Charlie Wilson’s War

December 21st, 2007 by James Cook | Source:

Directed by: Mike Nichols
Written by: Aaron Sorkin (Based on the novel by George Crile)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams, Brian Markinson

Score: 8/10

Charlie Wilson, a United States congressman, is someone with an incredible life story. It’s safe to say he isn’t your typical guy, I mean not everyone can covertly bring down the Soviet Union. His story, billed as ‘outrageous’, is now represented in the new Mike Nichols film, Charlie Wilson’s War. The film never seems to make Wilson’s story as interesting as it is, but is still an incredibly entertaining film thanks to great performances from Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

1980, the Soviet Union has just invaded Afghanistan and nobody seems to be doing anything about it. Wilson’s interest in the matter peaks when he sees a report by Dan Rather, while in a hot tub at a wild party in Las Vegas. Wilson joins forces with a CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) whose career has seen better days and a Texas billionaire (Julia Roberts) who acts as the main catalyst for Wilson’s journey.

Charlie Wilson’s War is a lot of fun in the beginning. Tom Hanks seems to embody this smooth talking womanizer and expert in all whiskies gentlemen very well. Films that delve into crazy true stories are always going to be entertaining to watch, and Charlie Wilson’s War lives up to that way of thinking. It’s never a dull film, thanks to Hanks and Hoffman, but what ultimately makes War good and not great is the way the story plays out.

As the film progresses the story becomes less interesting than when it started. All the great scenes seem to be at the start, and there isn’t anything that comes close to when the first time Hanks and Hoffman meet. There’s also an annoying side story that gets thrown in, that being Wilson’s involvement at that Vegas Party he attended. This man had a huge hand in bringing down the Soviet Union and that’s always going to be what I want to see more of, not how he handles a sex scandal.

As for Julia Roberts big return to the screen. It’s a decent performance that once again, should have been a lot better. It has a lot to do with the lack of screen time her character is given. Once again, this person had a lot to do with Charlie Wilson, and the bulk of that story is never shown. It would have been nice to see a little more interaction between the two and less of the Vegas sex scandal.

Overall, Charlie Wilson’s War is an entertaining portrayal of an incredible story that probably should have been a little more interesting on screen. Hanks and Hoffman are at the top of their game, and it’s these performances that propel the film even when it hits its dull moments.