Warren Beatty's film is about the life of journalist John Reed, one of the founding members of the American Communist Party. Reed was a brilliant and sharp man who wanted to be where things happened. The same ferocity could be found in his turbulent relationship with Louise Bryant. Beatty’s portrait captures the ideological, romantic, and political tensions that were part of the man and the era. With utter skillfulness, he uses the cinematic scope to develop the characters and their relationships and uses the exceptional cast to deliver this unforgettable historic epic.