Charlie Wilson's War details
| Formats: | 15 DVD, Blu-ray |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Erick Avari, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Ned Beatty, Emily Blunt, Shiri Appleby, Om Puri, Ken Stott, Denis O'Hare, Rachel Nichols |
| Director: | Mike Nichols |
| Genre: | Drama - Biography, Comedy, War |
| Studio: | UNIVERSAL |
| Collections: | Top 400 All-Time Rentals |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Charlie Wilson's War |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 38 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 05 May 2008 |
| Main languages: | English |
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LOVEFiLM Review
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By Tom Charity from LOVEFiLMTom Hanks teams with Mike Nichols for this powerhouse comedy/drama...
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Most helpful review
A disaster.
By enfilade (2 reviews) from York , 05 Feb 2008[Highly rated reviewer]
It is quite difficult to say what this film hopes to achieve. Is it to entertain? To inform? To criticise American policy, or endorse it? It is not hard to maintain, however, that whatever the aims were in the thoughts of director Mike Nichols, Charlie Wilson's War is a resounding failure.
The film - like Nichols' previous feature, Closer - lacks any meaningful character development. Before the release of the film, Tom Hanks told his prospective audience not to see his character as a morally upright man. No, he said, Wilson is supposed to an ignorant womaniser and drug abuser: a man (as he is told by the President of Pakistan) with 'substantial character flaws'. One wonders how an audience can possibly hope to reach such a conclusion when they are handed the trademark Hanks 'awkward nice guy' taken straight from his roles in Forrest Gump or Castaway. When we are ever shown what is supposedly WIlson's dark side, his dalliances are merely there for light relief.
Yet calling it ‘relief’ is too generous, however. Phillip Seymour Hoffman - proven to be an outstanding actor in recent years - is grossly misused, playing the role of the amusingly angry short guy. There is no purpose for him other than as a (poor) comedic foil to the whimpering Hanks, and one feels that with a character who is as explosively introduced as Gust Avrokotos, Hoffman could have gone to town had the script allowed for it. Instead, we are shown a stale 'romance' between Hanks and Roberts that is about as exciting as a night in watching Countdown, despite Roberts’ competence in a demanding role that requires her to smile occasionally and even deliver the odd line or two.
The whole feel of the film is wrong. Nichols clearly attempts to make some sort of commentary on the failure of American foreign policy to aid the post-war reconstruction of foreign films, yet seems petrified to do so. Instead we have a feature that entirely tows the middle ground: it appeals to conservatives who get to see the Commies get their comeuppance, while liberals can snicker at the meekly implied arrogance of the American involvement. One feels that if the film wants to make a point about something, it should go ahead and make it, rather than leaving us to infer the entire meaning of the film from Hanks’ blank expression in the closing sequence and a quote from Wilson himself (which, funnily enough, says more in 3 lines than the enitre screenplay does in 97 minutes).
No heart, a meagre script, poor performances from the leads, and a lack of engagement with any of the real issues at hand. An embarrassment: thank God for Phillip Seymour Hoffman.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(498)I can't believe it!
By a customer , 09 Jun 2013we couldnt even make it all the way through this traversty!
I thougt such an awesome cast would make for a mind blowing film, but instead it dragged so much we had to switch it off.
Really complicated start teamed with the slowest story and action ever, and I respect Tom Hanks too much to see his bum!
BOOOOOOOO!- Was this review helpful to you?
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Waste of a great cast
By Struggling (14 reviews) , 21 Feb 2013What a mixed up story? Couldn't grasp what they were saying due to slang american and lots of mumblings!!. All in all, waste of a great cast.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Educational and entertaining
By a customer , 17 Feb 2013Another example of fact being stranger than fiction. It's worth reading the book on which the film is based in order to realise that the depiction of Charlie Wilson has,if anything, been toned down!- Was this review helpful to you?
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Thought Provoking
By a customer , 28 Sep 2012Charlie Wilson's war is probably more relevant now than when it was made and is certainly thought provoking. Well acted throughout. It just goes to show how throwing money at things doesn't always help and one wonders how many other such acts have been going on behind the scenes.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Enjoyable and thought provoking
By a customer , 01 Apr 2012There were perhaps too many comic touches for what was after all a serious subject but perhaps it did show that someone thought to be lightweight did actually take notice and do something. And it was not entirely unexpected that there was no follow up afterwards. If Tom Hanks portrayal is anything like the congressman in real life then he was quite some character. I do not think Julia Roberts gave a very convincing performance for her character, even though I know nothing about the person she was supposed to be playing. She just did not convince somehow.- Was this review helpful to you?
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