Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen Edition)
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Actor: Amy Adams, Julia Roberts, Ned Beatty, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tom HanksBrand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt
Cinematographer: Antonia Van Drimmelen
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Arabic (Original Language); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Russian (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 102 minutes
Published: 2008-04-01
DVD Release Date: 2008-04-22
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Reviews of Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen Edition)
DVD Review: You're no Thomas Jefferson, either. Let's call it even
Summary: 4 Stars
Charlie Wilson's War is based on the book by "60 Minutes" producer George Crile, which was based on Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson, and little known but astonishing historical events. The screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, the man behind "The West Wing," is chock full of the kind of crisp dialogue Sorkin is known for. The director is Mike Nichols, who has quite a résumé ranging from Whose Afraid of Viginia Woolf? in 1966 to 2004's Closer. Mr. Nichols couldn't ask for a better cast, with Oscar winners Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman supported by a cast just as capable as Charlie's Angels--not the ones from the TV Show or the subsequent remake and sequel, the ones on the real Charlie Wilson's staff.
Tom Hanks found the charming Congressman a good fit. He made it look so easy you forgot he was acting at all. Julia Roberts made a surprisingly good ultra right wing socialite Joanne Herring. Philip Seymour Hoffman created a complex and compelling character--crusty CIA agent Gust Avrakotos kicking against the grain of the Ivy League culture at The Company. In the behind the scenes bonus material where you see the actual people portrayed, you see that perhaps they had to be toned down a bit, just to be believable. They are all such larger than life and colorful characters, but the actors did a great job of getting the essential nature of the people onscreen. It is a story where people actually make a difference and change the world, in spite of their supposed character flaws--or even because of them. They make some very good lemonade. The real Charlie Wilson gave the film makers free license to portray him as a person who "likes to chase whiskey and drink women" because that's what he was. One thing he was not, however; was a hypocrite.
Charlie's Angel #4: The Congressman has never been to rehab. They don't serve whisky at rehab.
And that, Boo Boo, he tells her, is why she is his press secretary. Amy Winehouse would be proud. Speaking of colorful characters, Joanne Herring is quite the ardent lover of freedom and the American Way, and passionate in its defense. She is given credit as the person who notices the situation in Afghanistan, suffering under a brutal occupation by the Soviets, and pushes Charlie Wilson to do something about it. Though an ultra right wing conservative socialite from Texas, Joanne Herring is nobody's fool. Julia Roberts really has a lot of fun playing her. At one point, after they are in a celebratory mood, she leaves a bar and as she passes by about three of the women on Charlie's staff she uses a common derogatory term reserved for women of easy virtue. I was shocked, but on reflection, I think she was just teasing them, and the unspoken subtext was 'aren't we all? And me, especially.' There is a great scene where Joanne asks Charlie's aid Bonnie (Amy Adams) to get her a dry Bombay martini, straight up, with two olives. Bonnie bristles at being treated like a servant, but Joanne knows she outranks her, and brushes her aside. Though ticked off, she nevertheless goes to fetch the drink.
Joanne Herring: She doesn't like me.
Charlie Wilson: Everybody likes you.
Joanne Herring: She's a liberal.
Charlie Wilson: I'm a liberal.
Joanne Herring: [puts her hand on his butt] Not where it counts.
Lots of sharp, witty dialogue, in the Sorkin manner, between Charlie, Joanne, and Gust. While you are being entertained by it all, the film is also presenting a very solid case for why the covert war in Afghanistan was worthy of support, and how the defeat of the supposedly invincible Red Army in Afghanistan led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was amazing that not only did Charlie Wilson sway congress to act; he also got Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia to support them. All under the radar. Their only regret was that after helping Afghanistan defeat the Russians, they did little to help them rebuild, resulting in the rise of the Taliban. I wouldn't call the film historical revisionism as much as it is just revealing a little history that was overlooked at the time. Did I mention the sharp and witty dialogue?
Charlie Wilson: I stood in Harold Holt's office in Islamabad, and I offered him the keys to the safe. I said to him, "What do you need?" And I was apparently annoying him.
Gust Avrakotos: Well, that's because Harold Holt is a tool. He's a cake-eater, he's a clown, he's a bad station chief, and I don't like to cast aspersions on a guy, but he's going to get us all killed.
SELECTED FILM ROLES FROM THE CAST OF CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR
Doubt (2008) .... Amy Adams was Sister James and Philip Seymour Hoffman was Father Brendan Flynn
Capote (2005) .... Philip Seymour Hoffman was Truman Capote, and he won an Oscar
Closer (Superbit Edition) (2004) .... Directed by Mike Nichols and Julia Roberts was Anna
Erin Brockovich (2000) .... Julia Roberts was Erin Brockovich, and she won an Oscar
Magnolia (1999) .... Philip Seymour Hoffman was Phil Parma
The Big Lebowski - 10th Anniversary Edition (1998) .... Philip Seymour Hoffman was Brandt
Apollo 13 (Widescreen Collector's Edition) (1995) .... Tom Hanks was Jim Lovell, cast included Kevin Bacon
Forrest Gump (1994) .... Tom Hanks was Forrest Gump, and he won an Oscar, 2nd in a row
Philadelphia (1993) .... Tom Hanks was Andrew Beckett, and he won an Oscar
Flatliners (1990) .... Julia Roberts was Dr. Rachel Mannus, cast included Kevin Bacon
Charlie Wilson: You're no James Bond.
Gust Avrakotos: You're no Thomas Jefferson, either. Let's call it even.
Description of Charlie Wilson's War (Widescreen Edition)
Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in this compelling and witty film from Oscar®-winning director Mike Nichols and Primetime Emmy®-winning writer Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing). Based on the outrageous true story, Charlie Wilson's War shows how one congressman who loved a good time, one Houston socialite who loved a good cause and one renegade CIA agent who loved a good fight conspired to bring about the largest covert operation in history.Bestsellers in DVD
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