Adapted from George Crile's non-fiction book 'Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History', this film is the tale of Texas congressman Wilson and his secret alliance with the CIA in order to help the Afghan resistance during Soviet invasion in the 1980s.
Starring Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Julia Roberts, this comedy drama has obvious parallels with events occurring in Afghanistan today. But, as Hanks himself has observed: "I think it's very hard to make a movie about war when you're fighting a war".
They say:
Channel 4: "Larger than life characters, memorably funny lines, and a story totally unbelievable and yet almost entirely true."
Maxim: "Get another Oscar speech ready, Phil."
Empire: "Although it’s a little tonally unsure, whenever Hanks and Hoffman are on screen, any misgivings are forgiven."
We say:
With esteemed writer Aaron Sorkin's screenplay and The Graduate director Mike Nichols bringing author Crile's work to life, Charlie Wilson's War must have seemed like Oscar on a plate. Except that, bar The West Wing, just about every piece of genius Sorkin has written in the past ten years has been all but ignored by the public.
Though easily the finest scriptwriter working in America today, Sorkin claims he struggles with tone, insisting he is neither funny nor dramatic enough to write exclusively for either genre. Thankfully Nichols does not struggle, zipping through scenes with the relaxed repose of a true professional.
The three leads offer similarly pro-team performances. Hanks is perfect, as usual, wringing so much emotion from those tiny pin prick eyes. He plays a congressman, but is no starched suit - his justification for staffing his office with busty lovely ladies is, "You can teach 'em to type, but you can't teach 'em to grow tits".
Seymour Hoffman owns every moment as a passionate doer living on the verge of a heart attack. "Who the fuck is this guy?!" he bristles in the script's best confrontation. This is a man fuelled by exasperation and desperation. He genuinely cares about what he does and proves it by yelling your head off.
Julia Roberts' shady mistress is essential, though barely seen. This is a shame, but her evident joy at playing the missing link between Joan Rivers and Jerry Hall ensures each fleeting appearance remains amusingly memorable. "Sluts" is her line of choice, and she delivers it well.
Not everything you see on screen is true, obviously, but the real Charlie Wilson really does have a stinger missile that was given to him by the Afghanistan resistance - it is his prize possession.
Absurdity does dangle above this film like a bucket of custard. At any second the whole lot threatens to rain down and turn proceedings into a pantomime. Thankfully this metaphor never transpires and while the story is difficult to follow it is not difficult to understand.
This is a hot yarn about a cold war, conducted in an era when politics were decided over cigarettes and whiskey, not decaf coffee and bean salad. It must have been a wonderful time to do some good.
Less moralising than Lions For Lambs and more accessible to the casual filmgoer, Charlie Wilson's War proves that if you have something important to say, 'dramedy' (as the industry bods call it) really is the way to go.
Employing effective use of archive footage, knotty dialogue and careful plotting, enjoyment of this picture should not be dictated by your own politics.
A great story is a great story, regardless of its prejudices. And this is a great story.
CAST
Tom Hanks
Julia Roberts
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Amy Adams
DIRECTOR
Mike Nichols
TIME
100 mins
POSTED...
Sun 20 Jan at 1:01pm
