150 Word Review: 'Reds' (1981)
Socialist butterflies
The early twentieth century was a turbulent political time, full of horror and hope. Director Warren Beatty's Reds takes place during those years and tells the story of crusading journalists Jack Reed and Louise Bryant, lovers and members of New York's bohemia. Beatty plays Reed, the only American buried in the Kremlin, an idealist who covered the Russian Revolution only to be seduced by it. Beatty is charming, fiery, and naive, but Keaton's gutsy performance as a writer fighting to be respected is stirring.
The movie celebrates radicals whose hearts are in the right place, fighting for hopeless causes. It is a booming historical epic with quiet, intimate moments.
Maureen Stapleton is fearless as working-class hero Emma Goldman. Jack Nicholson is playwright Eugene O'Neill, a self-loathing sellout. Documentary-style interviews with folks who knew Reed and Bryant IRL are peppered throughout Reds, sharing melancholy memories of leftists torn apart by history.
Random Rankings
Top 5 Diane Keaton Movies
5. 'Baby Boom' (1987)
4. 'Annie Hall' (1977)
3. 'Something's Gotta Give' (2003)
2. 'The Godfather' (1972) & 'The Godfather Part II' (1974)
1. 'Reds' (1981)
Never been able to get that scene (and there are many) out of my head:
Striker: "And what do you do?"
Reed: "I'm a writer. I write."
Striker: "No, you wrong."
I can't believe I've never watched this. I think I just have a block about considering either of them as serious actors.