Title:
Charlie Wilson’s War

Release Date:
US (wide): December 21, 2005
UK: January 11, 2008
AU: January 24, 2008

Written By:
Aaron Sorkin

Produced By:
Jerry Bruckheimer, Jon Turteltaub

Directed By:
Mike Nichols

Cast:
Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams

Genre:
Drama

Other Genres:
War, Comedy

Studio:
Universal

Distributors:
Universal Pictures Distribution

U.S. Box Office:
$9,617,625

Official Website:
http://www.charliewilsonswar.net/

Synopsis:
Charlie Wilson was a bachelor congressman from Texas who had a habit of showing up in hot tubs with strippers and cocaine. His "Good Time Charlie" exterior, however, masked an extraordinary mind, a deep sense of patriotism and a passion for the underdog, and in the early 1980s the underdog was Afghanistan--which had just been brutally invaded by the Russians. Charlie''s longtime friend and patron and sometime lover was Joanne Herring, one of the wealthiest women in Texas and a virulent anti-communist. Believing the American response to the Russian invasion was anemic at best, she prods Charlie into doing more for the Mujahideen (Afghan freedom fighters). Charlie''s partner in this uphill endeavor is CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos, a blue-collar operative in a company of Ivy League blue bloods. Together, the three of them--Charlie, Joanne and Gust--travel the world to form unlikely alliances among the Pakistanis, Israelis, Egyptians, arms dealers, law makers and a belly dancer. Their success was remarkable. Funding for covert operations against the Soviets went from $5 million to $1 billion annually. The Red Army retreated out of Afghanistan. When asked how a group of peasants was able to deliver such a decisive blow to the army of a superpower, Pakistani President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq responded simply, "Charlie did it."

Strengths
* Hanks and, his partner in the movie, Roberts, both are at their best
* Beautiful characterization
* The real humor by Hoffman as sardonic Avrakotos, giving an award winning performance
* All actors have done full justice to their roles
* A perfect cast
* Mike Nichols has proved himself as a genuine actor’s director with this movie
* Most interest-binding among those who fall in this category like The Kingdom, Lions for Lambs, etc.
* Smart dialogues with a really quick delivery
* High political sentiments
* Hanks’ fun-loving element
* Philip Seymour Hoffman is the real treat for the viewers
* The movie leaves a smile on your face when it ends
* Thought-provoking
* Stays in your mind for long
* Gives you the much-needed political knowledge

Flaws
* Theme  of the movie, troubles in the Middle East, could not convince the viewers
* Sometimes the movie gives you the impression of a tearful drama

Why should you go for this movie?
From the above analysis, you might have got the answer to this question. Isn’t that so? Charlie Wilson’s War is one of the very few political movies who have tasted not only success at the box-office but also got a commendable appreciation from the moviegoers. A must-watch!!!

Critic Reviews
* "...undercuts its aims with a play-acting artificiality that is more wearisome than entertaining." Los Angeles Times
- Kenneth Turan
* "Charlie Wilson's War starts off blazing away and doesn't let up." USA Today
- Claudia Puig
* "...snappy, amusing and ruefully ironic." Variety
- Todd McCarthy