Thirteen Days

7/25/2015

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 ar

7/10/2023

Kevin Costner at least tried to do an accent in this movie, which probably means he got a new agent, a yes man that didn't bother to give him the advice that doing believable accents isn't his thing. It's almost like listening to your average Brit trying to sound like an American and completely overdoing it. Do we really sound that exaggerated to them? Who cares, ignore the above, it's still a good movie... despite Costner's accent. Or, possibly, in spite of it. It trashes Dean Achenson, and as a historian the only thing I like to see MORE than Dean getting his just deserts is Allen Dulles getting his... and it throws a jab at that a**hole too. In 2000 that would have been seen as pure liberal honesty, but now it sort of comes across as far right. I mean the movie is literally