George Babbitt

Convoluted and overly complex plot requires a lot of action sequences to make the movie watchable. The first hour was far too slow with excessive conversations that tried to explain the inexplicable plot. Great action scenes, no doubt. Could have been an hour shorter and been much better.

As a motion picture, “Reagan” is a little clunky for about the first two-thirds as it drops in on Reagan and multiple political figures of the day in a series of jumpy anecdotes, but as a story, “Reagan” is a wonderful tribute to a President who was incredibly popular and determined to “make America great again”. It is Hollywood at its finest even if most of todays liberal Hollywood will roll their eyes at the very non-liberal message. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Whether the depictions of Stalin’s inner circle are personally accurate, or if some factual details are loose doesn’t matter. This splendid telling of the Soviet Union in transition from one monster to a merely tamer dictator is a work of art. The portrayal of Kruschev, Beria, Molotov and all the gang vying for Stalin’s approval as a bunch of heartless high school cut-ups puts a human face on these inhumane despots and let’s us see them as nothing more than ruthless bullies. The casualness of the disposition of the unfortunate citizens who landed on one of Stalin’s “lists” and were nonchalantly executed makes us weep for what ordinary Russians had to endure in the Communist Era, and also makes us wonder if a cackling group of ninnies under Putin is still doing it to the Russian people today. A wonderful film, and even if you weren’t alive then or don’t know any Soviet Union history, you shouldn’t miss this slice of real terror in the world.