Charlie Wilson’s War
Director: Mike Nichols
Cert: 15
Time: 1 hrs 42mins
Afghanistan must wonder what it has done to garner all this attention. First we had The Kite Runner and now Charlie Wilson’s War, the true story of how a playboy congressman, a renegade CIA agent and a beautiful Houston Socialite combined to mount the most successful covert operation in US history. It was this effort that helped to bring about the fall of the Soviet Union and an the end of the Cold War.
In essence the film follows how Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) and Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) used their influence in Washington to ensure that money and arms were diverted to the mujaheddin in Afghanistan something which, prior to their involvement, the CIA and the US Embassy in Pakistan had been reluctant to do. Hanks and Roberts give workmanlike rather than inspired performances and as a consequence the film never really comes alive. Part of the reason for this is Aaron Sorkin’s script which struggles to create an enthralling narrative admittedly from complex political material. It is therefore left to Philip Seymour Hoffman, the gruff CIA agent, to provide the real entertainment. The scene where he first meets Wilson, which happens to coincide with the latter hearing that he’s about to be investigated for cocaine use, is delightful.
Whilst the film is not top draw, it remains an engaging tale particularly since NATO’s current travails in Afghanistan are as a direct consequence of the aftermath of the defeat of the Soviets. You might say the biter bit.
Rating: 3/5
CA
