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Plot:
Political drama about the stormy romantic partnership of journalist-revolutionary Jack Reed, author of Ten Days That Shook the World, and writer-artist Louise Bryant, set against the backdrop of World...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 25, 2008One of the last great epic movies in the style of David Lean....wonderful acting, cinematography, and social message still important in this day and age.
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MCT:March 2, 2008
I found it interesting that this was rated PG, yet some form of the word "fuck" was said at least five times. It's better as a historical film rather than a romance. I do believe they are in love at the end, but really all you see before that in their relationship is constant fighting and mood swings, showing that they truly weren't actually making each other happy, which certainly isn't love.
All lead performances were good. Nicholson's performance was stellar, and even Gene Hackman plays a small role here as well. But the real brilliance of the film comes with the script and the historical displays, combined with great directing. -
MCT:January 8, 2008
This has remained my favourite film of all time - I could not understand when people said it dragged on for hours as I was totally immersed in the whole journey. The interviews with first hand witnesses, the real life reflection of life when hunour coliides with tragedy and heartache and the impeccable acting of the entire cast consolidated by Warren's amazing vision as a director. How stirring is that Russian anthem!
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MCT:November 16, 2007
Reds, as its recent DVD advertising will tell you, is as releavant today as the time in which it is set (and for when it was originally released for that matter). While ostensibly about Jack Reed's involvement in the communist revolution the film covers personal liberties versus national security, workers rights, race and gender equality, fidelity, intellectualism and on and on and on. A hyper-literate script, an epic scope and heart-breaking performances from Keaton and Beatty, Reds covers it aesthetic bases nicely. It's truly remarkable "gimmick" is how Beatty weaves first person accounts of Jack Reed into the narrative but it never comes off as a documentary spin on the proceedings. Instead it hieghtens the viewers awareness of how little (or alternatively how much) personal perception has to do with reality.
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MCT:September 28, 2007
a wonderful dramatic love story about real people looking for something to live for... or die for. deftly helmed by warren beatty who also turns in a great performance as does the entire cast.
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MCT:September 28, 2007ever have picked this movie up on a simple whim, thinking nothing of it by title and so on--I'd never really heard about it before it came out on DVD. I'm not sure why; I noted it to a co-worker at the time and they were thoroughly enthused, which sort of surprised me, considering that, as I said, I'd never even heard the name before. I also discovered the film had been nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won three, including Best Director and Best Supporting Actress. How, then, should its name evade a film buff?
Still, it did, and that's sort of that.
As with previous lengthy films (this one runs a solid 195 minutes--3 hours and 15 minutes, for those of you who do not wish to divide that up and don't instantly recognize such lengths) this one has hung around in my collection for a while, until I felt like I had the time to watch it. Also, as per usual, it was thoroughly satisfying and did not drag (OK Spartacus was a bit of an exception here, but this one wasn't) as it wove together two disparate stories. I didn't know much about the plot at all when I bought it, and even less when I sat down to watch it today--which is my preferred method. If I'm not expecting a certain type of picture, I can just watch whatever it is that's there and enjoy what it is, instead of comparing it to expectation. As such I was not aware, going in, that it was, in fact, historically based. Apparently it was taken to task for some simplification and changes, but my feeling there is--well, what narrative doesn't? The film doesn't claim to be a documentary, or even portray itself as one--though one of the interesting things about it are interviews sprinkled liberally throughout.
The essential story we have here is that of journalist Jack Reed (Warren Beatty), who was a real journalist and communist activist, and his actions on that particular front, as well as a romance with feminist and activist Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton). We're following both their romance--the intimate, personal story--and the activism that Reed participated in--the big, expansive story. The aforementioned interviews are with real people who know Reed and Bryant, or who at least had recollections of the events they were associated with them. It's an interesting mix, and the two elements could have easily stricken a huge division in the film along the lines of drama and reality. Instead, they work together; it's the way that shows on the History Channel are supposed to work. We have experts (of a kind) speaking against a pure black background, then we have a dramatization of the events, emotions or ideas that they are speaking about. Except, we aren't seeing amateurish dramatization with "DRAMATIZATION" pasted onto the bottom of the frame, nor is it flickering, muted, silent or filtered. We shift from one to the other, fluidly, and see, not influence, but perception filtered into the drama. We occasionally get contradictory interview responses, where one person talks about the great swell of anti-war sentiment, and someone else firmly declaring there was not a single living American soul against the first World War. Between this and Beatty's decision to refrain from specifically identifying these "witnesses," we see some of reality colouring our perception of characters, and showing how inevitable historical errors are in any dramatization--when any two given people can disagree so completely, what is the exact truth? (It's gratifying to note here that Beatty, in interview, just said from the TV behind me, that fact is slippery and the witnesses show this.)
Still, this isn't the point of the film, simply an interesting stream that flows through it and helps to reinforce basic enjoyment of the film while simultaneously pointing out the fact that the story is, overall, historical. From this, many are quick to assume that a very liberal actor like Beatty would only make a film about Communism to espouse his great apprecation (or even worship, in some minds) of it. It's not really the case though; Lenin is spoken of repeatedly as being lacking in charisma, and even as being cold and hard, and a pure intellectual. It's shown consistently that, while the silly paranoia--which I admit I did not realize was around that early--that emanated from the U.S. government as regards Communism, shown through various events including a rather satisfying courtroom testimony by Lousie Bryant ("If that's how 'decent, God-fearing Christians act,' give me atheists any day,"), was present then, the Communist systems developing in Russia were far from idealistic. Reed himself is criticized for his idealism at many times, and spends much of the film clearly drowning in the beaurocracy of attempting to put ideas into effect when dealing with large groups of people, or even one small group of people with power. We see his petty infighting with fellow American socialists, attempting to declare each of their separate parties the "true" Communisty party of America, and then we see how very little this matters to the Russian Communists, when Reed travels over there to represent his particular group.
Barely noted, Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman appear in this film--Hackman not even recieving credit. He was surprising in a minor role, not overpowering everyone and being very much an 'everyman' sort of character, and Jack was in an atypically subdued role as playwright Eugene O'Neill. He was clearly introverted, passionate, intense and private, and Jack showed a side of his skill I have not seen before, and I was very pleased to see it. Diane Keaton had a much meatier role than I'm used to seeing her in, and she lives up to the challenge, though Maureen Stapleton is the Oscar winner for the film on the acting front, and she does deftly and skillfully command her role in the scenes in which she appears, taking care not to steal any scenes, but never letting herself melt into the background either.
For my Final Notes*:
I feel the need to note the presence of: M. Emmet Walsh, character actor extraordinaire, who you would almost doubtlessly recognize if you saw or heard him, Edward Herrmann, of which the same can be said(who most of my age group know as Max in The Lost Boys--curiously he plays real person Max Eastman here), Jerry Hardin, who many know as "Deep Throat" from The X-Files, Paul Sorvino, and Jerzy Kosinski, author of Being There. Sorvino has one of the larger roles as Italian immigrant Louis Fraina, one of the fellow party members Reed disagrees with and splinters away from, though Herrmann has a respectably sized role as well. Kosinski does potrary a very dogmatic, passionate firebrand of an executive member of the Russian Communist party, which was fairly impressive for someone who did so little (celluloid, at least, I know nothing of his theatrical background or lack thereof) acting beyond it.
*Really, I suppose I should call it "Character Actor Watch" or "Useless--No, Really, I Mean It, Useless--Trivia." -
MCT:September 11, 2007
OMG i think i was only very young when i saw this with my mom - What an excellent movie - i so loved it! a definite must see!!
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MCT:August 30, 2007
the revolution how it really was, the exitment, the authoria and the problems that started immidiatly after
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MCT:July 21, 2007
A long 3-hour epic much in the same vein as 'Gone With the Wind' (but better in my opinion) is purely brilliant. Warren Beatty (who also directed) is just incredible as Jack Reed, a revolutionary. Sure, it moves at an extremely slow pace, but if you're actually willing to watch and appreciate such art as this, you will see what a great film this truly is. Sure, the film is flawed mainly due to its astoundingly lengthy running time, but it is powerful, engaging and well made. A job well done, but 'Reds' is slightly overpraised.
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MCT:June 29, 2007okay. i'm not one for romantic stuff, and i was thinking that it would be more about the historical aspects of the russian revolution.
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MCT:June 20, 2007Personally, I thought this was a really boring movie. Of all the topics to do a movie on why the Russian revolution????
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MCT:June 13, 2007
Brilliantly acted, gorgeously filmed, skilfully directed for maximum emotion, and a script overflowing with intelligent ideas and stimulating dialogue- a most rewarding 200 minutes!
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MCT:May 15, 2007
Beautifully directed by Warren Beatty, this near 4 hour epic covers the rise of communism in a realistic fashion. It drags in places, ultimately bringing the film poweful subject matter down a notch. But strong dramatic performances from Diane Keaton (perhaps her best role ever) and Jack Nicholson keep the film afloat even through its rough sections.
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MCT:April 11, 2007
This film about the life of journalist John Reed is a sprawling epic film film directed by star Warren Beatty (who also co-wrote and produced). It's a beautifully made film with stunning cinematography, well crafted production/costume design and terrific performances by the cast (Beatty himself, Diane Keaton, Jacl Nicholson and Maureen Stapleton being the standouts). Unfortunately the downside to this film is that it's overlong (it's over three hours long), most of the subject matter didn't interest me that much and there times where it drags. Still it is a solid well made film.
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MCT:March 17, 2007
A great accomplishment, complete with monlogues by old timey Wobblies, CP members and lefti-wingers in general. A true masterpiece. The history this film encapsulates is usually consigned to the memory hole. The new dvd has added bits, including Warren Beatty's own take on how he made this fine movie.
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MCT:February 24, 2007
FIANLLY on DVD, perhaps it was held back as a result of its early 20th cenury anti-war sentiment, soclialist movemnt and dear Emma, anarchist to the core.. truth about the only American ever buried in the Kremlin... great performe by Keaton, amazingly directed and performed by Beatty. MUST SEE
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MCT:February 24, 2007
Warren Beatty bleeds politcal passion into a tragedy of 'artist vs. war'. Using real interviews to discuss Jack Reed, we feel connected to Warren's character, and want him to win. Diane Keaton screams sexuality with her eyes, and find warmth Louise-the balance in Jack's life. We never know if she loves him or not, but she keeps his quest for peace going. Jack Nicholson steals the film, and Keaton from Beatty; giving one of his most restrained and powerful performances. Communism, bad idea? Yes, but it had good intentions. Anything based on good intentions sounds delicious, but eventually will destory everything that it touches. The world needs as much evil, as it does good. Like Jack Reed, Warren Beatty directs the film as if he were fighting a battle of his own against Hollywood's shallowness. One of the greatest love stories within historical tragedy. Hauntingly romantic.
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MCT:November 15, 2006The only really good part(s) were the brief interviews interspursed throughout the film. Otherwise too long and boring. Could not must any sympathy, yetalone empathy for the main characters
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MCT:October 28, 2006
Everyone who enjoys a fast-paced, thought-provoking adventure should see this movie. It's a great portrayal both the political and human side of the Russian Revolution and its subsequent disappointments. Great acting! Lots of snow!
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