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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: $4.98
You Save: $25.00 (83%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $4.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  (133 reviews)
Sales Rank: 395
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 5.1 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:
 How To Win A War...Without Really Trying December 30, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Cold War hung over the heads of humanity for the best part of forty-five years, from the end of World War II in 1945 until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. And one of the central fronts in the Cold War was fought covertly in Afghanistan following the Soviet Union's incursion into that mountainous country on its southern border. But one relatively obscure Texas congressman named Charlie Wilson helped to bring about the demise of that incursion. That is the story told with incredible wit in the film CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR.
Tom Hanks, the ever-reliable Everyman actor of our time, portrays Charlie Wilson, who, with his largely liberal credentials, has somehow been chosen to represent a congressional district in east Texas that leans politically to the right of Atilla The Hun. He chooses to remain behind the scenes, indulging in his Congressional playboy life (and avoiding troubles with federal prosecutors). But then the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan at the end of 1979 shakes him out of his complacency. And goaded on by a wealthy Houston socialite (Julia Roberts) with right-wing proclivities, Hanks teams up with an avuncular and wryly profane CIA man (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to covertly arm the Afghan mujahadeen that has largely been unsuccessful at repelling the Soviet invasion. Starting with a secretive budget of $5 million, Hanks and Hoffman go on a two-man crusade to somehow convince Israel, which has the largest stockpile of Soviet weaponry outside the Soviet Union itself, to sell arms to a group of people that would otherwise want the Jewish state wiped off the map. The result is a highly enjoyable, incisive, and critical political satire the likes of which Hollywood has somehow largely been unable to do in the wake of 9/11, which, ironically enough, has its roots in the covert arming of the Afghan mujahadeen.
CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR benefits from stellar performances by Hanks, Hoffman, and Roberts, a highly inventive and scatological screenplay by Aaron Sorkin ("The West Wing"; A FEW GOOD MEN), and is superbly directed by Mike Nichols, whose 1967 film THE GRADUATE remains a touchstone film in cinematic history. It is a film of considerable relevance to our time, because it shows us how we may have won the Cold War without really trying...and then found ourselves stumbling into another war--again, without really trying. Any film that can provoke discussion in this age of the War On Terror on issues that led us to where we are now has got a lot going for it. And when done with such high-caliber talent, as has been done here in CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, the results are absolutely phenomenal.
The True Story of Changing the World December 30, 2007
4 out of 7 found this review helpful
Pairing Tom Hanks of Saving Private Ryan (Special Limited Edition) and Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich, this film tells the true story Charlie Wilson and the cold war this seemingly insignificant senator spearheaded.
This film is possibly the best of either Julia Roberts or Tom Hanks! Julia Roberts plays the sixth richest woman in Texas, a right wing fundamentalist, and old fashioned southerner / confederate / plantation-owner. Julia Roberts character through the combination of sex, money, and honesty is the force that sets Charlie Wilson in motion. Tom Hanks plays, or course, Charlie Wilson a morally compromised womanizing alcoholic who chose to stand up for Afghanistan and fund the war to end the communist aggression.
All's Fair in Love (Sex,Booze.Politics) and War! December 29, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If one thing can be said about the world of politics as far as the colorful Texas Congressman Charles Wilson goes then it would be "All's fair in love,sex, booze,politics and war! Screenwriter Alan Sorkin and director Mike Nichols has made sure that the motto of this film is F-U-N as they merrily march us through the seriousness of the Soviet pushback from Afghanistan with swiftness and focus in a beautifully clocked in 97 minute romp.They do so through four overdone and overblown and quite unlikely (especially in post 9-11) subjects;(1)the unapologetically brash blowhard,Congressman Charlie Wilson with booze in hand and babes in tow,(2)Joanne Herring,a communist-hating Houston Socialite who loves Jesus as much as a good plow in the sack,(3) Gustav Avrakotos, a hot-blooded Greek C.I.A operative, who,with Wilson, concocts a plan involving Pakistan,Israel an exotic belly dancer and (4) an agreeable House Committee Chairman to aid Afghanistan in pushing away Soviet aggressors out of their country.( I must add here, though, that after I saw this thoroughly entertaining farce, I pondered the deeper implications of it all for the present state of affairs which sobered me and brought me down....but that's another review!)
Actors Tom Hanks,Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ned Beatty respectively are the players in this throwback to the 1980's when libertines could also be heroes.There is nothing saintly about these wild and woolly characters that considered pleasure and politics to be part of the game.This film simply refuses to turn glib or flippant with the serious subject matter at hand.......and did I mention that this is only 97 minutes long?....yes I did, but I will say it again-it is only 97 minutes long (96 if you don't wait for the final "Distributed by Universal Pictures that hogs the final minute!!! What's with that?)
Best Film of 2007, Hands Down December 28, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Henry A. Kissinger said, "Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation."
Well, here's a dream team: Aaron Sorkin and Mike Nichols, PLUS Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Aaron Sorkin is fixated (in a healthy way) on making real-world politics entertaining for us. His gift of "The West Wing" produced some of the best, most intelligent TV we've had in years. Mike Nichols adds a sensibility of unsparing appraisal of complex, flawed human beings.
Tom Hanks is so strong here - I'd say it's his best performance since Forrest Gump. Julia Roberts is wonderful, too, and really looks great in a bathing suit.
So, exactly how could a "covert war," waged by a coke-sniffing libertine and a crazed CIA agent, be one of the most morally courageous and successful things our country has done in the last half of the twentieth century?
And, if Sorkin/Nichols are stereotyped as "liberals," how can they celebrate this right-wing accomplishment as they do here?
Watch this fantastic film to find out. Gain an understanding of the enormous power our nation has at its disposal, and learn how that power also brings an enormous moral esponsbility. And, gain real depth in understanding the complexities of a part of the world that's so hard for us Westerners to understand.
If this does not take Best Picture of 2007, it's because Charlie Wilson somehow persuaded the Motion Picture Academy people otherwise...
Sobering Political Critique December 28, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Sorkin is back in West Wing form in this brilliantly written political satire -- only it's not really a satire, so much as it is a sobering critique on our nation's near-sighted vision. Unfortunately, Hanks and Roberts fail to distance themselves from their 90's personas, but at least viewers get to enjoy Hoffman devour a role that's sure to get him nominated for an Oscar. (8/10)
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