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In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War in Word and Deed
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7

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  1. attaboy
    Jun 8, 2005
    1
    Had this movie not been totally absurd to the point of hilarity, it would be a zero. As a disclaimer, I am a slightly left-of-center student of history and American fireign policy, which makes this movie hard to swallow. It's glaring historical inaccuracies make this more of a propaganda film than a testament to Reagan, and it's release date, October 2004, a mere 2 months before the election, render the director's intentions evident. Simply put, the director was more interested in creating an analogue between Reagan's war on Communism and W's war on terror(ism). The film portrays Reagan as the lone voice against Communism in the post WWII, forgetting completely that we had witch hunts for Communists. The director shows him intransigent and unwavering in this anti-communist sentiment, which is the case and wouldn't be problematic if he were not obviously trying to compare this facet of Reagan to one of Bush (anti-terror). Another main failure of the movie was to overplay the "Star Wars" missile defense strategy of Reagan, which never materialized into anything (here the director fails to mention anything about MAD or how this exacerbated the security dilemma). Lastly, and perhaps most disturbing, the director gives Reagan street cred with each sector of the American conservative right. It shows him as anti-union, anti-tax (while conveniently forgetting to mention that he had to raise taxes later in his administration), and the last 5 minutes are pure pandering to the religious right, which is disturbing in the sense that the director was simply trying to energize the Republican base ahead of an election instead of portray Reagan in a true historical context.… Expand
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  2. SteveM.
    Jun 18, 2007
    8
    As a conservative myself, I found the movie incredibly insightful and inspiring. My only problem is that, on several of the interviews, and especially on some of Reagan's, the clips are heavily pasted audio clips that do not reveal all that was actually said (replay and watch closely, b/c it is hard to notice)!! I simply cannot understand how some people still say that Star Wars won't work even now when clearly we know it is working - even the Chinese can shoot down satellites now!!!! Unbelievable ignorance!!! Then again, they're the same ignorant morons who say we never landed on the moon!!! I liked the part of the movie that revealed the size of the Soviet economy and the fact that the Soviets in essence blackmailed the West for fifty years with its massive army!!! Reagan proved that evil really is powerless if the good are unafraid!!! Truly a remarkable man!!!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. B.Garrett
    Aug 2, 2006
    10
    Deep and Insightful look at how remarkably effective Ronald Reagan was at combatting evil in our world. He was the right man at the right time for the job.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. GetSome
    Feb 8, 2007
    9
    Regardless of how you feel about Ronald Regan's political views, he was both a registered Democrat and Republican at different times during his life. He was passionate on issues of the left and right. Maybe the Republicans were trying to make political hay prior to the 2004 election with the release of In the Face of Evil Regan's War, I think so. But after watching this film, I also became aware of something I didn't expect, Regan did pull it off, whether by plan or accident, and for that I am grateful.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. CharlesR.
    Aug 29, 2007
    10
    This is the way we should all learn history. We need to be able to draw the right conclusions from history, to know how to act in the present and how to prepare for the future. What a great way to use our Government Schooling -- teach with this DVD, that they may learn to better discern right from wrong, good from evil.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
39 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    40
    What this Reagan movie really needed was . . . more Reagan. None of his admirers have his charisma, and none of the footage here is surprising. Fox News could easily produce a better film.
    Read full review
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    40
    Archival material -- especially rare B&W Soviet footage -- is a knockout, though the assembly of talking heads, nearly all Reagan loyalists, is predictable and uninspired.
    Read full review
  3. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Mary Anastasia O'Grady
    70
    The devil had taken Reagan to the mountaintop and offered a world of spoils, from peace prizes to popular acclaim and a glamorous place in history. To reject it took more than guts. It took a man who put freedom ahead of his own glory. This is not a biography but the story of a man who faced off against the 20th century's "heart of darkness" and won.
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