Charlie Wilson's War (2007): A drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects. (7.1)
Director: Mike Nichols
Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), George Crile (book)
Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman
It is interesting to learn the players behind the arming of the Mujahideen in the Soviet-Afghan war. How much of it is completely accurate, I don't know know but a substantial amount seems to be (the Reagan administration also played a major hand in supplying arms to the Mujahideen). The movie doesn't mention Bin Laden, and it is true that he came to the party quite late. But the fact remains, the US fought a proxy war in Central Asia and the power vacuum created by the defeat of Soviet occupation gave rise to the religious fundamentalism in Afghanistan. The movie is quite fast paced for a policy-wonk type story. The effort to actually shoot scenes that looked like Soviet helicopters, Afghan refugee camps, etc is a credit to the attention to detail. The three major actors (listed above), of course, give commanding performances. My Rating: 7.5
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