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—— A Green Story
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—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
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89% The East May 31

Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

tomatometer

81

Average Rating: 7/10
Reviews Counted: 194
Fresh: 158 | Rotten: 36

Charlie Wilson's War manages to entertain and inform audiences, thanks to its witty script and talented cast of power players.

80

Average Rating: 6.9/10
Critic Reviews: 45
Fresh: 36 | Rotten: 9

Charlie Wilson's War manages to entertain and inform audiences, thanks to its witty script and talented cast of power players.

audience

73

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 207,955

My Rating

Movie Info

Produced by Tom Hanks, written by Aaron Sorkin, and directed by Mike Nichols, this adaptation of George Crile III's incendiary bestseller tells the remarkable story of the Texas congressman whose efforts to prevent the Red Army from overtaking Afghanistan eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union while simultaneously fueling the rise of radical Islam. In the early 1980s, a hastily assembled army of Afghan "freedom fighters" achieved the remarkable feat of fending off Soviet invaders

R,

Drama, Comedy

Aaron Sorkin

Apr 22, 2008

$66.6M

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Cast

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All Critics (195) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (164) | Rotten (37) | DVD (19)

Hanks may at first seem like an unlikely choice to play a seasoned Texas playboy bachelor, but he's so ingratiating that he almost pulls it off.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor
Christian Science Monitor
Top Critic IconTop Critic

[Philip Seymour Hoffman's] rumpled, cranky spy is hilarious--George Smiley by way of Jack Black--but with an edge of quiet ferocity that makes every scene he's in play a little sharper.

September 22, 2008 Full Review Source: The New Republic
The New Republic
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The performances are likeable and entertaining, while Nichols pumps the whole proceedings with a satisfyingly fluid, dramatic energy.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
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Nichols and Sorkin have made a Cadillac of a movie, a handsome, beautifully designed chassis with a powerful motor and luxurious attention to detail.

January 2, 2008 Full Review Source: Film.com
Film.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Maybe it wasn't his fault those chickens came home to roost in the form of the Taliban, but you have to wonder: Would Nichols have given Oliver North such an easy ride?

December 27, 2007 Full Review Source: CNN.com
CNN.com
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's a homerun.

December 26, 2007
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Set the irony meter at eleven and enjoy.

April 28, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express
East Bay Express

The satire darkens not into sobering relevance but into wishy-washy 'relevance'

August 27, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion
CinePassion

The international intrigue becomes strained satire -- what's needed is the comic touch of a Billy Wilder.

April 23, 2009 Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix
Boston Phoenix

Charlie Wilson's War features two characters who know how government is supposed to work. They also know it doesn't work as it is supposed to, so they have to subvert the system and go beyond it.

February 2, 2009 Full Review Source: Fayetteville Free Weekly
Fayetteville Free Weekly

Hanks' performance as Wilson is tone-perfect, capturing both the public-servant seriousness and playboy rakishness of his character. And he does it without breaking a sweat.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Charlie Wilson's War is both funny and entertaining. In fact, as far as making political points, you kind of have to look for them.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs
Three Movie Buffs

At a short 93 minutes, it feels as though Charlie Wilson's War was hacked up in the editing room, leaving the bare bones of the structure but little of the really juicy meat.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk
Q Network Film Desk

All of the actors clearly relish the film's fast and busy pace, smart dialog and vivid characterisations.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall
Shadows on the Wall

Hanks does a great job, brimming with the sort of charisma and charm that the real Charlie Wilson presumably had in spades.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: ViewLondon
ViewLondon

...succumbs to an overly and relentlessly talky vibe that prevents the viewer from connecting to the film's story or characters.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews
Reel Film Reviews

The movie never addresses the pressing questions raised in Crile's nonfiction page-turner. It also never encourages the viewer to consider that a solitary congressman appropriated more than $40 million of taxpayer money for his cause.

October 18, 2008
Palo Alto Weekly

This film may be based on real events but it plays out like a sharp and often absurd political satire.

June 8, 2008 Full Review Source: KPBS.org
KPBS.org

Charlie Wilson's War" is intelligence to be savored appreciatively.

May 6, 2008 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Film Threat

Audience Reviews for Charlie Wilson's War

Too bad in Americas rush to defeat the Soviets we created the Taliban, strengthened the Haqqani network and gave Pakistan the time it needed to make a nuclear weapon. Great intentions but we messed up the end game.
January 4, 2012
Joe McCall

Super Reviewer

A smart and entertaining charisma vehicle that also happens to teach a bit of recent US history, Hanks everyman plays a goodtime, partying congressman from Texas who's drawn into supporting Afghan rebels in their fight against Russian aggression. Nice turns by all the cast (Ned Beatty and Om Puri among them) almost hide that great care is taken not to upset American sensibilities.
December 26, 2007
UniversalDreamer

Super Reviewer

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