Charlie Wilson's War - A-

In theaters. Rated R, 97 minutes. Trailer.

In a year clogged with serious war movies, Charlie Wilson's War shows how politics and war can be fun. The film tells the story of Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson and his key involvement in the Afghanistan victory over the USSR in the 1980's. Tom Hanks is pitch-perfect as the eccentric whisky drinking womanizer, balancing Wilson's persona with his passion for getting things done. Director Mike Nichols and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin take a great book and turn it into one of the most enjoyable films of the year. Click below to keep reading "Charlie Wilson's War - A-".

The backdrop of the story is the invasion of Afghanistan by the Russians, and the weak US policy of lip service assistance instead of real help to protect against the Red scourge. Charlie is challenged by a Houston socialite and romantic interest, Joan Herring, to use his power to increase the funding of the aid to the Muhjahadeen. After a trip to Pakistan to meet with the President, he slowly starts increasing the funding, eventually going from 5 million to 500 million over the course of several years.

I was all set up to hate this, with my dislike of Sorkin and know-it-all attitude toward politics. Hanks, Nichols, Sorkin and Philip Seymour Hoffman overcame my attitude and this coalesced into one of my favorite movies this year. Only slight attention is paid to any deep themes, and the filmmakers made the curious choice to leave out any reference to Osama Bin Laden, the leader of the Afghani Muhjahadeen and direct beneficiary of the US training and weapons. The focus here is on Wilson as a flawed but focused man that made a big difference. Of course, Wilson is and was a Democrat, and the uber-liberal Sorkin gives him a pass on being a warmonger and stripper chasing coke-user, all of which are true. There's no need for character in Sorkin's universe, Wilson is a mere stand-in for his views on Clinton's philandering and poor personal judgment (read: irrelevant).

Hoffman plays Gust, a rough around the edges CIA operative in charge of the Afghan initiative. His scenes with Hanks are genius, with multiple laugh out loud moments. Hoffman has had an especially strong year with his unraveling in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and the detached brother in The Savages, but this is the best of the three. Julia Roberts is fine as Joan, but I would have rather seen someone do something with the good role than just be a Houston version of Julia Roberts.

Nichols paces the film perfectly and explains a complex and seemingly implausible story all without ever getting bogged down. The 'insider' Congressional scenes are all VERY accurate, including the vote swapping and donor talk. There is some acknowledgement of the eventuality of what the Afghani victory meant in the last scene (which is well done), but you can expect a good time out of this.

Notes:

The belly dancer is Dallas Cowboys coach Wade Phillips' daughter. There are brief mentions of Rudy Giuliani. Joan Herring hired Dick DeGuerin (the attorney who sued Tom Delay and led to his downfall) to sue the studio, and they watered down the script to create a more flattering picture.