Thirteen Days: Difference between revisions

''Thirteen Days'' is a 2000 film about the [[History of the Cold War|Cuban Missile Crisis]], shown primarily from the point of view of President [[John F Kennedy]] (Bruce Greenwood) and his senior advisors, including Kenny O'Donnell (Kevin Costner) and Robert F Kennedy (Steven Culp).

* [[Ambadassador]]: Adlai Stevenson's [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|exchange with Valerian Zorin.]]

'''Kenny''': You did exactly what you should've done - you stayed out of the corner. You didn't decide. }}

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Kenny and the Kennedy brothers.

* [[Historical Hero Upgrade]]: The film was critized by historians and then still-living members of Kennedy's administration because the movie intensely exaggerates the role that Kenny O'Donnell played in preventing the crisis from escalating. The chief agent in the American government who pulled the administration together during the crisis was in fact Ted Sorensen, who's instead relegated to such a minor role that he's barely noticeable.

* [[Hope Spot]]: {{spoiler|Khrushchev sends a back-channel negotiator to probe the possibility of a deal, then sends a letter offering a way out of the crisis. Before the night is out, however, another message arrives with a much more hard-line tone that sends the situation spiraling down again.}}

* [[Not So Different]]: Although we don't see much of the Soviet side of things, it's implied that Khruschev is having to deal with a lot of the same problems -- including a rather hot-headed faction of hardliners who are a bit too eager for shooting to start -- that Kennedy is dealing with.

* [[Not So Omniscient Council of Bickering]]: The UN. As great as Adlai Stevenson's line to Zorin was, this was mostly political posturing. If the shooting had really started, there wouldn't be much the UN or anyone else could do about it. Although it did have significant morale and propaganda impact in turning world opinion against the Soviets, they having been framing their actions as a purely defensive operation.

* [[Pet the Dog]]: The Kennedys are thrown a bone by LeMay, of all people, when he agrees with their decision to hold off punitive air strikes on missile sites that have shot down one of their aircraft.

* [[Sidelong Glance Biopic]]