Rating of
3/4
"Charlie Wilson's War" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 02/11/14
A hedonistic womanising congressman from Texas seems to be the only person on Capitol Hill who realises the full implications of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and sets about ensuring the US gives its support to the freedom fighters of the Mujahideen. The Aaron Sorkin penned script based on actual events shares a lot of elements with his flagship TV series The West Wing. The combination of politics and drama with amusingly quirky characters and witty, fast talking dialogue will be very familiar to fans and a collection of fine performances all round make for a very entertaining piece of historical edutainment. Inevitably it all seems quite rose-tinted in its depiction of the role of the US but Sorkin's edgy dialogue always keeps one eye on the hypocrisy and duplicity of American politics and the timing of the project is surely no coincidence. It would have made for a much weightier experience if it had continued the commentary through to its natural conclusion concerning where Afghanistan found itself once America had got what it wanted, but Sorkin does at least touch on the subject at the last gasp. Witty, smart and consistently entertaining, Charlie Wilson's War is well worth watching if only for the great Philip Seymour Hoffman's show stealing turn as the wise cracking, no-nonsense CIA analyst.
