Reds (1981)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Brawny in both intellect and scope, Reds is an intimate epic that captures the tumult of revolutionary change and the passion of those navigating through it.
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Cast
as John Reed
as Louise Bryant
as Emma Goldman
as Eugene O'Neill
as Max Eastman
as Grigory Zinoviev
as Louis Fraina
as Paul Trullinger
as Mr. Partlow
as Speaker at the Liberal Club
as Mrs. Partlow
as Carl Walters
as Helen Walters
as Mrs. Reed
as Floyd Dell
as Horace Whigham
as Maurice Becker
as Ida Rauh
as Crystal Eastman
as Marjorie Jones
as Jane Heap
as Barney
as Big Bill Haywood
as Police Chief
as Pinkerton Guard
as Pete Van Wherry
as Dr. Lorber
as Julius Gerber
as Allan Benson
as Joe Volski
as Gomberg
as Interpreter
as Vladimir Lenin
as Leon Trotsky
as A. Kerensky/Himself/Witness
as Young Bolshevik
as Sen. Overman
as MacAlpine
as Harry
as Eddie
as CLP Member
as CLP Member
as Agent
as Official
as Radek
as Escort
as Finnish Doctor
as Russian Nurse
as Russian Doctor
as Boy
as Witness
as Witness
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Critic Reviews for Reds
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (5) | DVD (12)
Beatty gives the performance of his lifetime as the erratic, possessed Reed, and his grasp of the direction of an epic film is truly astonishing.
If no one will learn much about politics from this film, Beatty has nonetheless put the fire of two burning lives in it. There is plenty in it about the risks that commitment entails, but it is about commitment.
It is occasionally rambling and repetitious, but nearly always intelligent and engrossing.
A left-leaning pretty boy's distended, black book ramblings.
Reds is finally just an appealingly conventional epic movie-star romance with radical trimmings, but it contains several sharper elements that suggest the colorful period it seeks to recreate.
As for Beatty, Reds is his bravura turn.
Audience Reviews for Reds
A gripping political epic of ambitious discussions (and with a splendid production design) about an idealistic journalist/activist who became an ardent revolutionary to fight for what he believed in, and it is very well edited and well paced for a film that runs for over three hours.
Super Reviewer
This epic historical political romantic drama biopic proved to be a real labor of love for Warren Beatty, who served as co-writer, producer, director, and star. Well, in that first sentence, I gave this a heck of a descriptor, so, what's it all about? Well, it's a look at the life and career of John Reed- an American journalist and communist whose relationship with feminist and writer Louise Bryant played out during the Bolshevik Revolution of the 1910s. Reed chronicled said revolution in his book The 10 Days That Shook the World, and has the distinction of, so far, being the only American buried in the Kremlin. So yeah, what we get here is a lengthy, but fascinating look at Russian Communism, as well as an outsider's role in the midst of one of the most interesting parts of modern history. I'll admit that, while I'm not a real big fan of politics, I am somehow still mildly interested in and fascinated by socialism and communism. The film looks at the movement both in the U.S, and Russia, and gives it a human edge that was previously not done in prior representations of things. This film would be quite a major accomplishment if made today. That it was made during the middle of the Cold War is even more impressive. Besides having a straightforward narrative of Reed's life and career, the film contains talking head segments with various friends, acquaintances, scholars, and others who provide more insight into Reed, Bryant, the movement, and the era itself. Beatty knocks it out of the park in all of his various roles here, and, as a director, this has yet to be topped as his masterpiece. Joining him in the cast are a dynamite Diane Keaton as Bryant, Jack Nicholson as Eugene O'Neill, and the likes of Edward Herrmann, Paul Sorvino, Gene Hackman, Maureen Stapleton, and M.Emmet Walsh among others in various supporting roles of varying lengths. The acting is solid, the subject matter is quite interesting (I thought), the talking head segments were a wonderful addition, and the cinematography was quite strong as well. As for downsides: well, it is a really long film, and, while I was pretty glued to the screen for most of it, things did get a little slow and boring here and there, but not enough to wreck things. It's also not the fastest moving piece of work, either, and there's not really much in the way of action, but then again, this does cover a lot of material, so the pacing works for the most part, and there isn't too much of a need for lots of rousing action and whatnot. All in all, I was quite impressed by this. I can't say I'll be watching this one too often, but I did find myself quite impressed by this, and think it is a really important piece of work that you should consider giving a watch, especially if you get the time.
Super Reviewer
This was quite a long movie but the story being told got better and better.
Super Reviewer
Reds Quotes
| Louise Bryant: | Taxi's waiting, Jack. |
| Eugene O'Neill: | Where's the whiskey? |
| 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? |