Film Bites

Charlie Wilson(Hanks) is a womanizing, drug-using, alcoholic Congressman from Texas, but none of this will stop him from making his mark on history. Beginning in the early 1980′s, Charlie realizes the potential of the people of Afghanistan in the battle against Soviet Russia. Using his sway in Congress, and his influence around the world, Charlie Wilson starts a covert war with Russia, using the Afghan people as his soldiers.

By giving money to Pakistan, Charlie plans to equip tribesmen in Afghanistan with Soviet-made weapons supplied by Israel. Meanwhile, Charlie is under investigation for drug use in Las Vegas. Being a smart man, Charlie uses this to his advantage; he knows that the American public will be distracted by his misgivings and not notice the entirely immoral actions he’s perpetrating behind their backs.

The screenplay to Charlie Wilson’s War was written by Aaron Sorkin, co-writer of The West Wing, a wonderful show about the United States government. Bringing his talents to the big screen, Sorkin adapts George Crile’s book of the same name. Present in Wilson’s War is the fast-paced meticulously executed dialog that was a highlight of The West Wing. Staffers and Officials buzzing in and out of offices and meetings transitioning from one conversation to the next without missing a beat. I don’t know if that’s what actually happens in the houses of our government, but I’d like to think it’s true.

One of the most interesting aspects of the story was the ending. The fact that the U.S. government poured over a billion dollars into Afghanistan to fight the Soviets, is not surprising. What astonished me was the speed at which the same U.S. government abandoned the people it asked to fight for them. Refusing to spend 1 million dollars to rebuild a school in Afghanistan, after all they’ve been through is something only Americans would do. It is sad really, but in the end, we can see why the people of Afghanistan were so frustrated with Americans in 2001.