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Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosinski, Jack Nicholson ... see more see more... , Paul Sorvino , Maureen Stapleton , Nicolas Coster , M. Emmet Walsh , Ian Wolfe , Bessie Love , R.G. Armstrong , Roger Baldwin , Ramon Bieri , Phil Brown , Joseph Buloff , Norman Chancer , Brenda Currin , Noel Davis , Macintyre Dixon , Will Durant , Kathryn Grody , Stefan Gryff , Gene Hackman , Jerry Hardin , Gerald Hiken , Jack Kehoe , Åke Lindman , Christopher Malcolm , Jack O'Leary , George Plimpton , Stuart Richman , Shane Rimmer , Tony Sibbald , Roger Sloman , Pat Starr , Dolph Sweet , Jan Triska , Rebecca West , Eleanor D. Wilson , William Daniels , Harry Ditson , George Jessel , Dave King , Patsy Pollock , Josef Sommer , Max Wright , Gretchen Rennell , Nancy Foy , Jane Jenkins , Marion Dougherty , Adela Rogers St. John , Leigh Curran , Art Shields , Hamilton Fish III , Arthur Mayer

Few filmmakers other than Warren Beatty would have had the courage and vision to fashion an epic film from the life of famed American Communist John Reed (who is the only US citizen buried in the Krem... read more read more...lin). The film is an effort to humanize a political movement that has previously been depicted on screen in a series of unsubtle and prejudicial broad strokes. The film begins in 1915, when Reed (Beatty) makes the acquaintance of married Portland journalist Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton). So persuasive is Reed's point of view--and so charismatic is Reed himself-- that Bryant kicks over the traces and joins Reed and his fellow radicals. Among the famous personages depicted herein are Emma Goldman (Maureen Stapleton), Eugene O'Neill (Jack Nicholson) and Max Eastman (Richard Herrmann). The second half of this nearly-200-minute film skims through the years when Reed, now a Russian resident, becomes disillusioned by the harsh realities of Bolshevism. Despite the celebrity line-up of real-life "witnesses" to the events depicted in the film (ranging from novelist Henry Miller to comedian George Jessel!), historians took Reds to task for its oversimplification of events and its laundering of the notoriously promiscuous Louise Bryant. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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81% liked it

7,989 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

34 critics

PG, 3 hr. 15 min.

Directed by: Warren Beatty

Release Date: December 4, 1981

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DVD Release Date: October 17, 2006

Stats: 608 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (608)

  • hunterjt13
    October 17, 2010
    hunterjt13
    Reds is an epic political drama, and Beatty's passionate directing and acting are fun to watch. The fact that Beatty was able to make this film in the 80s is equally admirable. But I find the movie too unquestionably devoted to revering the man and his politics. Sure, the film... read more allows a few questions about his character in relationship to his treatment of Louise, but mostly I see Beatty jerking off to the life of Jack Reed, and such devotion always makes me suspicious. The film is so agenda-driven that it makes me understand why some dislike Oliver Stone.
  • bottcorecords1
    May 2, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    Warren Beatty wrote, directed and stars in this biopic of John Reed, a journalist who became entrenched in Russia's communist revolution and also helped inspire the founding of the communist party in America. Despite this being Beatty's movie and role, the film seems to focus mo... read morere on Reed's love interest, Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton). She's an aspiring writer/journalist herself, and she's almost immediately fascinated by Reed's radicalism. Soon, at his behest, she leaves her husband and moves to Greenwich Village. But in the Village, she finds herself isolated amongst the intellectual elite, who show no interest in her opinions. Only writer Eugene O'Neill seems intrigued by her, and his interest seems just as much romantic as anything else. It's a love triangle that falls to pieces under the weight of John Reed's charisma, though. Soon she marries Reed, he starts changing from journalist to activist, fueled by a passionate interest in socialism and revolt. The movie, as a sort of reverse Dr. Zhivago, occasionally shows glimpses of film epic, but more often it's more a ponderously flimsy melodrama. Diane Keaton shows no charm whatsoever, nor does her character display any great intellectual quality, and it's hard to understand just why everyone is supposed to be so attracted to her. Yes, there are a few scenes of human insight, and a few scenes of epic beauty, but I find the subject matter in general to be grating. Reds must've been quite impressive at the time of it's release, but it loses a little bit of stature with the passing of each year (sort of like "Titanic"), and I can't say that's unjustified.
  • axadntpron
    April 4, 2010
    axadntpron
    Very grand in scope. In fact, so grand in scope that I lose focus of what it is really trying to say. It is a romance film set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution of 1917. While there are some great shots and Beatty is very convincing as a passionate radical, Keaton's ... read moreperformance did not have the same finesee.
    It felt like Beatty set out to make an epic out of material that was more suitable for a standard film. It is worth a watch, but the 3 and 1/2 hours goes by at a snail's pace.
  • flixsterman
    January 28, 2010
    flixsterman
    Had it been produced today, in this new millennium, this would have been a remarkable film. The fact that it was made in the early '80s, when America and Russia were still very much at odds with each other, makes Reds almost otherworldly.

    Circa 1915, the true story of ... read morean American journalist who saw the oppression of workers in a capitalist society and dreamed of something better. He, along with his wife and his circle of 'intellectual' friends, at first try to effect change in the U.S. but are later enticed overseas by news of the Bolshevik revolution.

    This is not an anti-American film, neither is it pro-Russian. What at first seems like Utopian naiveté is later unraveled and exposed (credit Beatty for not succumbing to the Hollywood elite). What this is, in simple terms, is an intricate docu-drama with an amazing assemblage of creative talent. The cast list reads like an actors who's-who: Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, Paul Sorvino and the incomparable Maureen Stapleton. Wow.

    The knock here is that this film is too long. One of the shortfalls of having the writer as the producer/director is the reluctance to make cuts where cuts need to be made. Still, a relatively minor gripe about an otherwise phenomenal film.
  • kenstachnik
    August 6, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Beautifully shot and acted.
  • DrZeek
    February 8, 2009
    DrZeek
    John Reed: Look, what does a capitalist do? Let me ask you that, Mike. Huh? Tell me. I mean, what does he make, besides money? I don't know what he makes. The workers do all the work, don't they? Well, what if they got organized?

    Warren Beatty's epic political drama about the s... read moretormy romantic partnership of journalist-revolutionary Jack Reed, played by Beatty, author of Ten Days That Shook the World, and writer-artist Louise Bryant, played by Diane Keaton, set against the backdrop of World War I and the Russian Revolution.

    At a little over three hours, Beatty has certainly made his passion project. He had evidently shot 140 hours of film and from that culled it down to a very well made film that features great performances from all involved, namely Beatty, Keaton, and Jack Nicholson. It is also a very beautiful film that certainly gets across its status as an epic.

    Its political subject matter certainly doesn't make it the kind of film that would play well with today's audiences in general, but it certainly captures its historical atmosphere as well as provides a very good love story.

    Eugene O'Neill: Jack dreams that he can hustle the American working man, who's one dream is that he could be rich enough not to work, into a revolution led by *his* party.
  • deano
    January 17, 2009
    deano
    Warren Beatty produced, directed, cowrote and starred in this $33 million American film masterpiece. This three-hour biography film was ambitious interesting about love partnership of two American journalists Beatty and Diane Keaton made amazing performances. Also features brilli... read moreant bits from Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, and Maureen Stapleton.
  • FilmFanatik
    September 25, 2008
    FilmFanatik
    Powerful story from Beatty and Co.
  • tsigur
    December 9, 2007
    tsigur
    Before this I thought Warren Beatty was just an old cougar who got young poon.
  • hypathio7
    December 22, 2008
    hypathio7
    I liked some of Warren Beatty's performances when he was younger. In his mind he wanted to be as well respected as Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles in the way they became actors and writers and producers and directors to bring their visions to the movie audiences. But in my opi... read morenion he's just not that good. I usually really get into epic historical pics, but I had a hard time getting through this one and understanding it all.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

As for Beatty, Reds is his bravura turn. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Reds is an extremely fine film. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
August 15, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

Warren Beatty's political epic features superlative performances and speaks to the inner-rebel in each of us. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
January 10, 2010
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Filled with rich ideas. Full Review

Phil Villarreal
August 5, 2007
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star

Vittorio Storaro, who won an Oscar for his cinematography, keeps the long film moving at a healthy pace, mixing static shots with subtle camera movement, never showing off or detracting from the story. Full Review

James Sanford
January 12, 2007
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

an epic love story ... As a teenager I saw it four times in the theater (which I now find pretty astonishing, considering the movie is well more than three hours long -- I had a lot more free time in ... Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
January 5, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Viewed today, it's not so effortlessly impressive, but it's still an uncommonly intelligent and quite entertaining film. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
December 23, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

One of the most ambitious Hollywood films of the 80s, Reds is trying to do too much (historical epic, political expose, and romance), but the insertion of interviews with contemporaries of John Reed i... Full Review

Chris Cabin
October 18, 2006
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com

It's tragic that more American filmmakers aren't taking risks like this at a time like this. Full Review

Keith Uhlich
October 11, 2006
Keith Uhlich, Reverse Shot

A left-leaning pretty boy's distended, black book ramblings.

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