I mean I was also positively suprised. I thought it was was going to be way more anti-communist. Nolan is still critical of the communists, but my impression is that he sees them more as naive rubes being indirectly manipulated by the Soviets abroad and unjustly persecuted by the government at home.

I think at the end of the day that Nolan's view on the matter is more just a soc dem's. I think he's abstractly sympathetic but more of a pessimist about radical politics in general. None of this takes away from the point that the anti-communists are unequivocally the principal antagonists in this film.

Also, human beings, including artists, are practically contradictory. They might be an asshole in real life and have wack political opinions, while still being able to craft a story that has a positive view of people's desire for economic rights.