"Charlie Wilson's War" movie review

Written by Sean McBride

Sunday, 30 December 2007

“Charlie Wilson’s War” Universal Pictures Directed by Mike Nichols Starring Tom Hanks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty and Emily Blunt Rated R 3 Stars Perhaps it’s the tension behind the Presidential election, but there’s a refreshing sense of innocence that permeates “Charlie Wilson’s War,” a charming political comedy based on the backroom antics of East Texas’ very own favorite son, Charlie Wilson (played with plenty of charisma by Tom Hanks). Now I wasn’t living in the Golden Triangle during the ‘80s, so I can’t comment on whether the events portrayed in this film are true or not, but I will say that thanks to a winning cast and superb moviemaking, it sure looks like the characters in this film were living in interesting times. In this film, those interesting times are nothing short of infectious. The film introduces Congressman Wilson by showing him sitting in a Las Vegas hot tub, surrounded by strippers and drugs; but for some reason he’s more interested by Dan Rather on the TV, reporting from Afghanistan where the local Mujahedin rebels are struggling to repel the Soviet army. Wilson happens to sit on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and prodded by the 6th richest woman in Texas (Julia Roberts) he’s in a unique position to covertly funnel 500 million dollars to the Afghan fighters. If you believe the film’s ideology, it’s Wilson, not Ronald Regan who ultimately brought about the collapse of the USSR. Okay, so Wilson had some help, mainly from a gruff CIA operative named Gust Avrakotos, who’s played with wonderful abandon by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The two men use their good ol’ boy connections, anti-communist fervor and humanitarian ideals to change the course of history. As good as the main cast is, and I do expect Hoffman to receive an Academy Award nomination, it’s the behind-the-camera guys who deserve most of the credit here. Mike Nichols delivers a film that’s part historical drama, part screwball comedy and all-parts engaging. Aaron Sorkin brings the same rapid-fire dialogue that he made famous on “The West Wing” to play in his screenplay, and the result is a quick-and-breezy political fable that at ninety minutes, leaves you wishing that he had written a bit more. “Charlie Wilson’s War” is a funny, backroom comedy that would seem absurdist if it weren’t inspired by real events. Still, as good as this movie is, I get the sense that Charlie Wilson himself has some better stories to tell. There’s a fascinating Charlie Wilson documentary currently playing on the History Channel. If this film has a fault, and it doesn’t have many, it’s that the congressman might be more interesting in real life than he is in the film—even with Tom Hanks in the title role. Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published Wednesdays and Fridays in “The Port Arthur News.” He can be found weekly on KAVU-TV, KFDM-TV and KVIC Radio. Additional reviews can be found at www.rottentomatoes.com, www.panews.com or at www.myvictoriaonline.com. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.