the Bay of Pigs debacle, the President wants to avoid a nuclear holocaust, and Congress is split on the correct course of action. If you ever thought history was boring or uneventful, this movie will change your outlook.

At just under two and a half hours long, Thirteen Days doesn't have one moment of downtime. Combining powerful performances by all of the cast members and a gripping storyline, Thirteen Days doesn't serve up the standard movie fare, but rather an intelligent, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyabe film.

Genres: Drama, Suspense
Rated: PG-13 - For brief strong language.
Runtime: 145 minutes
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