Welcome to Michael Medved Reviews Reagan. The IMDB synopsis for this film, a drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan from his childhood to his time in the Oval Office.

Michael, you're no stranger to Ronald Reagan.

Obviously, you've recorded a three-hour history program

about the life of the former president. Many consider a great man. Some consider a controversial figure.

At a two-hour and 15-minute runtime, does the film even begin to scratch the surface of the life and times of Ronald Reagan?

And in terms of the storyline, what is it particularly focus on? Does it go from childhood all the way

up until his death, or does it focus on a particular moment in time in his presidency or a notable time or event in his life.

That's a great and very appropriate question, Greg. The film in terms of covering the whole full sweep of a long and tremendously eventful life, basically does scratch the surface successfully.

And it is surprisingly watchable considering its ambitions.

The one thing about the movie is it's based upon a book by Paul Kangor,

who's a frequent guest on my radio show.

It's a professor at Grove City College.

And the book is called Crusader. And it is the bout the struggle, lifelong struggle, which actually began when he was a very young man in Dixon, Illinois, which is where he's from, Reagan's struggle against international

communism and against the Soviet Empire, which he, I think, rightly characterized as the evil

empire.

And the film is basically narrated by a character played by John Voigt.

And with a fairly credible Russian accent, Voight plays a veteran Soviet spy who had designated,

and this is based on a real character who had designated Reagan as crusader,

because the Russians knew long before he became president that this was someone

who was crusading against the communist ideals that they were trying to foist on the world.

So in terms of covering Reagan the man, there are also segments, a fairly generous segment about how he began his

relationship with Nancy, his second wife. He was married before to Jane Wyman. Jane Wyman is played

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