Review of Reds (1981) by Roman P — 10 Aug 2010

Pulling an Orson Welles, Hollywood legend Warren Beatty directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in this film about the passion of politics. The film centers on an American journalist engaging with communist beliefs, fighting for the working classes not only in America, but also inspiring the workers in WWI strewn Russia.

The film is vigorous in its cause, as demonstrated by Beatty's convincing central portrayal of Jack Reed. Beatty has had his moments in films past with his performances, but he has largely presented himself as a star, not an actor.

Thankfully, with subject matter as serious as this, Beatty's performance effectively carries the film without pretentiousness. Even Jack Nicholson, who was a major star by 1981, briefly shows up as Eugene O'Neill and is considerably low-key and subtle compared to performances past.

The film is wonderfully captured by Vittorio Storaro's sun soaked photography, simply oozing its characters' passion. What works best for the film, are interviews with real people who knew Jack Reed at the time of his contributions.

These interviews are intelligently edited throughout the entire film, serving as a commentary on the plot. They give this epic genuine depth and heart, in a semi-documentarian fashion. What makes the film especially interesting is although it heavily follows the communist cause in Russia, it does not shy away from the fallacies of the Bolsheviks.

Of course, the film doesn't always maintain its pacing over the course of three hours, but when it hits its stride, especially in its blanket white Russian scenes, it can be brilliant and inspirational, no matter where one's political views might stand.