Here is a movie that could have gone wrong in so many ways, but is quick enough on its feet to avoid any pitfalls.
Charlie Wilson's War looks at a very important fairly recent event in American history, but it does not get bogged down in the details, nor does it come across as a history lesson. It's sharp, it's quite often hilarious, and it constantly seems to know just what it's doing. This is a very bittersweet movie that is sure to leave its audience walking out of the theater with very mixed feelings about the story they've just been told. It's also highly entertaining, and easily one of the better films of the year.
Based on the best selling non-fiction novel by George Crile,
Charlie Wilson's War takes a look at how our current problems in Afghanistan may have been our own fault in the first place. It starts in 1980, when womanizing Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) sees a news report on TV about the Soviet Union and its violent invasion of Afghanistan. The report focuses on a group of Muslims who are trying to fight back against the invasion, but their weapons are primitive, and they are quickly losing the battle. Shocked that the U.S. has little to no intention of aiding the anti-Soviet movement in Afghanistan, Charlie decides to use his own political power to double the amount of money the U.S. is spending on the situation. This brings him to the attention of wealthy socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), a woman who is very interested in helping Afghanistan, and convinces Charlie to take a trip overseas so that he can see the situation for himself firsthand. What he sees during his time there opens his eyes to the suffering of the people over there, and when he returns home, he is more determined than ever to change things around. With the help of sharp-tongued CIA officer Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Charlie begins a covert operation to secretly arm the Afghan soldiers with the high tech weaponry they need to fight back against the Soviets.
Charlie Wilson's War is a movie about a lot of things. It is a movie about how one man without a lot of political power changed the course of part of the Cold War. And even though it is never mentioned or brought up, it is somewhat about how the militant Taliban was formed. It's impossible not to think about the group during the film's later scenes, especially during a moment when Hanks' and Hoffman's characters are standing on a balcony, and Hoffman somewhat tries to warn his friend that their actions may come back to haunt them someday. Most of all, the film is about how one man can make a difference, wether that be good or bad. It is a fascinating story, and although some of the details have been changed, as is to be expected, the story's power still comes through. The movie is accurate without being dry or preachy. It's not here to give us a history lesson, rather it's here to tell a fascinating story about a moment in American history that was not very well known until fairly recently. It does so with a surprising amount of sharp wit that is quite often laugh out loud funny, and a quick tone and pace that makes sure the story never gets bogged down in the details, while at the same time giving us all the information we need for it to be effective.
Veteran filmmaker Mike Nichols (
Closer) and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (TV's
The West Wing) work together to keep the action moving. I can easily say that of the many Middle East-themed films that have been released just this past fall alone, this is by far the best and most interesting to watch. The movie avoids being preachy and, at a surprisingly brief 97 minutes, stays away from being long-winded. The characters are one of the key reasons why we find ourselves so drawn into the story. The title character's change from womanizing, drinking, fun-loving political party boy, to a man who finally finds a cause to fight for that he truly believes in, is subtle enough that it doesn't seem to happen suddenly or overnight. Charlie Wilson himself has many flaws. In fact, while all this is going on, he's fighting to hold onto his office, as an investigation as to wether or not he recently did cocaine at a party is starting to get underway as he tries to set about getting help for the Afghans. The movie makes Charlie into a three dimensional character who is complicated and fascinating to watch. He may be rough around the edges in a lot of ways in his personality, but the screenplay and the performance by Hanks knows how to play up every aspect of the character so that he turns into a fully rounded character instead of a cardboard cutout.
Indeed, this may be one of Tom Hanks' better recent performances, as it perfectly blends his talent for drama and sharp verbal comedy. The Southern drawl he gives his character sounds a little funny at first, but the more you listen to it, the more you start to appreciate it. It's not a cartoonish imitation of the accent, and he doesn't lay it on so thick that we're not constantly concentrating on it instead of his performance. Like the character he plays, it is a performance that has a lot of layers and matures during the course of the film, and it's fascinating to watch. Meeting Hanks' performance every step of the way is the always-reliable Philip Seymour Hoffman, who after giving an Award-worthy turn in
The Savages just weeks ago, gives yet another one here. Hoffman has long been one of my favorite actors, and with the year he's been having, I hope this makes more people take notice of him. As Charlie Wilson's head assistant, the wonderful Amy Adams, who recently catapulted to fame with her charming lead performance in
Enchanted last month, gives yet another winning turn. It's hard to pick out who gives the best performance here, but it's somewhat easier to pick out the cast member who doesn't seem to be trying as hard as the others, and that would be Julia Roberts. She's not exactly bad, mind you, she just never stands out as much as her co-stars. A lot of this could have to do with the fact that her part is fairly small in comparison, but for some reason, Roberts seems a little out of place in the movie.
Nonetheless,
Charlie Wilson's War is the best of the films closing out the year that I've seen so far. It's a perfect blend of acting talent, a smart and clear-headed screenplay that only gives us the facts and nothing unnecessary, and a filmmaker I have long admired, who I'm extremely happy shows no sign of slowing down in terms of talent. This movie will grab you and make you think about the past and the present, but more than that, it will leave you feeling entertained. Usually when this kind of talent assembles for a movie that's obviously designed to win awards, the results can almost reliably be dry or disappointing. Here's one rare instance where the awards talk is not just a lot of talk.
Charlie Wilson's War really is that good.
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Here is a movie that could have gone wrong in so many ways, but is quick enough on its feet to avoid any pitfalls. Charlie Wilson's War looks at a very important fairly recent event in American history, but it does not get bogged down in the details, nor does it come across as a history lesson. It's sharp, it's quite often hilarious, and it constantly seems to know just what it's doing. This is a very bittersweet movie that is sure to leave its audience walking out of the theater with very mixed feelings about the story they've just been told. It's also highly entertaining, and easily one of the better films of the year.
Based on the best selling non-fiction novel by George Crile, Charlie Wilson's War takes a look at how our current problems in Afghanistan may have been our own fault in the first place. It starts in 1980, when womanizing Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) sees a news report on TV about the Soviet Union and its violent invasion of Afghanistan. The report focuses on a group of Muslims who are trying to fight back against the invasion, but their weapons are primitive, and they are quickly losing the battle. Shocked that the U.S. has little to no intention of aiding the anti-Soviet movement in Afghanistan, Charlie decides to use his own political power to double the amount of money the U.S. is spending on the situation. This brings him to the attention of wealthy socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), a woman who is very interested in helping Afghanistan, and convinces Charlie to take a trip overseas so that he can see the situation for himself firsthand. What he sees during his time there opens his eyes to the suffering of the people over there, and when he returns home, he is more determined than ever to change things around. With the help of sharp-tongued CIA officer Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Charlie begins a covert operation to secretly arm the Afghan soldiers with the high tech weaponry they need to fight back against the Soviets.
Charlie Wilson's War is a movie about a lot of things. It is a movie about how one man without a lot of political power changed the course of part of the Cold War. And even though it is never mentioned or brought up, it is somewhat about how the militant Taliban was formed. It's impossible not to think about the group during the film's later scenes, especially during a moment when Hanks' and Hoffman's characters are standing on a balcony, and Hoffman somewhat tries to warn his friend that their actions may come back to haunt them someday. Most of all, the film is about how one man can make a difference, wether that be good or bad. It is a fascinating story, and although some of the details have been changed, as is to be expected, the story's power still comes through. The movie is accurate without being dry or preachy. It's not here to give us a history lesson, rather it's here to tell a fascinating story about a moment in American history that was not very well known until fairly recently. It does so with a surprising amount of sharp wit that is quite often laugh out loud funny, and a quick tone and pace that makes sure the story never gets bogged down in the details, while at the same time giving us all the information we need for it to be effective.
Veteran filmmaker Mike Nichols (Closer) and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (TV's The West Wing) work together to keep the action moving. I can easily say that of the many Middle East-themed films that have been released just this past fall alone, this is by far the best and most interesting to watch. The movie avoids being preachy and, at a surprisingly brief 97 minutes, stays away from being long-winded. The characters are one of the key reasons why we find ourselves so drawn into the story. The title character's change from womanizing, drinking, fun-loving political party boy, to a man who finally finds a cause to fight for that he truly believes in, is subtle enough that it doesn't seem to happen suddenly or overnight. Charlie Wilson himself has many flaws. In fact, while all this is going on, he's fighting to hold onto his office, as an investigation as to wether or not he recently did cocaine at a party is starting to get underway as he tries to set about getting help for the Afghans. The movie makes Charlie into a three dimensional character who is complicated and fascinating to watch. He may be rough around the edges in a lot of ways in his personality, but the screenplay and the performance by Hanks knows how to play up every aspect of the character so that he turns into a fully rounded character instead of a cardboard cutout.
Indeed, this may be one of Tom Hanks' better recent performances, as it perfectly blends his talent for drama and sharp verbal comedy. The Southern drawl he gives his character sounds a little funny at first, but the more you listen to it, the more you start to appreciate it. It's not a cartoonish imitation of the accent, and he doesn't lay it on so thick that we're not constantly concentrating on it instead of his performance. Like the character he plays, it is a performance that has a lot of layers and matures during the course of the film, and it's fascinating to watch. Meeting Hanks' performance every step of the way is the always-reliable Philip Seymour Hoffman, who after giving an Award-worthy turn in The Savages just weeks ago, gives yet another one here. Hoffman has long been one of my favorite actors, and with the year he's been having, I hope this makes more people take notice of him. As Charlie Wilson's head assistant, the wonderful Amy Adams, who recently catapulted to fame with her charming lead performance in Enchanted last month, gives yet another winning turn. It's hard to pick out who gives the best performance here, but it's somewhat easier to pick out the cast member who doesn't seem to be trying as hard as the others, and that would be Julia Roberts. She's not exactly bad, mind you, she just never stands out as much as her co-stars. A lot of this could have to do with the fact that her part is fairly small in comparison, but for some reason, Roberts seems a little out of place in the movie.
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