Charlie Wilson's War
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Cast: Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Julia Roberts, Emily Blunt (briefly).
Directed by Mike Nichols.
Story: Congressman supports Afghans fighting Russians.
Running Time: 1hr 37 minutes.
UK Certificate 15. |
Charlie Wilson's War is the real-life story of Congressman Charlie Wilson as he tries to persuade the
US government to help the Afghan Mujahadeen defeat the Soviet Union ... zzzzzzzz. I can't quite believe that I nevertheless
find myself recommending it.
It's not often I get the impression a movie is too smart for me, but Charlie Wilson's War did just that. Several times I
thought, "was that a joke?", thinking that I must have missed something - and I probably had, as I had great difficulty
hearing some of mumbling Philip Seymour Hoffman's lines. Not that you could call it a comedy, but there are some
cracking lines in there, beautifully delivered by both Hoffman and Tom Hanks, who command the movie between them. Amy Adams
sparkles as only she can, but Julia Roberts could've been better as Wilson's waspish ally. Personally I found the world
politics confusing at times, but then I turn on at the wrong time for the News at Ten, so you shouldn't read too much into
that. Most of you will have no trouble following what's going on, and you'll have a jolly good time along the way.
Charlie Wilson's War looks horrible on paper but ends up being a charming and rewarding movie.
The engaging performances and the gold-standard script are more than enough to carry the it's-not-about-Iraq-honest political
message beyond the boredom it would otherwise have instilled and into the highly-recommended bucket.
I enjoyed this film: 4/5
I think the average moviegoer will enjoy it: 5/5
Testosterone Satisfaction Rating: 2/5 - some pleasing jacuzzi nudity in the first
five minutes.
To enjoy this film you should: be interested in world politics.
Charlie Wilson's War was released in the UK on 11th January 2008.
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