Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

Regisseur:

Mike Nichols

Drehbuchautoren (WGA):

Aaron Sorkin (screenplay)
George Crile (book)

Premierendatum:

21. Dezember 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Biographie | Drama

Werbezeile:

Based on a true story. You think we could make all this up?

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Airplane Trip | Blowback | Jerusalem | CIA Officer | Male Rear Nudity

Filmpreise:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 10 nominations

Nutzerkommentare:

Refreshing Political Satire

Besetzung

Tom Hanks	...	Rep. Charlie Wilson
Amy Adams	...	Bonnie Bach
Julia Roberts	...	Joanne Herring
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Gust Avrakotos
Terry Bozeman	...	CIA Award Presenter
Brian Markinson	...	Paul Brown
Jud Tylor	...	Crystal Lee
Hilary Angelo	...	Kelly
Cyia Batten	...	Stacey
Kirby Mitchell	...	Stoned Guy
Ed Regine	...	Limo Driver
Daniel Eric Gold	...	Donnelly
Emily Blunt	...	Jane Liddle
Peter Gerety	...	Larry Liddle
Wynn Everett	...	Charlie's Angels - Receptionist

Alternativ:

Krieg des Charlie Wilson, Der (Deutschland) [de]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use.

Länge:

102 Min

Produktionsland:

USA

Sprache:

Englisch | Dari | Arabisch | Russisch

Farbe:

Farbe

Seitenverhältnis:

1.85 : 1

Tonverfahren:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Altersfreigabe:

UK:15 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Brazil:14 | Malaysia:18PL | Sweden:7 | Australia:M | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Argentina:13 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:NC-16 | Ireland:15A | South Korea:15 | USA:R (certificate #44037) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Drehorte:

Downey Studios - 12214 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, California, USA

Firma:

Good Time Charlie Productions

Dies und das:

Charlie Wilson said in a USA Today article that he had no qualms about the film saying, "Anything I might have objected to was provable".

Pannen:

Anachronismus: In a scene set in early 1980, Crystal Lee mentions the TV show "Falcon Crest" (1981), which premiered in 1981.

Dialogzitate:

Zvi: You want me to steer Israel towards an arms deal with Egypt, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia?
Charlie Wilson: Yes.
Zvi: Well, just one or two problems with that, just off the top of my head.
Charlie Wilson: Zvi...
Zvi: Afghanistan and Pakistan don't recognize our right to exist, we just got done fighting a war against Egypt, and everyone who has ever tried to kill me or my family has been trained in Saudi Arabia!
Gust Avrakotos: That's not true, Zvi. Some of them were trained by us.

Bezüge zu anderen Titeln:

Enthält ausschnittsweise "CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite" (1962)

Soundtrack:

SIBONEY

Refreshing Political Satire

In one of the better movies of the year, Tom Hanks stars as Congressman Charlie Wilson in this sardonically funny and extremely relevant (given reasonably current events) historical comedy-drama surrounding the 1980s Afghan/Soviet fiasco. The Soviets were attacking Afghanistan killing hundreds of people. Why should anyone care? People are dying, right? No, the reason the United States got involved through Charlie Wilson was because the Afghans, in fear they would get blown to sh_t, started illegally coming into Pakistan which in turn p_ssed Pakistani President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq off. Charlie Wilson in an effort to fix this situation teamed up with the sixth richest woman and religious fanatic in Texas, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and a amusing and robust American spy for the CIA, Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to help supply Afghans with high-tech weapons to destroy Soviet fight air-craft that would try and attack their land.

Although certainly not a serious Oscar contender for Best Picture, 'Charlie Wilson's War' is probably one of the best of the many political films of the year. Academy Award Winner Mike Nichols provides solid directing as to be expected while Emmy Award Winner Aaron Sorkin (Sport's Night, The West Wing) provides a remarkable screenplay that near-flawlessly balances comedy and drama. The acting is great for the most part as well. Tom Hanks delivers his best and most enjoyable performance since his 2000 Oscar-nominated turn as a FedEx worker stranded on a tropical island in 'Cast Away'. Hanks takes a slimy character like Wilson and with his trademark charm turns him into a likable guy. Amy Adams and Ned Beatty are reliable as always, but the real stand-out performance of the film is from Philip Seymour Hoffman. Arguably the finest actor working in the film industry today, Hoffman takes a small supporting role and upstages everyone around him. From his first scene where he's screaming at his boss before violently breaking his window, Hoffman sucks you in. The only disappointing cast member is unsurprisingly overrated Hollywood starlet Julia Roberts. Hamming her way through yet another movie, Roberts' overbearing and over-the-top portrayal of a rich Texas oil woman hits all the wrong notes and is at most times flat-out annoying. At 97 minutes, the movie is short and sweet, and that isn't to say it doesn't drag at some points but when it does drag it's for a very brief amount of time.

In conclusion, 'Charlie Wilson's War' is not a perfect film by any means, but it's certainly worth a look. Grade: B+