Charlie Wilson’s War

Charlie Wilson’s War (Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams) – A fun, yet true, political film about a flawed Texas Congressman, Charlie Wilson’s War is a true story about the United States’ support for the freedom fighters in Afghanistan in the days of the Russian occupation.  Timely, yet not preachy, this Mike Nichols film is written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The American President); it’s really the story of one man’s dedication to a cause who has the informal power to find $1 billion to fight an impossible war with the help of a Houston socialite (Roberts) and an outcast CIA analyst (Hoffman).  Everything about this movie is first rate, from Hanks’ lecherous Congressman to Hoffman’s impeccable performance.  This one has been nominated in every major Golden Globe category, and Hoffman’s performance is a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination.  Roberts is good but not award-worthy; Hanks fits so easily into this role that he might be overlooked later.  This is probably the point to say that Hoffman is now the most versatile actor in the movies today.  From his Oscar turn as Truman Copote to the befuddled writer in State and Main to the evil antagonist in Mission Impossible III and, finally, this year’s down-spiraling conspirator in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, he is simply incredible.  And he does it all without the looks of Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, George Clooney, Tom Cruise or the rest in his class.  This is a must-see movie that also serves as a cautionary tale that both opponents and proponents of the Afghan and Iraq wars won’t be offended by.