Wonderfully offbeat film!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

My summary line would have been "I forgot to duck" by the President to his wife at the hospital, but his opening remark to a joint session of Congress upon his return seemed more appropriate. The man had a great sense of humor, as evidenced also by the way he summed up his Alzheimer's diagnosis. That wasn't in the film, but reportedly he stated that 'he'll get to meet new people every day'. For students of history, and even for those who aren't, this presentation of "Killing Reagan" was as best as I can tell, a faithful rendering of the events before, during and after the failed assassination attempt by the troubled John Hinckley Jr. (Kyle S. More). Some viewers will undoubtedly be confused by the opening of the story when it appears that Hinckley was stalking President Jimmy Carter. That scene reinforces the idea that Hinckley was not acting out a politically or ideologically motivated assassination attempt, and as the story goes on to reveal, he was fully obsessed with the idea of impressing actress Jodie Foster to notice and acknowledge him as a worthy suitor. The one fact to come out of this documentary-like program that I must have missed during the news coverage at the time was the information about the bullet that injured the President. It actually ricocheted off the Presidential limousine that he was about to enter for his next stop. I'm puzzled about that now and wonder how I missed that information at the time. The other notable item about this presentation was the way it humanized the First Lady. Accounts of the era depicted Nancy Reagan as almost a Svengali type of character who shielded her husband from bad news and detractors within his circle. The business about her reliance on astrology is given appropriate consideration without making her seem extreme in her beliefs.Over all, I thought this was a well done treatment of the Reagan/Hinckley story, based on the Bill O'Reilly book as part of his 'Killing' series. There were critics of the book who thought O'Reilly didn't play fair with Reagan's Alzheimer period, but that didn't seem to come into play here. For anyone who wasn't around or wasn't paying attention in 1981, this is about the best one can hope for in describing the events as they occurred. Without actually being there, one gets a pretty good bird's eye look at the behind the scenes care given President Reagan and the way his Cabinet responded to what could have been another black day in the history of the country.

Killing Reagan is a TV movie based on the book written by FOX analyst Bill O' Reilly that tells the story of the late President Ronald Reagan particularly his attempted assassination by John Hinckley Jr.after delivering a speech at the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30,1981. Tim Matheson stars as President Reagan,Cynthia Nixon as the President's wife Nancy,Kyle S.More as Hinkley, together with Joe Chrest,Joel Murray and Michael H. Cole.The screenplay tells a parallel story of President Reagan and Hinkley from 1980 when the former is busy campaigning for the 1980 US Presidential elections against incumbent President Jimmy Carter and the latter watching President Carter from afar and later being caught in the airport for illegal possession of several firearms. Then the development of the story continues when Reagan gets elected as US President and Hinkley starts to show signs of mental impairment as he develops a fascination for child actress Jodie Foster.It concludes on that fateful day on March 1981 when Hinkley attempts on killing President Reagan fails and gets arrested in the process.Director Rod Lurie does a great job of recreating the events despite the fact that the story told does not add anything to the story already known by many Americans.It was nice to see great performances from Matheson and Nixon as the President and Nancy respectively.There was a lot of great dramatic and humorous scenes between them on their road to the White House as well as when the failed assassination attempt took place in spite of this somewhat rote depiction of the story.

This movie has an obvious bias, and portrays Ronald Reagan in a very favourable light. That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. It's based on a book by Bill O'Reilly, who's well known as a conservative commentator who - just because of those ideological leanings - would be expected to be sympathetic to Reagan. I don't have too much of a position on Reagan. I'm not an American and never had to make a decision on whether or not to vote for him. There were probably a lot of policies I would have disagreed with, but I would say that by Reagan's own standards he was probably a successful president. He did restore a certain sense of greatness to the United States after the corruption of Watergate, the debacle of Vietnam, and the advances of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. And, of course, while it didn't happen until a few years after he left office, he laid the groundwork for the end of the Cold War by engaging in an arms race with the Soviet Union that the Soviet economy couldn't keep up with. So while I may not be entirely in agreement, I can understand those like O'Reilly who would have a pro-Reagan bias, and it didn't detract from this movie in any way. In the context of this movie, I thought Reagan came across as in control and strong.On March 30, 1981 - a little over two months after taking office, Reagan was shot by a would be assassin named John Hinckley. Hinckley had no political agenda. He was just a disturbed young man with few prospects and not much interested in accomplishing anything - except that he was fixated on actress Jodie Foster, and thought that killing the president would make her notice him. This movie clearly portrays the seriousness of the shooting - which at the time was downplayed by most people - and makes clear that Reagan's life was very much in danger as he lay on the operating table. It also, I thought, offered a good look into the lives of both Hinckley and Reagan. I came away from this thinking that I knew both of them at least a little better than when it started. There was also a very solid depiction of the jockeying for position behind the scenes as the president was out of commission - highlighted, of course, by Secretary of State Alexander Haig's famous "I am in control" statement to the press. Personally, I thought perhaps the most poignant moment of the whole movie came as a reflection to that event, after Reagan had recovered and was back at work and decided to send a personal letter to Soviet president Brezhnev. Haig objected to the letter and wanted it redrafted, only to have Reagan insist on having it sent as he had written it and then icily remind Haig that "as far as I know, I am in control here." On the other hand, it was a bit disconcerting to hear the president of the United States referring to his wife as "mommy." Perhaps that reflected the nature of the dependence that Reagan had on Nancy in many ways. The portrayal of Nancy by Cynthia Nixon was interesting. There was a softer feel to Nancy than is often the case, although it was jarring to see her with Sarah Brady at the hospital after the shooting as both of their husbands were being operated on. James Brady was Reagan's press secretary, and was shot in the head by Hinckley. After Reagan came out of surgery, Nancy just says to Sarah (after they had been comforting each other) "I'm going home now," and Sarah is left completely alone in the hospital chapel, not knowing if her husband would live or die. That seemed very cold.The performances here were outstanding. In the lead roles both Tim Matheson as Reagan and Kyle S. More as Hinckley were convincing, and the supporting cast held up their parts. This really is a well done movie. I have not read O'Reilly's book of the same name (although I have read O'Reilly's "Killing Lincoln") but I would think he was pleased with this adaptation. (9/10)

God I loved that man he was my very first vote for a republican/conservative for president of the United States of America, when I was able to vote for the very first time back in 1980 it was a challenge within my soul and my conscience, I never steered away from his word now 36 years later, now a grandfather and American, will their every be another Ronald Reagan only god knows for sure I trust Mr.Bill O'Reilly and his internal facts as I've known President Reagan's external facts all good I pray before my death that I'm able to witness another great leader but as it goes now? GOD HELP US ALL. This has to be the all mighty best made for t.v. bio. a must watch for those on the left and the right!