Thirteen Days

Thirteen Days is neither a dull history lecture nor a slimmed "docu-drama." Rather, just like another high-quality 1960s historical horror film with a "thirteen" in its name - Ron Howard's Apollo 13 - this movie tells a knotted and matter-of-fact story of competent, terrified men desperately struggling to escape a life-threatening crisis that involves a terrifying new rocket-driven technology.

Similar to Apollo 13, Thirteen Days expertly informs viewers of the problem complexities without being condescending or having the characters "explain" everything to one another.

Still, the major difference between Thirteen Days and Apollo 13 is, of course, that in Apollo 13, only three people are at risk, not millions. In addition, the dangers the Apollo astronauts encountered stemmed from physical facts, such as the rules of science, oxygen supply limitations, and mechanical failures. Much more incalculable are the variables in Thirteen Days, which entail the unpredictability of President John. F. Kennedy's responses and the riddle of the USSR's political fluctuations.

Year of Release: 2000

Stars: Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%