Thirteen Days of Shock

On October 14, 1962, a piece of intelligence information revealed in a photo taken by a U-2 reconnaissance aircraft flying over Cuba triggered an unprecedented crisis between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two major superpowers in the world at the time. U.S. intelligence officials discovered in this set of intelligence materials that the Soviet Union was building a base in San Cristobal, southwest of the Cuban capital Havana, less than 150 kilometers away from Florida, deploying short- and medium-range missiles and Il-28 heavy bombers carrying nuclear weapons. These missiles are enough to destroy major cities in the United States and cause heavy casualties. The entire United States was plunged into extreme panic, pushing the entire world to the brink of nuclear disaster. President John F. Kennedy (played by Bruce Greenwood) and his brother Robert F. Kennedy (played by Steven Culp) calmly dealt with this imminent nuclear war crisis. The film reproduces the crisis-ridden thirteen days through the eyes of White House Senior Special Assistant Kenneth O'Donnell (played by Kevin Costner).