If you like Political Drama's - this is one NOT to be Missed! This is based on actual events brought about by Texas Senator Charlie Wilson. A first-rate cast delivers! You Will LOVE this movie!

This is a film made by liberals for liberals who want to feel patriotic about fighting the last war. It should be noted that, at that time, most liberals were as squeamish about confronting soviet aggression as they are about confronting the Jihadists today. Ironically the actors, writer and director who made this film are uniformly liberal left and opposed to our Iraq policies, so it's hard to buy them as tough guys.

There is also no mention of the fact that Reagan was the one who approved those ever-increasing budgets.

Kudos should go to Congressman Charlie Wilson, one of a vanished breed of Democrat who took freedom and the need to protect it seriously enough to actually fight for it. The only one left today seems to be Joe Liebermann.

i have been reading reviews about"Charlie Wilson's Wars"since it first came out in America and then in Europe..All of them were mostly positive.As I live in Spain,I knew it would take a long time before I could see it here ,and then it would be dubbed in spanish.On top Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks beeing among my favourite actors plus of course that we have also Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mike Nichols as dirctor(Imagine that I have seen him with Helen May in Detroit around 1960),I preordered it as soon as it was available in DVD.Well,I certainly was not disappointed.All the way through it is fun,witty,very believable.The action develops like a slow menacing tidal wave(for the russians)On top you discover the real Charlie Wilson as an adorable scoundrel on the surface, but deep down a serious dedicated and profoundly honnest man.You have no idea how much and often. I have recommended it.
Bertrand Lewinson MD.

"Charlie Wilson's War" is a political comedy about Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson (played wonderfully by Tom Hanks). In the 1980s he developed a scheme to funnel money and weapons to Afghanistan rebels to help fight the invading Soviet Union. Mr. Wilson is the man who knows how to get things done, by knowing the right men, and knowing how to play the political system. Helping him with the weapons is eccentric CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (played hilariously by Philip Seymour Hoffman), with Joanna Herring (Julia Roberts) providing political influence in the Middle East to get Charlie in the area he needs to see in Afghanistan.

As for the movie, it is great fun, funny and warm with sympathetic characters at its center. (One suspects that the characters may have been slightly sanitized for dramatic purposes.) Hanks is brilliant as womanizer and hard partying Wilson. Despite his flaws, Wilson is highly intelligent and committed to the cause. Hoffman's Avrakotos is great too, a smart guy who is burned out by the bureaucratic system. And of course Roberts turns in an elegant performance. The cast is excellent all the way around.

If there is a problem, it is not one the film makers did, it is one of history. Everyone knows that the weapons and money the U.S. gave the rebels were eventually used against American forces in the War on Terror. I in no way hold Mr. Wilson responsible; no one could have predicted what would happen in the 1980s. But it still puts a damper on the humor of the film.

Of course, I love just about anything that Philip Seymore Hoffman is in. But it's the entire cast, especially Tom Hanks as Charlie that makes this flik shine. Excellent movie.

Strong acting and a great plot-line captivated my attention from start to finish. I knew nothing about Charlie Wilson or the story when I sat down to watch it and whether it was all true or not, I was impressed.

When director Mike Nichols is attached to a project, actors and studios listen. From The Graduate to The Birdcage, Nichols' eye for a specific brand of snappy and broad-ranging comedy is something to be cherished and respected.

That CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR is based on actual events also makes this story all the more interesting. Taking place in the office of Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks, The Da Vinci Code), we're taken on a wild ride of political manipulation that helps defeat communist Russia during the Cold War. Now one might think that such a fantastic thing as eliminating the communist threat would come from an upstanding and righteous man. Not so. Charlie's a womanizing, drinking, and drug-sniffing man who's responsible for a little known congressional district in Texas. But he's also a damn good looking guy, and he's caught the eye of southern socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts, Charlotte's Web), the sixth richest woman in Texas. She implores Charlie to go to Afghanistan and witness the atrocities being committed upon that little-known nation in the name of communism. So Charlie goes and his life is turned around. He comes home and begins pressuring his constituents to place more money and military aid to the freedom fighters in Afghanistan.

With Charlie's ideas comes a gruff CIA agent named Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote) who's abrasive demeanor and beer-gut shape is in direct contrast to Charlie's. But the two learn to cope with one another and bring victory to the Afghan fighters.

The most notable performances in the film come not from Hanks, but from Hoffman and Julia Roberts. Philip Hoffman's whip-bang line delivery is astonishing and absolutely hilarious ("What is US strategy?" "Most strictly speaking, we don't have one. But we're working on it." "Who's we?" "Me and three other guys.") And Roberts' performance was quite a surprise. She played the soft but opinionated and strong Ms. Herring exceptionally well, giving one of her finest performances to date. I also enjoyed Amy Adams' (Enchanted) role as Charlie's personal secretary. She was always in the background and always right-on target with her beauty and wit. But even she couldn't stand up to the power that is Philip Seymour Hoffman (he definitely deserved the Oscar nod he got this year for his performance here).

This is a funny, sexy, and downright interesting story that few people probably know about. One can't help but wonder what new gem Nichols might be working on now and who will be in its cast.

Well, I guess after a couple of decades the mission goes from HUSH HUSH to RUSH RUSH lets make some entertainment $. I assure you this is no boring political docudrama. It's the account of how Congressman Charlie Wilson played an integral part in putting an end to the Cold War.

Wilson (Hanks) was the most unlikely candidate. His interests seemed more geared toward alcohol and women (Wahoo!) than political matters.
His office is filled with gorgeous ladies, which erected his saying "You can teach 'em to type, but you can't teach 'em to grow tits". Too funny!
This story is filled with interesting characters, and the acting is stellar throughout. A few people pool their resources (money, sex appeal, knowledge, contacts, political power) to turn the tides of battle, helping Afghanistan sustain and overcome the Soviet invasion.

It's amazing to think about the effects these covert operations had on the course of history. This movie also gives a somewhat indepth look at the U.S. political system. I couldn't help but get the feeling the true dark side of Mr. Wilson's life wasn't adequately exposed though. Still this movie dishes out a great deal of information in a short span, all done in entertaining fashion. Two thumbs up!

are the results of the actions of the pricipals in this historical drama. But great acting propels this story. A party animal for congress is not necessarily a bad thing, as Charlie Wilson proved. He was also a worker and a fighter for his causes. A few more like him might really accomplish something. Of course drinking & coke can also be traits that give us doltish presidents.

I can't understand how can anybody take this movie seriously. It is such a cliche, as well as shallow, pseudo-patriotic, chauvinistic and syrupy. Historical and technical facts are shamelessly distorted. I always liked and respected all the great actors that act here: Roberts, Hanks and Hoffman, it is disturbing to see them play here.

Presentaion = excellent, ending = basically hollow. If the importance of the subject matter were not so enormous, then it would be an easy matter to just give this film a pass as an entertaining success... which in many ways it is. Perhaps the movie title could have been 'Charlie Wilson's Unfinished War' or 'How An Amateur Texas Politician Helped Send Several Billion Dollars Of Weapons Into A Region They Really Knew Nothing About Without Regard For The Consequences'. That's where the rub lies at the end, and it's presented as if we were a mere $1 million in school investments away from success, when of course we weren't.

All of the performances are great, the dialoque is snappy, and the girls are beautiful. It's the end result and a couple of minutes of reflection that leaves the viewer a bit uneasy. In the bonus features the real life Joanne gives away the deeper motivations with her assessment of Soviet intentions, domino theory, and the risk to oil routes (as mentioned by Roberts in the film). Charlie is presented as a heroic film, but the larger aims and issues are far more complex than that. It would have been nice if the real Charlie would have gathered up all of the US donated guns, RPGs, missles and mines after 'mission accomplished' & before leaving office. Absolutely no mention is made of Bin Laden and company as beneficiaries, of course. Those serious issues deduct 2 *'s from the rating.

AFTER 2nd viewing: It appears at 2nd glance what it seemed at first = a glorification of Reagan era policy... pumping weapons into Soviet contested hot spots. The film begins and ends with Charlie at an awards ceremony on a right wing pedestal.

"Charlie Wilson's War" is based on George Crile's 2003 book of the same name which tells the story of irreverent Texan Congressman Charlie Wilson's campaign to equip the mujaheddin rebels who were fighting the Soviet army in Afghanistan in the 1980s. After seeing television coverage of the ill-equipped, underfunded, but determined mujaheddin, Rep. Wilson (Tom Hanks) doubled the paltry $5 million US aid to the rebels. This caught the attention of Texas socialite and anti-communist crusader Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), who used her considerable clout to persuade Wilson to take up the cause. With the help of CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a frustrated 24-year-veteran of the Cold War, Wilson was able to supply anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons to the mujaheddin and increase US aid to as astonishing $500 million per year.

This might be a dry tale if the characters weren't so colorful. Charlie Wilson becomes concerned with the plight of the mujaheddin while soaking in a hot tub in Las Vegas with a couple of strippers and a Playboy model. He is under investigation for narcotics use by none other than Rudolph Giuliani while trying to organize aid to Afghan rebels. The man liked to sow his wild oats. Gust Avrakotos is an odd combination of idealist and cynic who introduced himself by bugging Wilson's Scotch bottle. Joanne Herring is an ultra-right-wing fashion plate, who uses her charm and wealth to get her way -even with the liberal Democratic Congressman. Together, these three people changed US policy in Afghanistan and armed the guerilla's who dealt the Soviet Army its first defeat, delivering an economic blow that facilitated the USSR's collapse.

Wilson, Avrakotos, and Herring are a lot of fun to watch, because they never attempt to conceal what they are. Like them or not, these are strong, direct personalities. Charlie Wilson is a genuine, fun-loving guy, not the least bit worried about his image, who makes this story as funny as it is remarkable. Joanne Herring is the first good role Julia Roberts has had since her younger, smiley romantic comedy days. I question the film's implication that the US did not have a coherent policy in Afghanistan before Charlie Wilson came along, however. The "bleed" policy was carefully conceived, and someone must have explained it to Wilson and Herring at some point, even if Wilson's approach turned out to be better. Director Mike Nichols delivers a very entertaining, mainstream film that is nonetheless provocative and revealing of the machinations on Capitol Hill.

The DVD (Universal 2008): "The Making of Charlie Wilson's War" (17 min) interviews director Mike Nichols, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and the cast about the script and about the real Charlie Wilson, who is also interviewed, along with Joanne Herring. "Who Is Charlie Wilson?" (12 min) interviews Mike Nichols, Tom Hanks, and others about Charlie Wilson. Charlie Wilson talks about his position in Congress, how he became involved in getting arms to the mujaheddin, and his view of them. Some archive footage from the 1980s is included. Subtitles are available for the film in English SDH, Spanish, French. Dubbing is available in Spanish, French.

I absolutely loved this film that somehow combines breezy wit with heart stopping reality. It's not an easy combination to pull off but with Mike Nichols(The Graduate) as director, Aaron Sorkin(West Wing) as writer and a cast of Oscar winners it all works. This is Tom Hanks at his best with a formidable Julia Roberts, and an incredible Phillip Symour Hoffman. If you want all the intricate details there are plenty of reviews to give that to you. This is a story of how the Russian invasion of Afghanistan changed the course of history with the ramifications still being felt today. The film never insults the audience's intelligence and never tries to tie everything up in a pretty ribbon with characters that are flawless. In a nonstop entertaining, intelligent way these non-heroic characters rise above the muck and actually make a difference. Intelligent, funny, witty and gripping. The kind of film that I thought Hollywood forgot how to make.