Charlie Wilson's War

Review by Sean Lynch

"These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we fucked up the endgame."
- Congressman Charlie Wilson.

After years of living in the dark, Hollywood is finally ready to tell (or, more accurately, the public are finally willing to listen) the stories of the US Government and the wheeling and dealings of Congress within worldwide warfare.

The thing is, politics and paperwork don't always make for entertaining popcorn fodder. Let's face it, which would you rather fork you're cash out for? Cold War or Star Wars, Watergate or Water World (well, that's probably not the best example - but you get my point).

The fact is, it doesn't matter how important the message, unless those who willingly sit through National Treasure 2 (or any Nick Cage movie for that matter) can get their money's worth - it's barely worth the effort. 

Thankfully, Charlie Wilson's War delivers some home truths in a easily digestible sugar coated exterior - making it all the sweeter for those who actually understand what's going on in today's world.

In the film, Tom Hanks takes on the real-life role of Charlie Wilson, a playboy congressman who teams up with a renegade CIA agent (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and a beautiful Houston socialite (Julia Roberts) to lead the largest and most successful covert operation in history. Set in the care free "strippers & cocaine" days of the 1980s Wilson somehow manages to turn funding for covert operations against the Soviets in Afghanistan from $5 million to $1 billion annually.

Forget the political diatribe, the satire, the poignant highlighting of the fact that even when America tries to do a good thing - they're still the bad guys, the success of the film ultimately comes down to one thing: humour. The real reason Charlie Wilson works so well is because it's just so damn funny.

Every performance is delivered to perfection, with Hanks (who seems to be sharing wigs with Nick Cage of late) & Hoffman (who looks more and more like Peter Helliar each time I see him) riffing off one another like an old-time cabaret act. A special mention must also go to Amy Adams (Enchanted) who pops up here, purely because this girls stocks in Hollywood have seemed to shoot up from absolutely nowhere... really... when the hell did she become hot property?

The screenplay by West Wing creator Adam Sorkin (based on the book by George Crile) is also as sharp as a tack, packing in a whole bunch of important information while keeping the flick entertaining & pacey throughout.

While the action sequences do look a little cartoonish at times (like they were edited from the more expensive CGI scenes of Hot Shots 2) the film's upbeat and good natured vibe does work in it's favour moreso than it works against it.

Ultimately if a film can educate & entertain, then it's done it's job. And for all involved in Charlie Wilson's War - it's a job well done.

3.5 out of 5

Charlie Wilson's War
Australian release: 24th January, 2008
Cast: Amy Adams, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts
Director: Mike Nichols
Website: Click here.