Thirteen Days, the new political drama that takes a look at the Cuban Missile Crisis that nearly brought on World War III in 1962, is everything astute viewers would want in a movie. An intense, superbly directed and acted film, rich in detail and even richer in entertainment value, it will have you on the edge of your seat for most of its 145-minute running time.

Told largely (though not entirely) through the eyes of President John F. Kennedy's special advisor Kenny O' Donnell (Kevin Costner), the film begins on October 16th, 1962, when JFK (Bruce Greenwood), is shown a series of photos taken by a U-2 spy plane that reveal the presence of medium-range ballistic Soviet missiles in Cuba. This presence would be capable of launching nuclear missiles at much of the eastern United States, including Washington D.C. In a matter of minutes, at least 80 million people would die. Kennedy could forcibly remove the missiles from Cuba, but that would most likely cause Soviet Premier Krushchev to retaliate by taking over West Berlin, which would then cause an American retaliation and so on.

For a few days, the American public is kept at bay about the escalating events while military options are explored and Kennedy keeps his military officers - nxious to invade Cuba - on a short leash. On October 22nd, President Kennedy addresses the nation about the situation and calls for a blockade of Cuba. Over the next week, as the American public becomes both scared and prepared for what may happen, Kennedy and his staff try everything they can in order to avert the situation without using military force.

Of course, we all know how it all turned out. Yet, director Roger Donaldson (who also directed Costner in 1987's No Way Out) and screenwriter David Self know how to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The events in the script are incredibly meticulous (the eye to era detail is equally as impressive) and complex, yet easy enough (for those who weren't around when it happened) to follow. Much like 1995's Apollo 13, Thirteen Days has an urgency and intensity that grabs you almost from the outset and never lets you go.

Despite his initial overkill on the Boston accent, Kevin Costner turns in a solid performance here. His O'Donnell is the everyman that acts as our guide into the events of the Oval Office, making for his best role since 1996's Tin Cup. Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp are superb as JFK and RFK, respectively. Greenwood, while not looking all that much like the former President, conveys the believability and intelligence that is essential for the viewer to buy into his actions. Culp, who is a spitting image of Bobby Kennedy, also turns in a controlled, smart performance. This trio, along with Dylan Baker as Robert McNamara and Kevin Conway as general Curtis LeMay (among many others), make this a fine example of ensemble acting at its best. Much like the recent Traffic, one actor never overshadows another, instead they merely add to the greatness of each other's performance.

It can be contested whether or not Thirteen Days is one hundred percent accurate, but I can say that it makes for great Hollywood filmmaking. It's smart, exciting and involving. It exposes younger viewers who may know little if anything about this to an important chapter of modern history and does so in a way that won't put them to sleep. For the rest of us, it reminds us of two things: one is of how close we all came to not being here today. The other is that quality film-making may not be dead just yet.

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