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Charlie Wilson's War

  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
122K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,531
145
Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
Charlie Wilson's War Trailer
Play trailer2:34
17 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyComedyDrama

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 ... Read allA 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.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.

  • Director
    • Mike Nichols
  • Writers
    • Aaron Sorkin
    • George Crile
  • Stars
    • Tom Hanks
    • Julia Roberts
    • Philip Seymour Hoffman
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    122K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,531
    145
    • Director
      • Mike Nichols
    • Writers
      • Aaron Sorkin
      • George Crile
    • Stars
      • Tom Hanks
      • Julia Roberts
      • Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • 343User reviews
    • 250Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 5 wins & 24 nominations total

    Videos17

    Charlie Wilson's War
    Trailer 2:34
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War
    Charlie Wilson's War
    Clip 0:55
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War
    Charlie Wilson's War
    Clip 0:52
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War
    Charlie Wilson's War
    Clip 0:32
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War
    Charlie Wilson's War
    Clip 0:55
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War
    Charlie Wilson's War
    Clip 0:40
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War
    Charlie Wilson's War
    Clip 0:39
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War
    Charlie Wilson's War: Charlie Tells Joanne To Dial Down The Religion
    Clip 0:57
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War: Charlie Tells Joanne To Dial Down The Religion
    Charlie Wilson's War: Joanne Asks Charlie A Question
    Clip 0:42
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War: Joanne Asks Charlie A Question
    Charlie Wilson's War: Isreali Arms Dealer Agrees To Help
    Clip 0:54
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War: Isreali Arms Dealer Agrees To Help
    Charlie Wilson's War: If This Were A Real War
    Clip 0:55
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War: If This Were A Real War
    Charlie Wilson's War: Joanne Greets Charlie And Bonnie
    Clip 0:41
    Watch Charlie Wilson's War: Joanne Greets Charlie And Bonnie

    Photos110

    Tom Hanks in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Tom Hanks in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Tom Hanks and Mike Nichols in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Mike Nichols in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Julia Roberts in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Amy Adams in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Julia Roberts and Mike Nichols in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
    Tom Hanks in Charlie Wilson's War (2007)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Hanks
    Tom Hanks
    • Charlie Wilson
    Julia Roberts
    Julia Roberts
    • Joanne Herring
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    Philip Seymour Hoffman
    • Gust Avrakotos
    Amy Adams
    Amy Adams
    • Bonnie Bach
    Terry Bozeman
    Terry Bozeman
    • CIA Award Presenter
    Brian Markinson
    Brian Markinson
    • Paul Brown
    Jud Tylor
    Jud Tylor
    • Crystal Lee
    Hilary Angelo
    Hilary Angelo
    • Kelly
    Cyia Batten
    Cyia Batten
    • Stacey
    Kirby Mitchell
    Kirby Mitchell
    • Stoned Guy
    Ed Regine
    Ed Regine
    • Limo Driver
    Daniel Eric Gold
    Daniel Eric Gold
    • Donnelly
    Emily Blunt
    Emily Blunt
    • Jane Liddle
    Peter Gerety
    Peter Gerety
    • Larry Liddle
    Wynn Everett
    Wynn Everett
    • Receptionist - Charlie's Angels
    Mary-Bonner Baker
    Mary-Bonner Baker
    • Marla - Charlie's Angels
    • (as Mary Bonner Baker)
    Rachel Nichols
    Rachel Nichols
    • Suzanne - Charlie's Angels
    Shiri Appleby
    Shiri Appleby
    • Jailbait - Charlie's Angels
    • Director
      • Mike Nichols
    • Writers
      • Aaron Sorkin
      • George Crile
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Though recuperating from heart transplant surgery, the real Charlie Wilson made it to the red carpet premiere of the film.
    • Goofs
      The Texas flag in Charlie Wilson's office is upside down; the white field should be at the top.
    • Quotes

      Gust Avrakotos: There's a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a horse... and everybody in the village says, "how wonderful. The boy got a horse" And the Zen master says, "we'll see." Two years later, the boy falls off the horse, breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, "How terrible." And the Zen master says, "We'll see." Then, a war breaks out and all the young men have to go off and fight... except the boy can't cause his legs all messed up. and everybody in the village says, "How wonderful."

      Charlie Wilson: Now the Zen master says, "We'll see."

    • Crazy credits
      This film is carbon neutral with NativeEnergy
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: I Am Legend/Alvin and the Chipmunks/The Perfect Holiday/Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street/Youth Without Youth/The Kite Runner (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Never, Never Gonna Give You Up
      Written and Performed by Barry White

      Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

    User reviews343

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Excellent and faithful adaptation of the best-selling book.
    It doesn't happen very often, but occasionally one man can make a difference -- a big difference.

    George Crile's 2003 best seller, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, is a fascinating and eye-opening account of the most unlikely "difference maker" imaginable. A relatively obscure Congressman from the Second District of Texas, "Good Time Charlie" was known more for his libertine lifestyle than his libertarian legislation. Likable and licentious (even for a politician), Charlie Wilson served his constituency well since the good folks of Lufkin only really wanted two things, their guns and to be left alone. It's Easy Street replete with his bevy of beltway beauties known, appropriately enough, as Charlie's Angels.

    When asked why his entire office staff was composed of attractive, young aides his response is a classic, "You can teach 'em to type, but you can't teach 'em to grow tits." No argument there.

    But even the most rakish rapscallion has a conscience lurking somewhere underneath, and for Charlie Wilson the unimaginable atrocities being committed in Afghanistan moved him to muster his entire political savvy toward funding the utter, humiliating defeat of the Russian military and, possibly, to even help hasten the end of the Cold War as a result. Fat chance, huh?

    Under the skillful direction of Mike Nichols and a smart, snappy screenplay by Adam Sorkin, CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR is a sparkling, sophisticated satire that chronicles the behind-the- scene machinations of three colorful characters comprising "Charlie's Team."

    The on-screen "Team," is composed of three marvelous actors with four (4) Academy Awards and nine (9) nominations between them. Charlie is beautifully portrayed by Tom Hanks in a solid, slightly understated fashion that is among his best work in years. He's aided, abetted and abedded by Joanne Herring, a wealthy Houston socialite played by the still-slinky Julia Roberts. Hey, why else have the bikini scene than to let the world know this? By all accounts Ms. Roberts looks good and holds her own, but the screenplay never gives us even a hint why Kabul and country is so important to her character. Maybe the two Afghan hounds usually by her side know -- but we as an audience never do. As for the third member of the "Team," Philip Seymour Hoffman steals every scene he appears in as Gust Aurakotos, a smart, street- wise (i.e. non Ivy League graduate) CIA malcontent who knows the score -- both in the Agency's boardroom and in Wilson's bedroom.

    For the Mujahideen to succeed, the most important assistance the U.S. can provide is the ability to shoot down the dreaded MI-21 helicopter gunships which rule the skies. This takes money, lots of money, and eventually "Charlie's Team" covertly coerces those in Congress to fund the effort to the tune of $1 billion dollars for advanced weaponry to arm the Afghan rebels. This includes top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art anti-aircraft and anti-tank rockets as well as other highly sophisticated killing devices. Nasty, nasty stuff.

    That this kind of multi-billion dollar illicit activity can and does take place behind Congressional doors is truly alarming. Every American should see this movie or read this book because it reveals a truly frightening aspect of the business-as-usual political scene rarely seen outside the walls of our very own government. Oh momma, I wish it weren't so...

    Even though the initial outcome for "Team Charlie" was an unqualified success, the unimaginable, unanticipated final result is that these sophisticated weapons are now used against our troops by the Taliban and others. Since the funding was entirely "covert," the young generation in this part of the world has no idea the fall of Soviet oppression and the end to Russian barbarity was the direct result of American intervention. Yes, once the Russkies left, so did our aid -- zip for schools, zip for infrastructure, zip on maintaining meaningful relationships with the Afghan people. As a result, the overall consequence is an unmitigated disaster -- it's like the forerunner to "Mission Accomplished."

    As Nichol's film so pointedly points out, "The ball you've set in motion can keep bouncing even after you've lost interest in it." Mike Krzyzewski knows this, Eva Longoria Parker knows this, little Lateesha in Lafayette knows this, but the typical American politician doesn't. So we go from good guys to bad guys because we couldn't let the world know we were the good guys. Talk about a Catch-22 (another Mike Nichols film).

    Perhaps Charlie Wilson said it best, "We f&%ked up the end game."

    Again.
    helpful•205
    100
    • teocalli
    • Dec 22, 2007

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    FAQ1

    • Is Mercury Bay, New Zealand really a hotbed of anti-American activity?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 21, 2007 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
    • Languages
      • English
      • Dari
      • Russian
      • Urdu
      • Hebrew
      • Arabic
    • Also known as
      • Cuộc Chiến Của Charlie Wilson
    • Filming locations
      • Marrakech, Morocco
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Relativity Media
      • Participant
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $75,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $66,661,095
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,656,250
      • Dec 23, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $119,483,446
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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