Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Charlie Wilson’s War’

Written by Scott Edwards

​It is hard to imagine what will happen when someone gets elected to office in Washington D.C. They can tell us all of their plans in the public forums, but when they get to office, their agenda can drastically change. You see it all of the time from both parties and they never seem to focus on what got them elected in the first place. Not knowing who the good and bad politicians will be until they get into their room of power is something that everyone needs to keep an eye on, since these are the people that are supposed to be the voices of the people and there are some good ones that are able to make a difference.

Charlie Wilson has been called a lot of things in his long career in Washington, but never has he been called ethical. While on a short trip to Vegas to visit some friends, Charlie is more concerned about what he is seeing on television than the beautiful women that are sitting right next to him. Watching as Dan Rather is reporting from Afghanistan about the insurgents from Russia moving in, Charlie knows that there is something he will be able to do to help with the problem. Escaping back to his office in D.C., Charlie keeps up on the story and doubles the covert ops budget from five to ten million dollars.

After word spreads about what he has done, Charlie gets a call from his favorite Miss Cotton Bowl, Joanne Herring, that brings more of what is happening in Afghanistan to light for him. Getting a meeting with the president of Afghanistan, Charlie hears the cries of the nation, along with the people that have been moved from their homes into refugee camps in Pakistan where it is more difficult to get weapons than food. Knowing that they need America’s aid to fight this war they are in; Charlie needs to gather the best thinkers in the CIA to figure out how to get the weapons they need to the country without being accused of being involved. 

A meeting with CIA operative Gust Avrakotos will turn Charlie’s dream into reality when he sees what the older agent has to offer. Flying all over the world to get promises made by friends and enemies, Charlie has a plan to ask congress for forty million dollars to fund the war and when it gets approved, all of the wheels are put into motion. With a three-man team of CIA agents and Charlie working together, they are able to help the Afghan forces push back the Russians for a short time, but when the invasion starts to ramp up, more money and resources will be needed. Heading back to defense committee to ask for more funds, Charlie has to rely on his friendships to get him past the difficult votes and get Afghanistan what its people need to fight and win the war.

I am not a huge fan of political movies, unless of course it is satire, but this one has to be one of my favorites. Watching as a single senator is able to secure the funds to a purpose that he knows is right and deal a blow to a superpower, well, just wow. This just goes to show that if you are willing to stand up and fight for what you believe in, you may actually be able to accomplish it. It is too difficult to call out a favorite character in this movie since they are all great. Charlie is able to use his position of power and influence to make things happen, Gust is able to get battle plans together and tell Charlie exactly what is needed, Joanne is able to use her influence to make things happen and also raise awareness of what is happening across the world. It is great to see what a group is able to accomplish when the rest of the world does not seem to care, and I surely hope that thinking like this goes on as we bring in our next round of politicians. Happy Viewing.

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