Jackassalope

Late Movie Review: Charlie Wilson’s War

I finally got to watch Charlie Wilson’s War starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Despite the critical acclaim it received when it was in theaters, I just wasn’t pulled into the story from the previews, so I put off seeing the film. After watching it last night, I’m ashamed that it took me as long as it did to experience this gem.

I loved almost every minute of Charlie Wilson’s War. The acting was excellent, especially Hoffman portraying CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos. Now that I’ve seen all of the Oscar nominated performances, I have to admit I think he was slightly robbed by not taking home the golden statue. Of course, the actors had a great script to work with. It was much funnier than expected and moved at a great pace.

Above all, I think the underlying message is as pertinent as ever. Charlie explains that we go in to a country in despair and kick some ass. Then we leave. When we drop the ball on our way out, and it keeps on bouncing. It speaks to the Cold War situation and our current one. If we go in, tear up a government, and leave without rebuilding, the country is left to fend for itself. The population is young and impressionable, and without proper education, they’re easily swayed. Eventual rebels and terrorists will pick up the pieces. That’s why we are back in Afghanistan now. We didn’t rebuild what we help tear down in the late 80s. Faced with the same situation now, we’re trying to do the right thing.

The problem isn’t finding an answer; it’s finding the right answer. Situations are fluid, governments change, and no matter how hard you try to do good, the result will never be proven, only assumed. The Zen master in the fable has it absolutely correct when he only replies, “We shall see.”

“These things happened and they were glorious. But we f**ked up the end game,” Charlie Wilson.