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The result is staggering. As more and more Russian helicopter gunships fall from the sky, demoralization sets in, and eventually the Russian troops give up control of the country and return home. Soon after, the Berlin Wall crumbles and a peaceful coup seizes control of Moscow, wresting control from the Communist hardliners. While the script no doubt simplifies a mind-bogglingly nuanced process, it reveals that Charlie Wilson, a Congressman of no name and ill repute, is heralded as one of this country's most influential soldiers in the war against Soviet aggression.

Hanks is terrific as the genteel, smooth-talking, womanizing politician. It is amazing how well Sorkin's words sound in his mouth. Roberts, in a smaller role than many might expect, especially after so long a Hollywood hiatus, can still light up the room just by walking into it. But neither actor, for all their looks, charm and history, carry this film. There are some performers for whom you simply run out of adjectives to use and creative ways to praise—and Hoffman is such an actor. As the hot-tempered, blue-collar Avrakotos, Hoffman is an unmovable force of nature and the unshakable bulwark of the film.

Director Mike Nichols on the set with Roberts

Charlie Wilson's War is exceptionally well paced. Clocking in at only an hour and a half, the film's eight-year time span goes by with lightning speed yet never feels rushed. Though we see very little of the sort of tedious backroom deals and influence peddling that surely took place, we are too caught up in the narrative to mind. This isn't a film about the finer details. It is drama played for laughs, reality repackaged as satire, politics filtered through farce. The film intentionally embraces a cartoonish lack of realism at times, especially in scenes involving the Soviet helicopters attacking villages and the Stinger missiles that are used to swat them from the sky. This veneer of not-quite-real adds to the film's satirical nature, reminding one of sort of cinematic wink Stanley Kubrick used to give audiences in films such as 1964's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

For all of its self-congratulatory nature, Charlie Wilson's War is shot through with an inescapable, rueful irony. It is not enough to deal knockout blows to superpowers if we are not also willing to see the endgame through. In meddling in others' affairs, the film suggests, we opened Pandora's box. By outfitting and training the Mujahideen, America inadvertently created the very Taliban and Al Qaeda leaders it now must fight. For Sorkin and Nichols, subtext is everything, and the key to decoding the entire film comes only in the final moments. It is enough to make one's laughter die in one's throat.

Charlie Wilson's War hopes to be the one politically charged film this year not to turn viewers away in disgust. Despite some exceptional power on both sides of the camera, 2007's war-on-terror themed films (The Kingdom, Rendition, In the Valley of Elah, Lions for Lambs, and A Mighty Heart) have bombed at the box office. Charlie Wilson's War, the odd comedy out, hopes to subvert their fate with a smart, funny, sophisticated story for grown-ups that steers clear of Iraq-fatigue and instead buries its sardonic message beneath bourbon and bimbos. It just might work.

Talk About It

1. James 1:15 speaks of a process by which sin grows increasingly stronger with time until, in the end, it brings forth death. What parallels can you draw between James' admonition and America's actions in Afghanistan?
2. Does the film force you consider the destructive power of unforeseen consequences, even when we set out initially to do good? Where is the line between compassionate intervention and narcissistic interference? Is there one?
3. Charlie Wilson's hedonistic lifestyle is suddenly put in perspective after he visits a refugee camp and sees for himself the conditions of the less fortunate. How can we, this Christmas season, take this example to heart?

The Family Corner

Charlie Wilson's War is rated R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use. The film features frequent female upper body nudity, sexual situations (though no actual sex), rampant profanity including numerous instances of taking the Lord's name in vain, and pervasive alcohol and hard drug use.

Photos © Copyright Universal Pictures

© Brandon Fibbs subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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