Charlie Wilson's War

A Cliff's Notes version of American involvement in the Afghan / Soviet war in the mid '80s, this covered quite a bit of ground in a relatively short amount of time. Tom Hanks's Wilson is a charismatic, entertaining character with the talent to always come up with the right words for the moment, but he's upstaged every time he shares the screen with Philip Seymour Hoffman's thick-spectacled CIA op, Gust Avrakotos. The two make for a dynamite pairing that can cover extremely deep, complicated topics in casual conversation without seeming overly technical or dull, which was certainly a huge risk in a film that spends so much time behind closed doors in Washington. Julia Roberts can't even begin to keep up, and is something of an uncomfortable fit when she's forced into such scenes. An important history lesson, and a brief glimpse behind the staged photos and forced smiles of the political meet-and-greet, this sheds a lot of light on our modern standing in the middle east.

Quality abounds. The cast, the script, the tightness of the pacing. It's not without flaws. Stock footage cheapen the look, the American political heroism. The scene with the revolving discussions between the female staff and Gust. Excellent. Sorkin's always delivers a fantastic witty, intelligent script that is mired with condescension. This one is like a leftover West Wing special. All in all, well made and moves at a chippy pace. Worth a watch. 7.5/10