Charlie Wilson's War ~

America can be a mighty fickle country, if you ask me. We nail movies like Lions for Lambs or Redacted for being too politically heavy and beating us over the head with their messages (which is actually true in their case). Then a movie like Charlie Wilson's War comes along and we smack it around a bit for being too light-hearted and for not giving us enough of a message.

Well, I'm here to tell ya that if one pays attention to the undercurrent of Charlie Wilson's War, there is plenty being said. It's simply done in a very clever, witty manner. And why not? With a sharp-tongued, smart script from George Crile's novel by Aaron Sorkin (several episodes of TV's West Wing, The American President, A Few Good Men) and extremely deft direction from Mike Nichols (four episodes of the acclaimed Angels in America, Primary Colors, Silkwood), you can imagine that it would be plenty potent. But, I'm guessing that it just wasn't quite liberal, or perhaps condemning, enough in its attitude. Now, I'm not meaning to offend here, but I can see how some with certain political views might wish to slight the film a bit.

It's not like the team behind it is right-wing by any stretch of the imagination though. The examples I listed above are just some of their very good works that actually tend to lean left. So I know these folks didn't set out to make a far right-wing piece. And indeed, if one pays attention to the details under the barbs and wit there is plenty going on. It's subtle, which I actually think lends it artistic weight, but it's there. A certain parable that's mentioned about a boy being gifted a horse comes to mind, as does the cringe one gets under today's climate when the words, "Let's kill some Russians!" are uttered in the film.

However, I also admired the fact that the filmmakers didn't run away from the subject matter. Circumstances were what they were, and people were who they were, and the filmmakers portrayed sincerity in that reality...uh, while taking a bit of creative license to quirk things up a little. And personally, I loved the quirkiness. I think in a lot of ways the viewer wasn't supposed to know exactly how to feel during a heavy moment that was being jilted off balance by Nichols & team. It was refreshing and kept one involved and guessing.

The plot revolves around playboy Texas Democratic congressman, Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a loudmouthed CIA operative (Philip Seymour Hoffman -- the man I wish would've played producer Carl Denham in Peter Jackson's ambitious remake of King Kong), and "the sixth richest woman in Texas (Julia Roberts) and their teamwork that influenced the U.S.'s covert involvement in the Russian/Afghan war during the 1980's. But I'll let Mr. Wilson phrase things in his own words: "This all-powerful, indomitable, irresistible empire (the Soviet Union) invaded a small country bordering on its south made up of tribesmen and shepherds, people who had never seen a toilet, people who were illiterate, people who were unarmed," he said, "but unfortunately for the Red Army, people who were born without fear, with good eyesight and with a steady trigger finger."

After holding out for almost a year, the war, "truly a battle of flesh and blood against iron and steel," began to draw interest from the United States Congress, and Wilson himself, who said, "I became convinced when we were getting reports of the Russians losing officers to knives and stones in the city of Kabul...that the Russians had bitten off more than they had intended to chew. So we began to help them, and we began to help them significantly."

Admittedly, a certain amount of off-color flair is brought to the above subject matter by the film's creative team, but again, I think to positive effect. The cast was fantastic, nailing just about every moment with odd comedic tones, yet never letting the solid foundation crumble beneath that hammering. Oscar-worthy performances were given by Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts as Joanne Herring and Philip Seymour Hoffman as Gust Avrakotos.

All of the technical and creative elements were handled with very competent precision and added much to the tapestry. James Newton Howard has been a busy boy this year, cranking out approximately six scores (among them I Am Legend, The Great Debaters and The Water Horse), but he still managed to bring an appropriate and well-thought-out musical background to Charlie Wilson's War. It was also a joy to watch the costume design work of Albert Wolsky ( Jarhead, Road to Perdition and Galaxy Quest!). Stephen Goldblatt ( Rent, Closer and The Cotton Club) added flair with his crisp, colorful photography, matching the strange buoyancy of the overall piece and the characters within it.

Yes, war is a most bloody, brutal and painful experience, but Charlie Wilson's War managed to make its points, fire its shots, and still remain watchable and even quite entertaining.

CAST/CREW CREDITS

CAST:
CHARLIE WILSON - Tom Hanks
JOANNE HERRING - Julia Roberts
CIA AGENT GUST AVRAKOTOS - Philip Seymour Hoffman
BONNIE BACH - Amy Adams
PAUL BROWN - Brian Markinson
CRYSTAL LEE - Jud Tylor
KELLY - Hilary Angelo
STACEY - Cyia Batten
DONNELLY - Daniel Eric Gold
JANE LIDDLE - Emily Blunt
LARRY LIDDLE - Peter Gerety
CHARLIE'S ANGELS - Wynn Everett, Mary Bonner Baker, Rachel Nichols, and Shiri Appleby
JIM VAN WAGENEN - PJ Byrne
CRAVELY - John Slattery
McGAFFIN - Joe Roland
COLONEL MAHMOOD - Rizwan Manji
BRIGADIER RASHID - Faran Tahir
HAROLD HOLT - Denis O'Hare
DOC LONG - Ned Beatty

CREW:
Director: Mike Nichols
Screenplay By: Aaron Sorkin
Based on the Novel By: George Crile
Producers: Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman
Executive Producers: Celia Costas, Ryan Kavanaugh and Jeff Skoll
Director of Photography: Stephen Goldblatt
Production Designer: Victor Kempster
Editors: John Bloom and Antonia Van Drimmelen
Visual Effects Supervisor: Richard Edlund

MPAA RATING: R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use
RELEASE DATE: December 21, 2007