The film begins during World War I and has a very unusual narrative. Witnesses in the form of ordinary people are displayed on camera as being interviewed in documentary fashion and tell many aspects of the film's story through their own experiences and the film displays the pictures of it all. John Reed believes that America's involvement in the war is purely economical and is for nothing more than profit. His motives are found to be puzzling by many, including Louise Bryant, who wants to interview him. He explains that he doesn't do interviews (in many ways, a reflection of the real Warren Beatty) but he is strangely attracted to her and the two of them fall in love throughout the course of the film.

John Reed's crusade takes him to Europe to spread his propaganda and his words at home about the dismantling of all things capitalistic are seen as treasonous by the government. John has many friends, some of whom are eventually exposed as mere acquaintances. There is the great literary genius Eugene O'Neill (Jack Nicholson) who has an affair with Louise and mocks John's political beliefs. Louis Fraina (Paul Sorvino) who is one of Reed's somewhat confused political operatives. Grigory Zinoviev (Jerzy Kosinski), Reed's subversive revolutionary companion in Russia and his hard line colleague in communist propaganda back in America, Emma Goldman (Maureen Stapleton). There are many other character actors and great talents in the film such as Edward Herrmann, Josef Sommer, George Plimpton, M. Emmet Walsh and the superb Gene Hackman who, surprisingly, has a very small role in the picture as a right wing magazine editor.

Where the film is a little weak is in the way that it tells its love story between Reed and Bryant. The outline and execution of it is a little corny and detracts from the story of the revolution. It isn't bad beyond belief but it could have been trimmed a little bit. To compensate for it, the film tells of John Reed's battle with kidney infections and his eventual loss of one of them and a warning from his doctor that he must slow down if he wants to live a full and healthy life and the film's most impressive turning point is when Reed is doomed to come back to America after a warrant is issued for his arrest for wanting to overthrow the government and Louise Bryant follows him to Russia and searches for him vigourously.

'Reds' won three Oscars. For Best Director (Warren Beatty), Best Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton), and Best Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro). It had twelve nominations including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay by Beatty and Trevor Griffiths and Robert Towne worked on the script in an uncredited manner as he does on many films.

I find it interesting that at the time of its release in 1981, 'Reds' was the heavy favourite for the Best Picture Oscar and lost to the very deserving 'Chariots of Fire'. With communism still a serious threat to the world in 1981, it would be inconceivable to imagine the Academy giving a Best Picture Oscar to the story of an American who believed in communism. Perhaps now that the iron curtain has fallen, the film would have won if it had come out today since communism looks less likely to impose any real threat to the planet. It may have been an untimely release but nevertheless is a pleasure to look back on as its subject matter is fascinating and relatively educational for many generations --- most importantly, those yet to come.