Killing Reagan (2016)

“I hope you’re all Republicans” – President Ronald Reagan

Number of Times Seen – 1 (19 Oct 2016)

Brief Synopsis – Dramatization of the events that led up to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 31st 1981 by John Hinkley Jr.

My Take on it – As a fan of American History and of the Presidency in particular, I was very interested in seeing this film for quite done time.

They do a great job of developing the two main characters and are able to give us insight into their lives before and after the assassination attempt.

I’m quite glad that they chose to not downplay the whole Jodie Foster aspect of this story because it adds much more depth to the character of Hinkley and his warped sense of gallantry.

My biggest problem here was with the casting; I’m a fan of both Tim Matheson and Cynthia Nixon but neither were convincing enough to me as the First family.

Aside from that, Bill O’Rielly’s story gives a very convincing description of the events that led up to the events of that day.

Rod Lurie is great as director and I especially liked his brief cameo towards the end of the film.

Bottom Line – Really enjoyed the way that they developed both the characters of Reagan and Hinkley and showed us what direction both of their lives were heading before and after that fateful day. I’ve always liked Matheson and Nixon but had a bit of trouble believing both of them as the Reagans.  Was pleased that they didn’t try to suppress the Foster aspect of the whole story because it really adds so much depth to the reasonings for it all. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Jerry Parr was a 9-year-old boy when his father took him to see the movie Code of the Secret Service (1939) starring Ronald Reagan as dashing agent Brass Bancroft. The film inspired Jerry Parr to join the U.S. Secret Service, and he was widely credited with saving Reagan’s life during the 1981 assassination attempt. Parr later told Reagan how the movie had influenced him to become a Secret Service agent. The president reportedly laughed and said, “That was the cheapest film I ever made.(From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy

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