Review of Charlie Wilson's War (2007) by Spangle — 30 May 2014

"Charlie Wilson's War" is nothing more than an ok film. First and foremost, Philip Seymour Hoffman kills it and really is the brightest star here. In a small role, Amy Adams is also quite good.

I cannot say the same for Tom Hanks or Julia Roberts, however. For some reason, Hanks' performance here was not up to snuff for me and I am not typically a fan of Roberts and this film was no difference.

Both seemed to be out of their league compared to a talent such as Hoffman. As for the film, the story was...eh. The parts surrounding the operations in Afghanistan were interesting, but far too much time was spent on establishing Wilson as a drug addicted womanizer, rather than focusing on, you know, the story the film was trying to tell.

So much time is devoted in fact that by the end, you are left wondering how this one was an hour and a half long since it feels like so little was truly covered. The depth it goes into on the issues in Afghanistan is cursory at best and it really feels as though we got maybe half of the story at best, which is really too bad.

However, there are positives. As mentioned, Hoffman turns in a stellar performance and, in addition, when the film focuses on the main story, it is very interesting. It is even more interesting considering what we know now and how all of the events here wind up hurting us later (as hinted to by Hoffman towards the end).

In terms of its attempts at satire, most of the time it hits and you find yourself laughing, which is obviously a plus. Overall, this one feels as though far too much was cut and we are instead left with some interesting pieces that do not add up to what they should.