Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Release Date: 04/22/2008
SubTitles: English/French/Espanol
Dubbed: English/French/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 102 Minutes
Distributor/Studio: Universal Studios
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 despite the fact that the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against them. At the time, Texas congressman
Charlie Wilson (
Hanks) was a key member of the hugely powerful House Appropriations Committee. Illuminated to the specifics of this remarkable war by a high-profile Houston socialite,
Wilson spearheaded an effort to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons and training to the Mujahideen with more than a little help from brilliant but prickly CIA operative
Gust Avrokotos.
~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide