Xpress: 'Thirteen Days' a gripping history lesson

Explanation/summary: Thirteen Days is a movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis. In October 1962, United States U-2 spy planes discovered the Russians arming nuclear missiles in Cuba. These missiles were being aimed at the United States. For the next terrifying 13 days, President John F. Kennedy and his administration had to figure out how to respond to the Russian government. They had to be very careful, for they were on the brink of World War III and a nuclear holocaust.

This movie tells the story in depth and really illustrates how close we were to war.

My view: I truly enjoyed this film. I knew the basic story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, but I had never gotten such an up-close look at this historical event. The movie puts you in touch with reality: If one person made the wrong decision back then, it could have been the end. All of the joint chiefs of the armed forces were ready to go in there and start blowing things up. If JFK hadn't stayed so calm and level-headed, who knows where we would be now?

Favorite part: I loved the whole movie. It was so informative. The thing I liked the most, though, was that even though I already knew what the outcome of the movie was going to be, I could still hardly bear to take my eyes off the screen. This movie was so gripping, it was just plain great.

Least favorite part: In this film, John and Robert Kennedy (played by Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp) had nice subtle Bostonian accents that made them sound as if they were from Massachusetts. But Kevin Costner (who played Kenny O'Donnell, personal assistant to the president) went overboard. In real life he has an all-American, unaccented voice. I think he was trying to put it on a little bit too hard. It honestly got kind of annoying.

Recommendations: I recommend this movie for ages 13 and up. There was some profanity and, for a lot of kids, this movie probably would be scary. The notion that our country came as close to nuclear disaster as it did IS frightening. You need to be mature enough to understand this movie to appreciate this well-told chapter in history.

Grade: A+

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Billy Norris, 13, is a seventh-grader at Seminole Middle School and a former member of the Times X-Team.

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