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Rating of
3/4
"Charlie Wilson's War" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/11/2014
A hedonistic womanising congressman from Texas seems to be the only person on Capitol Hill who realises the full implications of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and sets about ensuring the US gives its support to the freedom fighters of the Mujahideen. The Aaron Sorkin penned script based on actual events shares a lot of elements with his flagship TV series The West Wing. The combination of politics and drama with amusingly quirky characters and witty, fast talking dialogue will be very familiar to fans and a collection of fine performances all round make for a very entertaining piece of historical edutainment. Inevitably it all seems quite rose-tinted in its depiction of the role of the US but Sorkin's edgy dialogue always keeps one eye on the hypocrisy and duplicity of American …
Rating of
2/4
Disappointing
Franz Patrick - wrote on 07/10/2008
I tried really hard to like this film but it just didn't work for me. All of the actors were good in their roles, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman but the tone of the movie was just too distracting. I thought this was going to be a pretty serious film, when it fact, it turned out to be a satirical comedy. I know this isn't about the Iraq war but one can't simply not relate it. Things about war that are serious to this day were kind of made fun of and it just didn't feel right. The good thing about it is that it's not too long and the performances are solid. Other than that, there's not much to recommend. I found that certain stories are all over the place; the ones that are interesting were set aside and the ones that could use more foundation were placed forward. If this film had been …
Rating of
3/4
Review - Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Delorted - wrote on 01/08/2008
Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) single handedly ended the war between Afghanistan and the Soviet Union in the 1980’s. His story is told in “Charlie Wilson’s War.”
To tell the complete and honest truth, I don’t know how I feel about this movie. On one hand, the acting is very good. On the other hand, it’s rather boring. It’s an interesting story that I’d never heard before, but it’s not told in a way that makes me really care at all.
It’s definitely worth watching, if just for Philip Seymour Hoffman’s acting (as Gust Avkrakotos). He really steals the show, but that could just be because I’m a much bigger fan of him than Hanks. Julia Roberts (as Joanne Herring) also does well, playing a rather different character than I’ve ever seen her do before, if …
Rating of
3.5/4
Politics at it's finest
Alex - wrote on 12/28/2007
Charlie Wilson's War is a very good movie. I don't want this review to turn into a political spout, but it might have to. Tom Hanks is magnificent as Charlie Wilson. Julia Roberts even does Ok with the accent. So, as you can tell, the acting is top notch.
I did not grow up in the 80's, so I have no knowledge or Mr. Wilson, so this movie was a total learning tool for me. I learned a lot about the Soviets and the War the Pakistan and Afghanistan people were fighting. The story is told well, with Hanks taking the lead in every way possible. Hoffman caps off his performance with one of his more likable roles. He proves that he should be a Hollywood star. So the story is interesting, it is told well, and the movie never bores me - plus I was interested in the subject matter.
It …
Rating of
4/4
Fighting the good fight
yogadad - wrote on 12/27/2007
Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Julia Roberts give three of the most affecting performances of 2007 in this biting satirical black comedy about politics, the Cold War, and terrorism. Until he latched on to support for the Afghani's fighting the Soviet invaders during the 1980s, Charlie Wilson was a little-known representative from an east Texas congressional district. As he said, he was best know for collecting favors and voting yes. That ability allowed him to increase the budget for support of the Afghans from $5 million to $500 million over the course of a few years.
Hanks is perfectly cast as the hard-drinking womanizing Wilson and Julia Roberts pulls off what amounts to a parody of herself with the character of the Texas rich-bitch rapid anti-Communist. Philip …
Rating of
0.5/4
Charlie Wilson's Bore
Allison - wrote on 12/18/2007
I couldn't have liked it less unless Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character had been eliminated somehow. It wasn't very enjoyable to me. Then again, I don't usually like political dramas that try to be funny and I am not the biggest fan of Tom Hanks or Julia-Goolia Roberts. Her hair acted better than her in this movie. There was a nice cameo by Emily Blunt, but her role was too short to count almost.
Then there's a scene in the beginning where two things are going on - it's trying to add tension and writer Aaron Sorkin calls it his attempt at something the Marx Bros. would do. But ultimately it was just a plot device and it showed through and poorly.
Aaron Sorkin is a decent writer, but the movie never once got to me. It almost did - and it's not Phillip Seymour Hoffman's fault. …
