I may be alone in this, but "Charlie Wilson’s War" wasn’t too high up on my list of movies to see this year. I wasn’t interested in the trailers that I’d seen and the posters were equally uninspiring. Other than Tom Hanks and Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s casting, there wasn’t much that looked good about it. After seeing it, I have to say that I was wrong. It was actually a good movie that had an interesting story and some great performances. I guess you can’t judge a movie just by its advertisements.
 
Charlie Wilson’s War follows Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) and his efforts to fund the resistance movement in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion. Charlie sets everything in motion, but he has to get aid from other colourful characters, like millionaire Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and the rebellious agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Through their combined efforts, they are able to raise the money to give the resistance fighters the weaponry that they desperately need to turn the tide of the war.
 
This is pretty much the core of the story, except for the important character flaws of its hero. Charlie Wilson was a sleazy womanizer who used his political power to enjoy the high life. The viewer should feel a strong sense of conflict, a mixture of disgust and admiration for Charlie Wilson. He achieved many great things, but he was an incredibly flawed individual. I guess it is the same feeling you’d get from seeing "Ray" or "Walk the Line". They may have changed the world in their own way, but I wouldn’t have wanted to live the life they did. Then again, this is what made it a good move. Wilson was an incredibly crude man and he wasn’t really ashamed of it. In fact, he even used his flaws to give him a crucial advantage in some tough situations.
 
Overall, it was just a strong film. The story was good, which is truly amazing sense it is based on a real story. I think I’ll even pick up the book after watching the movie. It may not win a Best Picture award, but I definitely think that it was worth my time. Julia Roberts plays her role well, but she is passed up by the amazing interplay between Hanks and Hoffman. Their odd friendship was incredibly realistic and well done. It can be argued that their first meeting in Charlie’s office is one of the best movie scenes this year. Their interactions were unbelievable. I even think that Amy Adams deserves a nod for her strong role as Wilson’s secretary, even if she didn’t shine like she did in "Enchanted".
 
Mike Nichols directing work is also to be commended. It has been awhile since he’s put out a truly great film. I wasn’t personally fond of "Closer", so this is a welcome change. I don’t think that he’s had a film this good since "Regarding Henry" back in 1991. Nichols may have strayed from the greatness of “The Graduate” to the depths of “What Planet Are You From?”, but I believe he is back with Charlie Wilson’s War.
 
The advertisements for this film were definitely false. It isn’t a slow or boring political piece, and I would even place this as the second slot on my “to see” list for this weekend, securely behind "Sweeney Todd". You should keep in mind that this isn’t for the whole family. It is an R movie and it is aimed for the college and adult crowd. If you can get past the bad marketing you should find an interesting and entertaining movie that even offers a little political message.