Charlie Wilson is a Texan politician famed for his hard-drinking, hard-living ways; famed for getting things done in politics and desired by all the women around him. Secure in his place in the world, he focuses entirely on representing his state, with little interest in foreign politics or ... Read review
A stiff drink. A little mascara. A lot of nerve. Who said they couldn't bring down the ... more
Soviet Empire?Oscar winners Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Philadelphia), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich, Closer) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote, The Savages) star in Charlie Wilson's War - the outrageous true story of how one congressman who loved a good time, one Houston socialite who loved a good cause and one CIA agent who loved a good fight conspired to bring about the largest covert operation in history.
In the last decade two events have transformed the world: the collapse of the Soviet ... more
Union and the rise of militant Islam. This is the first book to explain the link between these two occurrences. George Crile spent nearly a decade researching and writing this original account of the biggest most expensive secret war in history: the arming of the Afghan resistance to Soviet occupation. Moving from the secret chambers in CIA headquarters to stand-offs in the Khyber Pass Charlie Wilson's "War" is one of the most thorough and vivid descriptions of CIA operations ever written. It is the missing chapter in the geopolitics of our time.
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Overlooked in the end at the Academy Awards, and not ratcheting up the box office you'd ... more
perhaps expect of a Tom Hanks movie,Charlie Wilson's Waris nonetheless a challenging, entertaining and underappreciated film, that deserves to find a bigger audience on DVD.Starring Hanks in the title role, the strength ofCharlie Wilson's Waris in some talented people doing what they do best. Hanks eases into his part, as the Texas congressman who uses his extensive contacts book and unorthodox nature (which is putting it mildly) to initiate and wage a secret war. Alongside him is Julia Roberts on fine form in a small part, and the excellent Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is at the heart of the film's best, and funniest, moments.GluingCharlie Wilson's Wartogether is an assured turn behind the camera from veteran director Mike Nichols. Nichols, still best known forThe Graduate, is confident enough to let the comedy in a deathly serious story play out, while not shirking the drama either. It's a tender balancing act, that only flusters a little near the end.It's not a perfect film, and the tone may be a little uneasy for some. ButCharlie Wilson's Waris, nonetheless, a very strong piece of American cinema, that has questions to ask, and manages to entertain at the same time. Well worth discovering. --Jon Foster
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1945 - Drama - Director: David Lean - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond
Advantages: Clever, Great Chemistry Between Leads, Nice Twists Disadvantages: A Little One-Sided
Charlie Wilson is a Texan politician famed for his hard-drinking, hard-living ways; famed for getting things done in politics and desired by all the women around him. Secure in his place in the world, he focuses entirely on representing his state, with little interest in foreign politics or upsetting the order of anything. However, when he comes into contact with Joanne, a powerful and rich Southern socialite, with ideas of stopping the Russians ... ...done?
Charlie Wilson's War is a witty and sophisticated drama about war-fare and politics in the time of the Cold War. Filled with sass and smarts it successfully makes the political drama entertaining and informative with three great lead performances, a solid script and stylish direction keeping things fresh and interesting. It shows a lightness of touch which is uncommon in the genre (see: Lions for Lambs) and follows a fascinating ... more
Charlie Wilson is a Texan politician famed for his hard-drinking, hard-living ways; famed for getting things done in politics and desired by all the women around him. Secure in his place in the world, he focuses entirely on representing his state, with little interest in foreign politics or upsetting the order of anything. However, when he comes into contact with Joanne, a powerful and rich Southern socialite, with ideas of stopping the Russians from entering Afghanistan he gets embroiled in a race to raise arms for the Afghans. But will his political position and good name stay intact when all is said and done?
Charlie Wilson's War is a witty and sophisticated drama about war-fare and politics in the time of the Cold War. Filled with sass and smarts it successfully makes the political drama entertaining and informative with three great lead performances, a solid script and stylish direction keeping things fresh and interesting. It shows a lightness of touch which is uncommon in the genre (see: Lions for Lambs) and follows a fascinating story with believability and a certain amount of dog-eared intellectual charm. The characters involved are all well developed and the film builds to a satisfying (if a little maddening) finale which leaves the audience with a lot to think about and bookends the film elegantly. There are brilliant pieces of real life footage spliced into the glitzy drama which feel raw and compelling and the more comedic elements of the screenplay are dealt with evenly and brilliantly. However, despite the films many triumphs, there are a few bumps along the way due to a bizarre amount of flash forwards which keep you very much at arms lengths and a stroke of one dimensionality which gives the whole thing a bitter after-taste.
Charlie Wilson's War is served best when it is concentrating on the interplay between the lead characters - here the dialogue is sparkling and witty with an old Hollywood appeal that keeps things ticking along nicely. The script is at its very best when building the relationships within the film, instilling a palpable sexual/romantic tension between Joanne and Charlie and crafting a trickling chemistry which is highly watchable. The film also makes the transition from comedy to drama extremely successfully; changing tone and pace with enough grace to make the film feel seamless and even handed. It's also very entertaining with alot of substance that makes for an intelligent treat; it doesn't take itself too seriously so things are still fresh and light but also poses challenging questions and adds weight to the scripts more serious and upsetting themes. The story is pleasingly complex without being confusing and has a refreshingly brisk pace that ensures that it doesn't outstay its welcome. It manages to capitalise of its rather grand premise straight away and it is fairly engaging throughout with a lot of interesting stylistic flourishes and some wonderful pieces of drama and comedy.
However, the proceedings feel very one sided - we are not encouraged to see the Russian characters as humans or care about some of their plight which makes the thing feel a bit bitter and unrounded. The film also leaves off at a really interesting moment (where the characters are experiencing some major shifts in morals and situations) which feels a little gimmicky and rushed after a very successful final sequence. The film also insists on jumping forward without any warning making it hard to understand what is happening and why (these parts are also fairly badly edited, which doesn't help). And those expecting a serious political drama will be disappointed; it doesn't throw up political quandaries as often as it does moral and it follows the lines of a farce more closely than true drama. The screenplay very occasionally dips into the silly, damaging the overall effect of the movie and pulling the tone out-of-whack. And that poses another, albeit small, problem - Charlie Wilson's War never feels completely sure of itself; whether in tone, content or style, it's not consistent, which can make the film feel jerky and uneven, taking some of the poignancy and power out of the more moving moments.
Tom Hanks is charismatic, engaging and powerful as the title character; he is convincing as a hard drinking Texan but also elegantly puts across Wilson's very personal journey - making for a funny, involving and moving performance that holds the film together nicely. He shows a real likeability in the role, displaying a boyish streak which works well when contrasted with the sometimes coarse personality of Charlie and his very authoritative demeanour makes his power over the government feel authentic and realistic. He also has a sparky sexual chemistry with Julia Roberts which is truly entertaining and funny. Roberts fares equally well as Joanne, the powerful socialite who starts Wilson's plan to save Afghanistan, bringing wit, intelligence and elegance to a rather hard role to play. She is sexy and sassy and more than capable of holding her own against the other cast members; bringing alot of humour to the film whilst mining the more emotional sequences to good effect.
However, this is Philip Seymour Hoffman's show; he is manic and understated, hilarious and sad, enigmatic and in-your-face and a really fresh presence within the film, stealing nearly all of the scenes with his energy and talent. He manages to turn a potentially one dimensional character into something real and interesting with a lot of fun flourishes.
Charlie Wilson's War mixes a bunch of different genres and styles into the pot which keeps the audience on their toes and keeps things moving at a pleasingly fast pace, with exciting and interesting plot twists. It feels very fresh as it constantly contrasts the serious nature of the material with the more comedic and light-hearted elements. The screenplay crafts a lot of really good character development which makes the whole thing much more interesting and satisfying and the direction from Mike Nichols is fluid, stylish, clever and quick. He instils fun into the proceedings but makes the final message poignant and he delivers political and moral ideas without feeling heavy-handed or preachy.
Overall, Charlie Wilson's War is a brilliant piece of drama based on a genuinely interesting story, with great performances, a substantial screenplay, some interesting plot twists and excellent direction. Despite the fact that it plays like a straight-up farce it has some genuinely emotion moments and a lot of style. Definitely one of the best political dramas of late.
Advantages: Committed performances and a couple of hours of enjoyable brain candy. Disadvantages: Toothless satire and a lack of detail.
Charlie Wilson is a womanising, alcoholic, coke-snorting congressman from Texas. But behind the decadent exterior lies an astute political mind, which he puts to helping the people of Afghanistan in the early 1980s when they have just been brutally invaded by the Soviet Union. With the help of angry and shambolic CIA agent Gust Avrakotos and socialite Joanne Herring, he sets about making unlikely alliances with Pakistan, Israel, Egypt, arms dealers ... ...off the ground for Champagne Charlie and the lack of detail in much of the political manoeuvring threatens to undermine the satire. When it looks like we're going to get to a real critique of US foreign policy, the film stops abruptly. The characterisation is built on personality overcoming logic. Sorkin treats his leading man's character flaws (alcoholism, drug use and casual misogyny - he hires his all-female administrative staff on the basis of ...
afy9mab 14.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlie Wilson's War (DVD)
Advantages: The return of Julia Roberts, and a dirty mouthed Hanks Disadvantages: A bit too political during the first half
...a congressman; but one day Charlie Wilson started a chain of events that bought acclaim, but ultimately caused America to have a terrible loss.
I can't deny that during the first portion of Charlie Wilson's War I was a little baffled, I don't consider myself to be stupid but I found a lot of the political build up to the movies main story difficult to follow. And I guess like many people watching the movie that live outside America they might feel ... ...lot of sense indeed.
Charlie Wilson is not painted in a particularly good light; in fact it's one of those dark lights that could be deemed to some degree as being anti-American. He is easily corrupted and to some degree you could say a pawn in a larger player's game. Regardless of his flaws however Charlie had his fans and supporters a few strong committed individuals that would probably put their life on the line to help Charlie to deliver his ...
sghawken 08.01.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlie Wilson's War (DVD)
Advantages: Great Acting, excellent story Disadvantages: Some sad scenes of the Afghan suffering
Charlie Wilson's War is a film which I had been undecided about for a few weeks so I finally took the plunge and bought it. I think the deciding factor was that it stared Tom Hanks and Julie Roberts, both of which I like. The film features Charlie Wilson, played by Tom Hanks who is a party loving Congress man. He is good friends with Joanne who is a rich Socialite, played by Julia Roberts. Joanne manages to talk Charlie into looking at the troubles ... ...Charlie goes and sees the troubles first hand and is shocked at what he finds. He does agree to help Joanne by getting the weapons and ammunition which they need to defend their country. To do this Charlie is helped by a CIA agent, Gust Avrakotos and soon finds he needs to persuade the Congress to give them large amounts of money. Charlie soon comes under attack about his private life but fortunately for him this takes matters away from his work ...
sewbizzie 02.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlie Wilson's War (DVD)
Advantages: some good acting Disadvantages: propaganda
...the plot of the film Charlie Wilson's War. If you follow world politics, I can't spoil it for you by giving away the ending, you'll know that the Mujahideen succeeded in driving the Soviet invaders away.
In 2003 the author George Crile published the book The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History, a tome of 560 pages, Aaron Sorkin turned it into a screenplay and Mike Nichols directed the film which was released in December, ... ...but in the case of Charlie Wilson's War I noticed it only too well. Helicopters flying over Afghan settlements dropping bombs and then being shot down accompanied by a symphonic orchestra at full blast wanted to make me puke. According to IMDb James Newton Howard is responsible for this tastelessness.
Who should see this film? Only ardent fans of the stars and aficionados of war scenes, if you're neither, save the money for the ticket and donate ...
MALU 28.03.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlie Wilson's War (DVD)
Advantages: Engrossing, clever, an eye-opener. Disadvantages: none
...watched and waited... until Congressman Charlie Wilson, after having seen a news report detailing the horrors suffered by the people in Afghanistan, made it his business to do something.
Although literally unknown, Charlie Wilson was not a man without high-placed friends... therefore, using the rule of thumb; "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours," he managed to increase the CIA's covert operations budget from 5 million to 10 million, hoping ... ...I kid you not... watching Charlie Wilson is an adventure in itself!
And what can I say about Philip Seymour Hoffman who plays Gust Avrakotos, the loud and boisterous CIA agent who is both a philosopher and a rogue? Totally brilliant! The acting is spectacular, the dialogue so clever and brusque that you can't help but laugh out loud... the duo Wilson and Avrakotos are a perfectly imperfect match, and so darned potent.
The acting in this movie is ...
GoFigure 27.05.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Charlie Wilson's War (DVD)
In the early '80s, Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's attention is caught by a report from a war-torn Afghanistan. As Soviets invade the country, the Afghans lack the money and technology to defend themselves. Together with CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos, Charlie begins a secret war where he must unite Israel, Pakistan, Egypt, and America to defeat the Soviets.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON), UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK VIDEO RENTAL; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON)
The making of CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, 'Who is Charlie Wilson?': Profile of the real Charlie Wilson
Professional reviews
Review
Brilliantly funny (The Observer, 26/03/2008)
DVD Description
The first time the audience sees Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) in the early 1980s, he seems far from a model politician. Surrounded by strippers, a Playboy Playmate, and cocaine, the naked congressman lies in a hot tub at a party. Despite the distractions, the TV news catches Charlie's attention as Dan Rather reports from a war-torn Afghanistan. As Soviets invade the country, the Afghans lack the money and technology to defend themselves. Enter Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), a wealthy Texan who champions the cause of Afghanistan and, by extension in the Cold War, America. Together with CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Charlie begins a secret war where he must unite Israel, Pakistan, Egypt, and America to defeat the Soviets. Just as director Mike Nichols brought a sense of fun to what should have been dour proceedings in films such as THE GRADUATE and CLOSER, this comedy about the largest covert war to date never feels like a history lesson. Writer Aaron Sorkin's dialogue is sharp and it's delivered with impressive verve from the film's trio of Oscar winners. Hoffman is famous for transforming into various characters, and he's remarkable, but it's Hanks's turn that's the most surprising. Outwardly, Charlie could resemble many of Hanks's previous roles, but the actor adds layers to the character and changes without the aid of makeup or prosthetics.
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