Directed by:
Roger DonaldsonScreenplay:
David SelfCinematography:
Andrzej BartkowiakComposer:
Trevor JonesCast:
Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, Steven Culp, Dylan Baker, Jon Foster, Kevin Conway, Caitlin Wachs, Stephanie Romanov, Dakin Matthews, Olek Krupa (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
As viewed through the eyes of a presidential aide, an inside look at the intense high stakes battle that raged within the U.S. government -- between the Kennedys, the CIA and the Pentagon -- as the world stood at the brink of nuclear war. The true story focuses on how President Kennedy, his brother Bobby, and the U.S. government responded to the discovery of offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba--and the life-or-death tug-of-war that ensued between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. during those thirteen days of crisis in October 1962. The political saga moves from battles in the White House to the skies above Cuba, where U.S. planes dodge Soviet fire; to the high seas, where a showdown between the U.S. and Soviet naval ships threatens to trigger war; to the massive military preparations that presage war. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
I can't really criticize the film much. Donaldson didn't really have to try too hard (it's not really about dazzling creative filmmaking) because the historical events, when the world was just a step away from World War III, guaranteed a spectacle filled with emotions and tension. I would appreciate less pathos, references to religious faith, and blatant invocation of family values. But as I've heard others say, that's just part of America and the director actually held back. There is a bit too much of Kevin Costner in the film but considering his involvement in the production, it's understandable. Moreover, this film is among the best in his career. Overall impression: 75%.
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Given the theme, it’s too self-aware and not pathetic enough. It's basically a film made on a shoestring in one set – those 80 million must have gone to the cast, because it certainly weren’t spent on the visual effects that look from the 1980s. But it's quite dynamic with a very strong theme, and Bruce Greenwood gives JFK a fluidity and charisma apparently very similar to what the memoirs say the real Kennedy possessed. It’s not all that watchable, but it’s very nice to listen to. The most dramatic scenes are the ones where they talk in a huddle, that’s not something you want to see every day.
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