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, firey, and naive, but Keaton's gutsy performance as a woman driven to be respected as a writer 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 plays legendary anarchist/human grenade, 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 ancient memories, sad and warm.
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)
The film earned Beatty the Academy Award for Best Director, and it achieved many other nominations.
I would include Shoot the Moon near the top in my own list of favorite Keaton movies!