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Charlie Wilson's War [DVD] [2007]
 
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Charlie Wilson's War [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Tom Hanks
3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
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Product details

  • Actors: Tom Hanks, Amy Adams, Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ned Beatty
  • Directors: Mike Nichols
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Universal Pictures UK
  • DVD Release Date: 5 May 2008
  • Run Time: 102 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B0014JGFD2
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 3,057 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Overlooked in the end at the Academy Awards, and not ratcheting up the box office you'd perhaps expect of a Tom Hanks movie, Charlie Wilson's War is nonetheless a challenging, entertaining and underappreciated film, that deserves to find a bigger audience on DVD.

Starring Hanks in the title role, the strength of Charlie Wilson's War is in some talented people doing what they do best. Hanks eases into his part, as the Texas congressman who uses his extensive contacts book and unorthodox nature (which is putting it mildly) to initiate and wage a secret war. Alongside him is Julia Roberts on fine form in a small part, and the excellent Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is at the heart of the film's best, and funniest, moments.

Gluing Charlie Wilson's War together is an assured turn behind the camera from veteran director Mike Nichols. Nichols, still best known for The Graduate, is confident enough to let the comedy in a deathly serious story play out, while not shirking the drama either. It's a tender balancing act, that only flusters a little near the end.

It's not a perfect film, and the tone may be a little uneasy for some. But Charlie Wilson's War is, nonetheless, a very strong piece of American cinema, that has questions to ask, and manages to entertain at the same time. Well worth discovering. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
The first time the audience sees Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) in the early 1980s, he seems far from a model politician. Surrounded by strippers, a Playboy Playmate, and cocaine, the naked congressman lies in a hot tub at a party. Despite the distractions, the TV news catches Charlie's attention as Dan Rather reports from a war-torn Afghanistan. As Soviets invade the country, the Afghans lack the money and technology to defend themselves. Enter Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), a wealthy Texan who champions the cause of Afghanistan and, by extension in the Cold War, America. Together with CIA Agent Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Charlie begins a secret war where he must unite Israel, Pakistan, Egypt, and America to defeat the Soviets.
Just as director Mike Nichols brought a sense of fun to what should have been dour proceedings in films such as The Graduate and Closer, this comedy about the largest covert war to date never feels like a history lesson. Writer Aaron Sorkin's dialogue is sharp and it's delivered with impressive verve from the film's trio of Oscar winners. Hoffman is famous for transforming into various characters, and he's remarkable, but it's Hanks's turn that's the most surprising. Outwardly, Charlie could resemble many of Hanks's previous roles, but the actor adds layers to the character and changes without the aid of makeup or prosthetics.

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (14)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (5)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.3 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Great film - bad DVD, 29 Jul 2008
By Carol Haynes (North Yorkshire UK) - See all my reviews
OK let's get it straight I really enjoyed the film. The start of the film was a bit slow and confused (I really wasn't that interested to explore Charlie's predilections for nudes in spar tubs) but once the reason for the story is made known it is gripping and moves at a pace that keeps you interested and ultimately moved until the end. The great thing was showing what a few individuals can achieve in the face of international lethargy and disinterest.

It was good to meet the real Charlie in the extras but why did that have to effectively have a 'Making Of ...' and then a shorter 'Meet Charlie Wilson' that has identical footage of Charlie and nothing new?

So a good film so why only 2 stars. As other people have pointed out I absolutely hate this DVD - you have to sit through nearly 4 minutes of a UNICEF campaign for Aids in Africa. There is no option to skip or fast forward through it. Then you get nearly a minute of loud noise about video piracy (which I object to as I just bought the damn thing - why treat ME as a pirate when pirates can easily strip the crap) and then to add insult to injury there is a further copyright notice. OK we finally get to the film but for heaven's sake don't press the menu button on your handset during the film or you have to endure the whole lot again - it doesn't even go straight to the menu.

What is the net effect of all this - people will copy the DVD just to remove the crap so they can watch the film in peace. This totally negates the charity appeal stuff and the copyright notices and turns users in to copyright infringers because of the publishers own stupidity!

Don't get me wrong I thing publicising the work of UNICEF in Africa is laudable and I wouldn't mind it being on the disc (even though the disc has nothing to do with UNICEF or Africa or Aids) provided it is in the extras section and is optional.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars The Cold War, now available in Primary colours..., 14 Jun 2008
By Mr. Stephen Kennedy "skenn1701a" (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
So what do you know - it's possible to make a cheerful movie about the war...
Actually, the reason this movie feels so light and cheerful is that it is really about Charlie Wilson the man rather than the war. The movie tells the (based on true) story of the Texas Congressman who played a pivotal role in getting substantial funding to the Mujahedin in Afghanistan, eventually leading to the forced withdrawal of the Russians, thereby paving the way for the downfall of the Soviet Empire - as told by this movie at least. The interesting part is that Charlie Wilson was a womanizing party animal who was the last person many would have thought would tackle this issue.
The cast fit the bill perfectly - Tom Hanks surprises as the drinking Congressman, sharing a hot tub with strippers doing coke.. but retains the naivete that seems to have allowed him to say `why not' when faced with the question of increasing funds to Afghan freedom fighters. The woman asking the questions is a rich, headstrong Texan woman played by Julia Roberts, and the man in the CIA actually getting the job done and providing the technical explanations, is played by Philip Seymour Hoffman.
It's shot well, in bright colours and plenty of lighting so we never have a dark moment, and acting is perfectly fine throughout. There is even just a touch of acknowledgement at the end that things were not so straightforward, and a warning that with the Russians gone, and without funding rebuilding infrastructure and schools, the `crazies' would inevitably take the leading role. As of course they did.
On the downside, this is really a very superficial look at the issues, and a rather one-sided look at events in history. On the plus side, it's a fun and entertaining introduction to the man and the history, that at 1hr 38 min never outlasts its welcome.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars What Not to Buy, 11 Aug 2008
By Kalah (Norway) - See all my reviews
Although a great film with a funny plot, brilliant performances and interesting insights, I would not buy this particular DVD item for one single reason:

When you put it in, it forces you to watch an anti-AIDS fundraiser. For 4 minutes you have to watch this very moving little film portraying a serious problem. There is no way to skip or fast forward through it. I bought this thing, if the producers wanted money for this, they could take it out of the cash I gave them for the film WITHOUT annoying me with this. When I pay for a movie, I don't want commercials of ANY type on it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful lesson in modern histroy
Before I purchased this DVD, I knew nothing of the Afghan war or of the role of America in it. This DVD was not only an enjoyable and well acted drama; it was a great lesson in... Read more
Published 21 days ago by Uenna

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Film - Bad DVD
First off as others have pointed out that you have to watch a 3 and a half minute advert from UNICEF, and when I have just paid for a film, I don't expect to have to watch about... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Richard

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking and fun
There are plenty of holes to pick in this in terms of how accurately it reflects what actually happened, but at the end of the day I was not expecting a documentary... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Concerned Buyer

2.0 out of 5 stars ...and?
Did you know that the U.S. sometimes causes trouble for itself in the long term by getting involved in other peoples problems in the short term? Yeah, me too. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. S. Meins

5.0 out of 5 stars SOCIALITES, CONGRESS, COVERT OPS, AND AFGHAN GUTS
This is a great film. Ignore the annoying bits at the beginning of the DVD.

The 1980's politics, the characters, the CIA, and the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Michael JR Jose

5.0 out of 5 stars West Wing Goes Worldwide
Virtually Maria (Virtual Trilogy)

As a great fan of Aaron Sorkin, the man who wrote West Wing, I was delighted to hear that he had penned the script for this Tom... Read more
Published 7 months ago by John Joyce

2.0 out of 5 stars Uncinematic story competently but blandly filmed
The film is not very good. It is simply not a very cinematic story, and it has not been dramatically filmed. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Pete

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good
I didn't think this would be anywhere near as enjoyable as it is. I really liked it, and found it to be surprisingly good.
Published 8 months ago by The Cheerful Teacher

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy if you want to know what really happened
It's not a bad film as pure entertainment but, naturally, it depicts Americans as good (though flawed) and Russians as essentially evil. Read more
Published 8 months ago by David Lewis

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly interesting movie!
Worth watching just for Hoffman's character, who manages to consistently upstage the two heavyweight leads of Hanks and Roberts. Read more
Published 8 months ago by A. Wasenczuk

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