Charlie Wilson's War

This was the newest movie I watched in a long time. Ordered Charlie Wilson's War because the bride said she wanted to see it. Released in December of 2007 this is a drama based on a true story. The movie is rated R for some profanity and nudity but for the most part pretty mild.

The movie was developed from the 2003 bestseller book of the same name by George Crile. The screenplay was written by Alan Sorkin better known as producer-write for the television shows "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", "The West Wing" and "Sports Night". The director for the movie was the esteemed Mike Nichols whose past work includes "The Graduate", "Catch-22", "Carnal Knowledge", "Silkwood" and "Birdcage".

The movie starts in the the early 1980s, even though the real Charlie Wilson says 1979, Congressman Charles Nesbitt Wilson was a hard drinking womanizing man. Being from an undemanding district in Texas allowed him to become a member of two major foreign policy and covert-operations committees. Through the nagging Joanne Herring, Wilson learns about the suffering caused by the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Wilson enlists the help of CIA agent, Gust Avrakotos, and applies his deceptive political skill to supply the mujaheddin with the weapons and support needed to drive out the Soviet Union. The end of the movie hints at what is now our past, having had so much success raising money for the Wilson ran into stone wall trying to help rebuild the country, suggesting that because our help was covert through the Pakistanis, and the population was so young that there was a strong chance the political situation could turn sour. It did, but I have to wonder if that was some editorial poetic license on the part of either Crile or Sorkin.

The actors are.....

• Tom Hanks as Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson. Always good work.
• Julia Roberts as Texas socialite and activist Joanne Herring. Small part, good.
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as the CIA point man Gust Avrakotos. Awesome.

This is a good movie, my score is 39 out of 50.

• Character development 8 of 10, this is a very good story about a man seemingly averse to serious politics morphing into the catalyst that was the motor that drove support for the war.
• Writing 8 of 10. The screen play is up to the pedigree.
• Photography 7 of 10. Nothing special, this movie was more about the people.
• Acting 9 of 10. The big three could carry any movie.
• Concept 7 of 10. True story what was there to create.

Charlie Wilson retired from Congress in 1997 after 12 terms covering 24 years.