Review of Reds (1981) by Jonathan B — 30 Mar 2008

There is no arguing that this is a very well crafted and intelligent film, rightfully earning the Best Director Oscar. It explores the complicated relationship between two figures who were very active in covering and promoting the emergence of socialism and revolution in the early 1900Â?s.

I do not think you have to be a communist or socialist to enjoy this film, since it focuses more on the nature of the lead's relationship and personalities rather than acting as a vehicle to promote any specific ideology or propaganda (also, I think we can all agree that shit was pretty bad for industrial workers in 1915, so the fact that the main character was upset about the way the government treated a lot of people should not be that surprising).

But this film did not quite balance the personal relationships that were being explored and the revolutionary issues that were being dealt with evenly. Warren Beatty went off on enough rants to get across the various positions his character held, but very little really came into focus.

This is an incredibly ambitious film on virtually every level, and I think Beatty had to cut some of the politics and revolution to get the full story across. But even without more detailed exploration of the various revolutionary activities that were emerging at this time, this film just felt far too long.

Despite its superb acting, directing, writing, and camera work, by the end of it, I did not feel like this movie was worth that large of a chunk of my day.