I had the pleasure of seeing this movie last night and was surprised by it in a lot of ways. I expected more of a docu-drama-ish account of what precisely Charlie Wilson did. Instead, I found myself in the midst of an approximately 100 minute ride through the wild west that is the political world inside the Washington, D.C. beltway. Make no mistake, this movie pulls no punches. It curses, shoots up, womanizes, and barely gives you a chance to breathe. But what it does it does well.
There are many moments in the film whereby either the characters endearing quirkiness or their deftly written dialogue translate into laughter ranging from a giggle to a belly-laugh. One of my favorite moments is how we are introduced to Gust (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and what transpires as he leaves the office. Hoffman turns in, as always, a fantastic performance that works extremely well with Hanks’ portrayal of Charlie. Julia Roberts gives a convincing, if still secondary, performance playing the part of Joanne. She is obviously an eccentric woman but is made to seem human enough that she is believable.
Overall, the film accomplishes what it set out to do: tell a story of a rogue politician who came around and did something nice for the Afghan people in the midst of Soviet oppression. I can’t remember a mobie since Smokin’ Aces where I needed to catch my breath as much as a did after this one. It is a tightly edited film which sticks to its guns and certainly entertains along the way.
There’s a story about a Zen master that weaves its way nicely into this movie, subtly suggesting that the movie has more brains than it gives itself credit for. If Charlie Wilson’s War is meant to be a parable or a warning about our current military involvement, then it certainly doesn’t conceal this truth. It is entirely possible that this movie has no political motives (as unlikely as that probably is). In any case, sometimes it’s refreshing to watch a movie about politics that isn’t necessarily about our current politics.
