"Reagan" - A Movie Review

The movie, "Reagan", opens this Labor Day weekend with a scene that the movie producers never imagined while filming the motion picture would be unfortunately very familiar to modern audiences - the attempted assassination of a President. As Dennis Quaid, in the title role of the 40th President, just finishes delivering an inspiring speech to a labor union when out of nowhere a gunman tries to make him meet his end. Only a fleeting mention of James Scott Brady, who took a bullet to his head in his attempt to protect the President, is made in the film. But, both of them do survive the assassination attempt.

Based on the book by Paul Kengor entitled "The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism", the life story of Ronald Reagan unfolds in the biopic as a rising young political figure in Russia seeks out an aging former Russian spy to find out how the Communist Soviet Union declined in might. In a powerfully compelling Oscar worthy best supporting actor portrayal by Jon Voight, the aging KGB spy proceeds to tell the aspiring Russian politician how he recognized the potential threat to "the evil empire" that Ronald Reagan presented from his early Hollywood actor years. But, also how his reports went continually unheeded.

In a flashback to his early childhood years in Dixon, Illinois, the movie shows how Ronald Reagan was affected by his father's alcoholism and the impecunious plight it placed them in as a family. And when his mother presents him with a copy of "That Printer of Udell's" by Harold Bell Wright, said by many to be the first American writer to sell a million copies of a novel, the eleven years old Reagan finds his inspiration for life. As the children's novel featured a young protagonist that the young Ronald could immediately relate to, a boy who is the son of an alcoholic father and sees his mother starving as a result, but through the kindness of some Christians finds his faith and by being good eventually makes his way to D. C. as a Congressman.

Serving as a primer of modern American politics, the movie follows Reagan as an FBI informant in Hollywood during Reagan's acting years when he becomes heavily involved in fighting the Communist movement in the entertainment industry. A focus which becomes one of Reagan's life missions as he combats Communism successfully during his presidency through the fall of the Berlin Wall that divided East and West Germany. Which later also led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Inspired by a pastor who prophesies that if Reagan keeps following his faith he will end up on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Reagan nevertheless does encounter some difficulties in his path upwards on the political ladder. For he loses his first Presidential bid against Gerald Ford. But, is later successful in his campaign for President of The United States when he runs against Georgia's native son, Jimmy Carter. With one of the voters who cast their lot for Reagan in his quest for the nation's highest political office being Dennis Quaid. Carter is actually still among the living and at ninety-nine years of age is the longest-lived president in the USA's history.

While not featured in the movie, astute college football fans will notice a picture of the young Ronald Reagan when he was a young sportswriter in the Paul W. Bryant Museum at the University of Alabama. In fact, while Reagan was President of The United States, he posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Paul "Bear" Bryant a month after the legendary Crimson Tide coach passed away.

Directed by Sean McNamara, "Reagan" is two hours and fifteen minutes in length. And features clips from the actual life of Ronald Wilson Reagan during the ending credits. Scottish bagpipe music is also played while ending clips are shown of Reagan's Celebration of Life. As this year marks the twentieth anniversary of his passing.

Luisa Reyes is an attorney in Tuscaloosa with a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Judson, a master's degree in library science, and a law degree from Samford's Cumberland School of Law. She is also a piano instructor and vocalist.