Warren Beatty was known for going all out. He didn't direct often (only six credits to his name), but, when he did, he went big, often producing, writing, directing and starring (he also didn't act as much as you might think for someone so renowned, with only 32 acting credits to his name) in his pictures. Biggest of all was this, Reds, his three-hour passion project, which was nominated for a whopping twelve Oscars back in 1982, with four (yep, four Oscar nominations all in one night) of those coming for Beatty himself (he won one, for Best Director). A huge, ambitious, epic film, Reds sees Beatty direct and star in the story of John Reed, the famed American Communist whose book, 10 Days That Shook The World, chronicled the Russian Revolution. A capital O opus if ever there was one, Beatty is the best he's ever been here - both behind the camera and in front of it - the film flying through history to show Reed progress (or is that regress?) from a charismatic young radical into a disillusioned Russian resident at odds with Bolshevism. The film, like any near 200-minute one, can be a bit of a slog, but when you add a colourful supporting cast (Jack Nicholson as playwright Eugene O'Neil, for instance) to Beatty's admirable, sterling ambition, you ultimately end up with one of the great films directed (and then some) by its lead actor.
