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| Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen) | 
 enlarge | Director: Mike Nichols
Actors: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy New: $3.95
You Save: $26.03 (87%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (142 reviews)
Sales Rank: 568
Format: Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Arabic (Original Language), English (Original Language), Russian (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 102 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: MCAD61100566D
UPC: 025195004848
EAN: 0025195004848
ASIN: B0013XZ2QK
Release Date: April 22, 2008
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 One of the all-time best movies about Washington. February 18, 2008
Mike Nichols' "Charlie Wilson's War" features real-life characters and events that seem stranger than the wildest fiction. But that's Washington, D.C., for you. In a way, "Charlie Wilson's War" could almost be considered an American "Schindler's List," recast as a drawing-room (or smoke-filled back room) comedy. Tom Hanks' Wilson, like Oscar Schindler, is a high-living wheeler-dealer; at the beginning of Aaron Sorkin's sharply witty screenplay, he uses his office as U.S. Representative for the Second Congressional District of Texas as an excuse to re-enact "Boogie Nights." But Wilson, like Schindler, also has a social conscience, and soon it is raised in the cause of the oppressed Afghan people fighting a losing battle against Soviet occupation. Before long, Wilson is using his considerable backroom negotiating skills to ensure the Afghans are fighting a winning battle. Wilson is aided and abetted in particular by two people just as unlikely as he: Jo Anne Herring (Julia Roberts), a wealthy right-wing Christian activist who doesn't let her beliefs curtail her enthusiasm for double martinis and consorting (socially and otherwise) with liberal Democrats like Wilson, and Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a schlubby, tart-tongued, but brilliant CIA operative who isn't averse to smashing a few plate-glass windows to get people's attention. Nichols and Sorkin take us on a breathless tour of Washington, Texas, Las Vegas and a large swath of the Middle East, giving us an intimate view of precisely how politics and diplomacy work. (Amazing how much can get done, just by having a belly dancer handy when you need one!) "Charlie Wilson's War" deserves to be ranked with such classics as "Advise and Consent" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" as one of the best movies ever made about Washington.
Clever well acted satire February 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Michael Nichols delivers us a rare intelligent entertaining comedy, that features great performances, and a relevant lesson. Tom Hanks is wonderful as the playboy congressman Charlie Wilson, who under the influence of a Wealthy Texas socialite (nicely done by Julia Roberts, though the hair didn't work for me) increases the CIA's budget, for the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. The movie is very well paced, and contains plenty of sharp dialogue. There is plenty of great Washington commentary, and intrigue which is no surprise since the creator of the West Wing wrote the screenplay. The best part of the whole movie is definitely Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance. He absolutely steals every scene he's in because he has great comedic timing, and executes his lines like an expert of his craft. The only thing that gave me a problem was the abrupt end, I thought there could of been another ten minutes or so more (the film is only 1 and 1/2 hours). It's is by far one of the best films I've seen this year, and in a stand out year of great drama, this is by far the stand out comedy for me (yes I prefer it to Juno, and the sophmoric Knocked Up and Superbad)
A Witty, Entertaining Historical/Political Film February 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Most films about American history and their government are either very serious or at least a satire to perhaps, at times, a spoof; Charlie Wilson's War, directed by the legendary Mike Nichols and the supurb screenplay written by the creator and co-writer of the hit TV show The West Wing, Aaron Sorkin, approaches a serious subject matter though with subtlty, wit and sophisticated humour.
Based on the book by George Crill the 3rd, reveals this larger than life congressman from Texas, Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) who, in the summer of 1980, watched a news report on the USSR'S war with Afganistan. Through backdoor negotiations and motivation from a high powered campaign contributor (Julia Roberts) visits a refugee camp in Pakistan that moves him into action to aid the Afgani's against the Russian invasion.
The Cold War around this time was still in full swing and the aid to Afganistan wasn't enough to beat the "Evil Empire" thus this playboy congressman from Texas, (who drinks single malt scotch like water throughout the film) almost single handedly, along with a frazzled, cynical CIA Operative (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), raise enough cash to supply Afganistan with the hardware required to bring down the Russian Helicoptors that had been reeking havock for many years. According to the film, in the end, Wilson managed to raise a billion dollars for the cause ending in a defeated USSR.
All the performances, particularly those of Hanks, Seymour, and Roberts were impeccable. Arguably, Seymour has to be one of the great "character" actors in Hollywood working today.
The message at the films end is true as it has been repeated many times since the Afganistan Russian war. (If mentioned would be a spoiler).
Informative, entertaining, and strewn with wit, Charlie Wison's War is a must see.
A solid 4 and a half stars.
An unlikely main character, and the far reaching effects of important policy decisions... February 6, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Charlie Wilson's war", directed by Mike Nichols, is a movie based on a true story, the story of Charles Wilson, a Texas congressman that believed that the United States should pay more attention to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, instead of ignoring it as simply something that was happening a long way from home. For Wilson , Afghanistan was the battlefield where the Cold War was being fought, and could be won, if the United States chose to covertly support the rebels with money and weapons to fight the Soviets.
Nichols, inspired on that veridical story, made a film that shows quite plausibly how a rather obscure politician with a chaotic private life could prompt a sharp shift in United States' policy towards Afghanistan, making unlikely alliances with people from different sectors, and earning support from other legislators thanks to backroom negotiations.
The director chose a very good cast that delivers strong performances, a vital ingredient that makes this fast-paced story ring true. Specially noteworthy are Tom Hanks as Charlie Wilson, Julia Roberts as a fierce conservative, and Philip Seymour Hoffman as an ironic CIA operative.
On the whole, I think that this is a very good movie, but not a great one. "Charlie Wilson's war" is nonetheless well worth-seeing, due to the fact that it raises lots of questions, and almost forces the spectator to consider past and present events from a historical point of view, emphasizing the far reaching effects of important policy decisions. That is the reason why I recommend this film, and give it 3.5 stars out of 5.
Belen Alcat
War in the Making February 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Exceptionally well written, and with an all star cast, "Charlie Wilson's War" takes the viewer through the Cold War of the Reagan Era, when communism was the biggest threat, and the Middle East was just an oil rich area.
Charlie Wislon (Tom Hanks) is a hard-playing Texas Congressman, who gets involved with an extremely rich Texas right wing woman (Julia Roberts) and a CIA agent (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), in order to help Afghan government and people in their fight against the Soviet Union. Being careful not to start an all out World War, Wilson and his partners go behind the scenes, chipping away at the mighty Red Army. And though this secret war helps get rid of the "red menace", the viewer has a chance to see another war in the making - the war we are in now, through the masterful writing of Alan Sorkin.
Although political in nature, "Charlie Wislon's War" is fast paced, intelligent and informative, albeit a bit short. The film delivers its message promptly and takes us back to a different era, not so long ago, of different enemies, as well as enemies in the making. Highly recommended.
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