DVD reviews: Charlie Wilson’s War – 70

I hesitate to categorise Charlie Wilson’s War as a comedy, since it wasn’t very funny.

Ill-fitting genre or not, this is the serious story of a playboy congressman (that’d be Charlie, played by a chubby Tom Hanks), his socialite chum and patron (Julia Roberts) and a kooky CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman). They join forces to start a covert war against the Soviets in Afghanistan and their efforts essentially end the Cold War. Oh, and install the Taliban in Afghanistan (though that’s a bit of a sore point that’s left out of the script).

One’s knowledge of military history really needs to be up to scratch before watching this flick. There’s an endless jabbering dialogue about complex weapons and war with little explanation, just the presumption that the audience thoroughly knows the guff. Many of the alleged funny bits fall into this pre-knowledge category and hence are not so funny if you don’t understand the context. Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) wrote the screenplay; he has a brilliant mind and clearly expects a lot from his audience.

As an aside, there are some horrific refugee camp scenes interspersed with the funnies; these add an element of gravity to what is actually a very serious story.

Warts and all, Charlie Wilson’s War is a mediocre watch, though one that’s potentially fascinating for some. Hanks does a good job playing a lecherous drug addict and alcoholic, and Hoffman is simply brilliant as always. As for Julia Roberts, she should have stayed on maternity leave because her performance, her bouffant and her Texan accent are simply painful.

There are some brief combat scenes with USSR helicopters being shot out of the sky, but as a whole this is in no way an action movie and doesn’t warrant a posh surround sound system. Extras include ‘Who is Charlie Wilson?’ and the making of. Watch them if you care.

Jeska Innes

From: Universal/US

Genre: Political comedy

Rating: R

Sound: 2.5/5

Vision: 2.5/5

Overall: 2.5/5