Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
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A pleasure-seeking Congressman and a maverick CIA operative form an unlikely alliance to fund the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War.
The story
In 1980, Congressman Charlie Wilson, an East Texas Democrat, is more interested in partying than legislating. His social life leads to a federal investigation into allegations of cocaine use, which results in no charges. A friend and romantic interest, Joanne Herring, encourages him to help the Afghan people and persuades him to visit Pakistani leadership. Moved by the plight of the Afghan people, Wilson becomes determined to increase funding for the mujahideen. He befriends Gust Avrakotos, a maverick CIA operative, to find a better strategy against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, leading to a clandestine operation to supply the guerrillas with advanced weaponry.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1980, Congressman Charlie Wilson, an East Texas Democrat, is more interested in partying than legislating. After a federal investigation into his lifestyle results in no charges, he is encouraged by Joanne Herring to help the Afghan people. This leads him to Pakistan, where he is moved by the plight of the mujahideen. Frustrated by the CIA's cautious approach, Wilson teams up with Gust Avrakotos, a maverick CIA operative. Together, they orchestrate a massive, clandestine operation to supply the mujahideen with FIM-92 Stinger missile launchers, successfully turning the Soviet occupation into a deadly quagmire. Their efforts lead to a massive increase in the CIA's anti-communism budget, eventually becoming a major part of the Reagan Doctrine. While Gust warns Wilson about the potential for future blowback and the need for post-war reconstruction, Wilson eventually receives a major commendation for his service, though he remains haunted by the implications of U.S. disengagement from the region.
- First release year
- 2007
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mike Nichols
- Writers
- Aaron Sorkin · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Tom Hanks · Charlie Wilson; Julia Roberts · Joanne Herring; Philip Seymour Hoffman · Gust Avrakotos; Amy Adams; Ned Beatty
- Genres
- biographical; comedy-drama
- Themes
- Cold War politics; clandestine operations; consequences of foreign policy
- Tone and mood
- witty
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; political; spy
- Source material / true-story basis
- George Crile III's 2003 book Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for the performances, particularly from Philip Seymour Hoffman.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 82% · scale: percentage · review count: 203; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · 65th · nomination; Academy Awards · Best Supporting Actor · 80th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was Mike Nichols' final film.; The original script included a scene featuring the September 11 attacks, which was removed.; The film was not released in Russian theaters in 2008.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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