Bruce Greenwood As President John F. Kennedy (Thirteen Days, 2000)
There are few moments in world history as terrifying as that which came to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Thirteen Days – directed by Roger Donaldson and written by David Self – is an excellent rendering of how a global nuclear war was narrowly avoided. While the film seems to focus on political consultant to the Kennedy administration, Kenneth P. O’Donnell (Kevin Costner), actor Bruce Greenwood quietly delivers an impressive Presidential performance as JFK himself.
When a U.S spy plane returned with images that suggested the Soviet Union was putting nuclear missiles in Cuba – within easy firing distance of the United States – President Kennedy was immediately compelled to act and ensure the safety of his citizenry. The film follows the protracted process of strategizing and negotiation undertaken by the President and his advisors – including his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy – and the dramatic showdown that occurred between U.S and Soviet ships in Cuban waters.
Greenwood makes a powerful show of demonstrating the weight of responsibility sitting on the shoulders of President Kennedy. He is essentially playing the deadliest chess game imaginable, where checkmate would mean the annihilation of millions of people in a nuclear holocaust.
While discussions are held, in the bluntest of terms, about whose wives and children are eligible for transport to the safety of a bunker, Greenwood’s Kennedy effectively conveys the gravity of those lives being in his hands. The best outcome he can work toward is a draw – enabling both the U.S and the Soviet Union to stand down – and this is what was achieved, by both countries working together, behind the scenes, to stave off disaster.
