Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 2 ratings
Told through the voice of former KGB agent Viktor Petrovich, whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan's when Reagan first caught the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, Reagan overcomes the odds to become the 40th president of the United States.
Reagan (2024) takes an interesting structural conceit by framing Reagan's life through the eyes of a KGB agent, but ultimately fails to fully exploit this angle, resulting in a fairly conventional biopic that hits the expected beats of Reagan's life from Hollywood to the presidency. The acting from Dennis Quaid is committed if somewhat hagiographic, while the supporting cast is serviceable. Cinematography is competent but unremarkable for the genre. The KGB framing device provides a slight novelty boost but the execution is too reverent and straightforward to be truly distinctive — it largely plays as a faith-friendly, ideologically admiring portrait rather than a probing examination. The ending, like many biopics, wraps up neatly with a celebratory tone that doesn't leave a lasting impression.