Critic Reviews

As the cliche goes, you may think you know the story, but this telling is ­utterly compelling, with some terrific performances and a balanced, compassionate look at not only President Reagan (Tim Matheson, “The West Wing”) and first lady Nancy (Cynthia Nixon, “Sex and the City”) but of the would-be killer, John Hinckley Jr. (Kyle More, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) and his family.

[The movie] does drag at the beginning and the end. The middle material, however, dramatizing the assassination attempt and its aftermath, is engrossing.

Killing Reagan is pretty much the expected, rote bio movie of the assassination attempt on President Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. (Kyle S. More).

It’s a formulaic treatment that seems intent on not making waves.

The love between Ronald and Nancy is probably the only thing you'll leave Killing Reagan sure of, which may not satisfy viewers looking for hagiography or iconoclasm, but also probably won't piss off viewers looking for hagiography or iconoclasm. These movies don't aim for passion.

Lurie's treatment replicating these events is too dutiful to be particularly galling -- or interesting. The division of time between Reagan and Hinckley also blunts the drama, giving the actors little means of registering beyond physical resemblance to their real-life counterparts.

There is nothing new in Killing Reagan from filmmaker Rod Lurie. ... Better to read a book--not O’Reilly’s--but a real history of the man’s life.

A forgettable teleflick that feels bland and safe, dulling its appeal.

[Killing Reagan] feels rushed and incomplete, compressing this historic episode into a flat pancake of pointlessness.