Charlie Wilson's War Review

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

Appearing in theaters now, Charlie Wilson's War is a good break from all the hectic holiday shopping you may be doing before Christmas.

Directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate) and starring the versatile Tom Hanks, the movie tells the story of Congressman Charlie Wilson (Hanks), a reprobate whisky drinking womanizing public servant from a small district in Texas.

Charlie Wilson's War tells, in a comic fashion, the true story of how this Congressman, member of two influential committees, was able to bring significant covert support to the Afghan rebels during the Soviet-Afghan War, thereby causing the defeat of the Soviet Union and ultimate collapse of their empire.

The story opens in a hot tub in a Las Vegas house of ill repute where Charlie soaks with a bevy of attractive young women while his immediate attention is attracted by Dan Rather in his Mujahideen get up, reporting from Afghanistan. He is soon invited to a fund raiser by his supporter Joanne (Julia Roberts), a hard right-winger and the sixth richest person in Texas.

Through these influences Charlie is induced to visit Pakistan and see the refugee camps. Once he has seen that horror, he visits the local CIA station chief and walks out of a purposely evasive briefing calling for a meeting with the CIA deputy director when he gets back to Washington.

He instead gets Gust (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), of the Afghan Desk. Gust is a disheveled, outspoken case officer who punctuates almost every exchange with hard edged humor, but he knows his job. Working with Gust and his team of three other guys, Charlie develops a plan to raise the budget for Afghanistan to $50 million from the current $5.

The first item on the agenda is to get the Afghans missiles to shoot down the dreaded Hind attack helicopters.  Over the ensuing years the budget escalates to a billion dollars, all covert, and the destruction of the Soviet forces leads to the fall of the Evil Empire. Not bad for a whiskey sipping, womanizing congressman from an obscure district in Texas.

Mike Nichols knows how to stage and shoot comedy and the script by Aaron Sorkin is funny and fast moving.  Nichols’ selection of his cast is remarkably apt.  Tom Hanks is really in his own element as Charlie Wilson, looking the right age and with the gravity and sheepishness of a somewhat arrogant man who is caught in a faux pas.  He is seldom without a tumbler of whiskey in his hand.

Julia Roberts is perfect, also, as the rich socialite who dabbles in politics and beds all the men she pleases.   Philip Seymour Hoffman is also great as the CIA operative who makes all the connections for Charlie.  Old reliable character actor Ned Beatty (Deliverance) provides support as a powerful Southern congressman who supports Charlie on his committee. 

The ending of the film is perfect, as it shows the typical problem with US foreign policy. Once they have liberated a country, they don’t know what to do with it. Charlie has since gone on to try to build some infrastructure and is turned down for a measly $1 million appropriation to build schools in Afghanistan.  The country descended into anarchy and then we wondered in 1991 where the Taliban came from.

Charlie Wilson's War is an excellent, thought provoking movie.