Charlie Wilson's War

To use an unnecessary sports analogy, Charlie Wilson’s War is batting .500. The film’s politically incorrect depiction of Washington in the pre-Anita Hill era turns out to be the main source of its fun. Tom Hanks revels in Wilson’s overly boozy persona and his energy is infectious. There is almost a classic screwball comedy feel to these sequences. Aaron Sorkin’s script cleverly infuses the fluff with some pretty complex geopolitical plot points. Viewers are given insight into the legislative branch as well as the details of the waning years of the Cold War politics without having to break more than a minor sweat.

While the scene’s in D.C. have a real sense of time and place, the scenes in Afghanistan look like outtakes from Hot Shots Part Deux. Lame CGI explosions and odd comic relief fill what is should be the emotional core of the film. Had these sequences been given a harsh sense of realism they would have been a poignant juxtaposition to the lighthearted inside the beltway stuff. The movie could have easily moved into the ranks of the classic political films like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (or at least Dave) had they handled their foreign storyline as well as the domestic one.