Charlie Wilson's War

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Charlie Wilson's War is based on the true story of US Congressman Charlie Wilson (Hanks), who, along with CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Hoffman) was principally responsible for the Afghan rebels' victory over the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Through much schmoozing, Wilson was able to have the budget for covert operatives increased from $5 million to half a billion dollars - getting the weapons needed to shoot down Russian planes and helicopters. A notorious womaniser and boozer, his vices were matched only by his dedication to the American people and his political savvy. A lot funnier than the plot synopsis would have you believe, Charlie Wilson's War is an overtly satirical look at one of American politics' biggest anomalies, and is a refreshingly innovative take on the biopic. Wilson is a deeply flawed but charming individual who enjoyed seemingly all of life's excesses; yet he also used his position as a 'swing-vote Congressman who represented the easily-pleased voters of a nowhere part of Texas to gain favour with numerous higher ranking politicians, and essentially do the right thing. There is something almost inexplicably gratifying about hearing Aaron Sorkin's words spewed by a cast of this high a calibre, as The West Wing creator's script zips along, offering up equal amounts of laughs and contextual narrative, while managing to both educate and engage at the same time. Tom Hanks makes a welcome return to form after the explosion of mediocrity that was The Da Vinci Code, offering a charismatic turn in the title role - his honest and amusing portrayal is a highlight in a film already brimming with an abundance of them. Supporting players Hoffman and Roberts meanwhile, give conflicting performances; and the former far outshines the latter as a sleazy but knowledgeable CIA operative, and while Roberts' wealthy contributor is imperative to the momentum of the plot, her involvement is distracting and serves only to divert from superior supporting players around her. The only real problem with CCW is its ending, as it struggles to fit in an 'if only' tag - obviously trying to use retrospect as a warning of sorts but failing, as it's not given nearly enough time to expand sufficiently. That said, the sharp script, interesting, fact-based story and unsoiled performances had already rendered it a near undeniable success.

Details: USA / 97mins (15A).