In October 1962, the human race came closer than it would ever come again to destroying itself. The Soviet Union had placed a considerable number of missiles on the island of Cuba, 90 miles off the coast of the USA. The Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev, knew that the USSR didn't have the ability to strike at america from soviet territory because the missiles didn't carry enough fuel, but by stationing them in the country of fellow socialist leader Fidel Castro, Khrushchev effectively controlled the western hemisphere. US President John F Kennedy was caught completely by surprise. His top military generals as well as secretary of defense Robert McNamara desperately try to convince Kennedy to bomb cuba, but the latter is no doubt convinced that would lead to a full scale war with russia. For 13 excruciating days, the entire world awaited the apocalypse. This very long film attempts to dramatize what happened from october 16th to the 29th, 1962. The film goes through the crisis day by day and provides a very comprehensive look at what Kennedy's meetings and heated discussions might have looked like. JFK (played by William Devane), is portrayed very well, no doubt about it. He shows all the characteristics of someone trapped in this extremely serious situation. Throughout the movie, Kennedy frequently engages in confused and difficult arguments with McNamara, members of his cabinet, and military advisors. Everyone involved is frustrated, since every step Kennedy takes to find a peaceful solution seems to drag him back into a possibly world-ending scenario. For example, later on, the decision is made to not attack cuba, but surround it with military ships designed to dissuade soviet ships from coming close to the island in order to deliver more supplies. Kennedy is advised to tighten the ring of ships so that it lay closer to cuba, but if he does so, the vessels will be at the mercy of soviet aircraft operating from the island. I can't even imagine the frustration these men must have gone through in their attempt to solve this dilemma. Another good aspect of the movie is how JFK's brother Robert Kennedy (Martin Sheen), is currently serving as attorney general of the united states. JFK often tells his brother about how nightmarish the conversations he has with his subordinates are, as no one can seem to agree on anything. Some favor removing the russian missiles by force and attacking them, while others say that will make america look like coldblooded killers and vindicate Khrushchev's position. Meanwhile, the movie also portrays events from the opposite point of view, and takes a look at what was going on in the Kremlin during this time. Khrushchev holds similar meetings to the ones held by Kennedy, and people sent to him in order to resolve things peacefully are frustrated by his stubborn attitude. He repeatedly insists that the nukes in cuba are not offensive weapons and will not be launched at america, and even says how he is justified to put them there considering how america tried (and failed) to invade cuba during the bay of pigs. In Khrushchev's mind, cuba has a right to defend itself. He also says america is hypocritical for getting upset because they have nuclear weapons stationed in turkey, literally right on the russian border. After some time, an american U-2 reconnaissance plane is shot down over cuba during a spy mission, and Kennedy is enraged. He now seems to be losing everything he fought for, and war with russia looks unavoidable. Another spy plane enters soviet airspace, and Khrushchev orders it not to be shot down in order to appease the americans. Finally, after almost 2 weeks of pure hell, Khrushchev announces he will repackage the soviet planes and nuclear missiles in cuba and send them back to russia, as long as Kennedy agrees to pull his missiles out of turkey and italy. The crisis is over, and the threat of the entire world being annihilated was seen as (slightly) less likely. America and the Soviet Union never wanted or had such a direct and tense confrontation ever again. I think this film is pretty impressive. Like I wrote before, it faithfully shows how one of history's most pivotal moments played out, and the dialogue really helps the audience understand how horrible of a time period this was. In my opinion, Devane probably wasn't the best choice of actor to play JFK because he looks more like a young Jack Nicholson. His voice, however, is on point, and sounds like he just got done living in boston for 30 years. Strangely, LBJ doesn't show up at all in this movie, despite meeting with Kennedy several times during the cuban missile crisis. I was happy to discover this movie because the crisis itself is a regularly overlooked part of cold war history. Had it turned out different, it could have ended the entire world. Despite its significance, there's a noticeable lack of films on the subject. At least we have this one.
Review of The Missiles of October
