The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001) (TV)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Cyrus Nowrasteh

Writer (WGA):

Cyrus Nowrasteh (written by)

Release Date:

9 December 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Government | U.S. President | Assassination Attempt | Hospital

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Alexander Haig
Richard Crenna	...	Ronald Reagan
Yannick Bisson	...	Buddy Stein
Colm Feore	...	Caspar Weinberger
Michael Murphy	...	Michael Deaver
Kenneth Welsh	...	James Baker
Leon Pownall	...	Ed Meese
Robert Bockstael	...	Dick Allen
Beau Starr	...	Special Agent Cage
Alex Carter	...	Dr. Allard
Andrew Tarbet	...	Dr. Gregorio
Holland Taylor	...	Nancy Reagan
Christian Lloyd	...	John Hinckley
Sean McCann	...	Donald Regan
Jack Jessop	...	William Casey

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Greece:K-13 | Argentina:13 | Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Halsted Pictures

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The presidential airplane was a version of the Boeing 707 at the time of the assassination, not the Boeing 747 currently in use.

Dual Personality

This semi-docudrama is really two films in one. The first concerns the infamous 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan and the valiant efforts to save his life. The second relays the power struggle among White House staff while the most powerful man in the world lay under anesthesia.

Despite the fascinating subject matter, THE DAY REAGAN WAS SHOT often falls flat, playing like a cobbled together movie of the week. Writer-director Cyrus Nowrasteh spends far too much time on the ego trips of Secretary of State Alexander Haig (a semi-annoying Richard Dreyfuss), failing to fully explore the more human angles as a nation sat with bated breath. What should have been a subplot with Haig dominates the movie. It would have been nice to see more of the doctors handed this enormous task; more of Nancy Reagan, the beloved First Lady; and more of the behind-the-scenes details, such as the ailing president signing a dairy bill to prove he was still in charge. The dialog is unimaginative and some of the performances resemble those of actors fresh from acting school.

There is a great movie to be made about the chaos within government when its leader is sidelined. But with its dual personality, THE DAY REAGAN WAS SHOT isn't it.