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IMDb rating
7.3
Critic rating Average critic rating
6.3

Reviews

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william287
Critic William Thomas
rated 8

You bet. A heart-pounding, brainy, top drawer movie that elevates Costner back to respectability. It’s talky and boyish, perhaps, but the most riveting political thriller for ages.

Read full review at Empire
marc93
frederik230

Cast & Crew

Roger Donaldson
Director
Allan Graf
As Football Referee
Kevin Costner
As Kenneth O'Donnell
Bruce Greenwood
As John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
As Self (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Ed Lauter
As Gen. Marshall Carter
Jack McGee
As Richard J. Daley
Dylan Baker
As Robert McNamara

Frequently asked questions

What is Thirteen Days about? Toggle content

Thirteen Days is a historical thriller that takes place in October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The film centers around President John F. Kennedy and his advisors as they navigate the crisis, trying to prevent a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The movie begins with U-2 surveillance photos revealing that the Soviet Union is placing intermediate-range ballistic missiles carrying nuclear weapons in Cuba. President Kennedy and his advisors must come up with a plan of action to prevent their activation, while also avoiding an act of war. The Joint Chiefs of Staff advise immediate military strikes against the missile sites followed by an invasion of Cuba, but Kennedy is reluctant to take this approach, fearing it could lead to a larger conflict. As tensions rise, the Kennedy administration tries to find a solution that will remove the missiles without resorting to war. They reject a blockade and instead settle on what they publicly describe as a quarantine, announcing that U.S. naval forces will stop all ships entering Cuban waters and inspect them to verify they are not carrying weapons destined for Cuba. The Soviet Union responds by turning back its ships from the quarantine lines, leading Secretary of State Dean Rusk to declare, "We're eyeball to eyeball and I think the other fellow just blinked." Meanwhile, back-channel communications between the U.S. and Soviet Union lead to an offer from the Soviets to remove the missiles in exchange for public assurances from the U.S. that it will never invade Cuba. However, there are several missteps during the crisis, including mixed messages from Moscow and miscommunications within Washington's inner circle of advisors . Thirteen Days captures how close we came -0to catastrophe during those tense days when diplomacy teetered on hair-trigger brinksmanship .

Where can I stream Thirteen Days? Toggle content

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What movies are similar to Thirteen Days? Toggle content

Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as Thirteen Days include K-19: The Widowmaker, The King and the Clown, Enemy at the Gates, Coach Carter, Braveheart, Kingdom of Heaven.