"Charlie Wilson's War"

Up next is a film I got to check out on the big screen a while back, but I just was never able to find the time to get a review up for it, but as of now I’m trying to get caught up here, so here we go.

Charlie Wilson’s War is not a movie that you can easily fit into a single category which is why I felt a little confused as I was watching it. On one hand you have the main character, Charlie Wilson (played brilliantly by Tom Hanks) who is this fun loving playboy type congressman, on the other you have this very strange time in history during which Russia had invaded Afghanistan, and somewhere in the middle the two stories meet.

A rich socialite Joanne Herring (played by a very sleek and still sexy Julia Roberts) convinces Charlie that aid needs to be brought to the afghan’s in the way of arms, and supplies, but in a subversive way in which the American Government can’t really be spotted as the one helping them out. Charlie proceeds to get the funds from the government, and permission from the Pakistani dictator of the time to help kick the Russians out of Afghanistan. Along the way are the funny stories of how Charlie hooks up with an outcast CIA agent Gust Avarkotos, (played by one of my up and coming favorite strange actors Phillip Seymour Hoffman) gets the intel needed to fight this undercover war against the Russians via the Afghanistan soldiers.

As I said before this movie is torn between a serious look at a strange time period, and almost a comedic at times story of how this stranger then life congressman figures out a way to help the situation. There were many classic scenes of dialogue between Tom, Julia, and Seymour that make the movie memorable, but then there are the scenes of Afghanistan during the incursion of the Russians that would make your blood boil, and your heart break.

Mike Nichols, the director of one of the funniest movies I have ever seen “Bird Cage,” I doubt highly doubt did this film single handedly considering Tom Hanks ranks as a director / producer these days, but he is listed as the sole director, so to him go the props. Charlie Wilson’s War is a fun and interesting film, with some very good acting by all involved with the project, and for sure is worth the price of the rental when the movie is released on DVD April 22nd 2008, or if you are big Tom Hanks fan, it is probably worth even buying to stick in the DVD collection.

My rating for this movie is 7.00 out of 10.00