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Charlie
Wilson's War
(2007)
 
If there's a single topic that has occupied filmmakers
in 2007 it has been the Iraq war. Charlie Wilson's
War isn't
an exception, but it does so in a more indirect way, and with
much greater wit and fun than most films that breach this topic. This
is partly because the film isn't directly about the current
war, but another Middle Eastern conflict twenty years ago,
which both parallels the current situation and helped bring
it about. Through the telling of the unlikely story of
small-time Texas Senator Charlie Wilson and his involvement
in the Afghan resistance to the Soviet invasion, director Mike
Nichols and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin make an astute, if overreaching,
political commentary yet provide enough entertainment to prevent
it from becoming heavy-handed.
In the 1980's, the Cold War was at full swing, and American politicians were
always on the lookout for another way to secretly subvert the Soviet Union. Playboy
congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) found just such an opportunity in the
barren mountains of Afghanistan where an outmatched but persevering resistance
movement was struggling to keep the Soviets out of their nation. With the money
and lobbying support of millionaire Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), irreverent
CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his own manipulation
of the power systems in Washington, Wilson not only provides much needed weapons
and aid to the Afghanis, but sets into motion a series of events with consequences
more far reaching than he could ever imagine.
It's hard not to see the statement being made in Charlie Wilson's War:
a nation can not engage in a military enterprise without committing to see it
through to the end and rebuild the destroyed nation. This very issue is at the
center of the debate on the United States' involvement in Iraq, yet this isn't
the context of the film's argument and thus the movie provides no clear answer
even though the parallel is unmistakable. Because the US never helped Afghanistan
rebuild and establish infrastructure after the Soviets retreated, it made way
for religious extremists and warlords and set the stage for 9/11 and the resulting
US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. The film leaves it to the viewer to determine
whether Wilson or the US government is responsible for 9/11 and the resulting
wars.
That said, the film never really blames Wilson, and he is painted as a hero throughout.
This is especially true at the film's conclusion, which becomes so bogged down
with unnecessary emotionalism and heavy-handed politicking that it almost undermines
the balance and pacing of the rest of the film, which is quite effective. If
I could redo one part of the film, it would be this rushed final act, eliminating
the change in tone. There's simply no reason to abandon the light, snappy quickspeak
that Sorkin and Nichols are both so good at, and the film suffers more from this
misstep than it does any other element of the movie.
The second largest flaw in the film is Julia Roberts' performance (if one can
even call it that). For a Georgian, she does a terrible job affecting a Southern
accent, and she ruins virtually every scene in which she is present. Fortunately,
Hanks is his usual charismatic self and rescues what could otherwise be a fairly
gruesome train-wreck, even if he can't save the few sexually suggestive scenes
with Roberts from painful awkwardness. But even among these two stars (arguably
the two heaviest-hitters in Hollywood in the last twenty years), it is Philip
Seymour Hoffman who steals the film. He is the character you'll remember when
it's over, and the one who will receive end-of-year recognition for his contribution
to the movie.
There are a number of areas in which Charlie
Wilson's War could improve, but the final result, all things
considered is an enjoyable political romp that neither forces
one to take it too seriously nor succumbs to dumbing itself down
for the sake of laughs. It might not be a film to prioritize
above other Oscar-season fare, but it's worth seeing, especially
if you're a fan of Sorkin's past work (primarily The West
Wing and A Few Good Men).
-Mark
Moreland
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All contents ©
2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Mike
Nichols
Writer: Aaron
Sorkin, George Crile
Starring: Tom
Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty
Distributor: Universal
Pictures
Runtime: 97
min
Rating: R
Release Date: December
21, 2007
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