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Costner
Returns to Serious Acting in
Thirteen
Days
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When
you think of Kevin Costner, you think of a good-looking chick magnet
that makes men cringe when he comes on TV. You think of a pretty
popular actor who always seems to put out bad movies. You certainly
don't think of a man who can act in any serious movie that doesn't
involve baseball.
However,
"Thirteen Days," the latest release from New Line Cinema,
goes a long way in |
changing
all that. The two-and-a-half hour thriller/documentary goes into
complete detail concerning the events and circumstances that brought
America to the brink of war during 13 days in October, 1962.
A
lot of people don't really know what happened during the Cuban
Missile Crisis. All the red tape it was wrapped in well into the
1990s left the whole event shrouded in plenty of mystery. Even though
a lot of new papers and tapes have supposedly been released to the
public in the last few years, we'll never be sure if the movie even
accurately depicts the activities that took place.
That
being said, it really doesn't matter. Costner ("3000 Miles to
Graceland," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves") plays
Kenny O'Donnell, the special assistant to President John F. Kennedy
(played by Bruce Greenwood, "Double Jeopardy"). The
President relies heavily on O'Donnell and his own brother, Attorney
General Robert Kennedy (played by Steven Culp, "Nurse
Betty") to help him deal with an amazing roller coaster of
events. The trio starts with the discovery of missiles being put into
Cuba, and works its way through a series of twists and turns that
could only be written by real life.
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Though
not the biggest character involved, the film's spotlight rests
largely on Costner, who doesn't disappoint. He runs a gauntlet of
emotions in this one, from jubilation to remorse to humility in less
than five minutes. Costner's strength has traditionally been in
comedic movies, though there have been a few bright spots in his
dramatic acting ("Dances With Wolves" for one). More often
than not, his dramas have turned out to be three-hour excuses for men
and women around the country |
Kevin
Costner stars in the New Line Cinema feature Thirteen
Days |
fighting
insomnia. But not this time.
The
other actors throughout the movie, most notably Culp and Greenwood,
play their characters brilliantly. JFK was always known for his
ability to swing moods a few times a minute, and that isn't lost on
Greenwood. One second he is steaming over his Joint Chief's
under-the-table plot to take America into a war, and the moment he's
ready to drop a bomb himself. Culp portrays Bobby Kennedy as just
another advisor up until the end, where he plays maybe the most
important role in the movie. Once again, though historic facts are
largely inconclusive, that seems to flow with everything that
happened in the real situation.
All
in all, this movie not only returns Costner to the forefront of
serious acting, but it continuously moves you from the back of your
seat, to the edge, and back again. The tagline for the movie says
"You'll Never Believe How Close We Came." After watching
this, you probably still won't know for sure. But at the very least,
it is a great movie, and without a doubt is the easiest three-hour
Costner movie to sit through.
Review
by Mitch Worthington
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