View single post by CleburneFan
 Posted: Sat Dec 29th, 2007 02:15 am
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CleburneFan
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Joined: Mon Oct 30th, 2006
Location: Florida USA
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 Hubby, our son and I saw this movie "Charlie Wilson's War" just before Christmas. It is based on an actual Texas congressman, Charlie Wilson, who was instrumental in securing the funding and subsequently the weapons--Stingers-- to help the Afghanistan Mujahadeen fight and eventually defeat their Soviet attackers.

The movie is riveting because it shows the relationships of some amazing and unexpected people who came together in a kind of alliance to bring assistance to the Afghanistanis who were suffering terrible injuries and losses in their fight against the Soviets. All the while the US pretty much looked the other way in an effort not to anger the Soviets. 

Tom Hanks plays the hard drinking, womanizing Charlie Wilson. Phillip Seymore Hoffman  plays the CIA agent who helps Wilson and Julia Roberts plays the Texan socialite who persuades Wilson to take on the cause of the Afghanis. You can't make up people like this. They really existed and they really achieved what they set out to do against all odds and opposition.

Today the History Channel ran a two-hour documentary that showed the real people as they looked then and as they look now. This show filled in many details the movie was not able to cover. I couldn't tear myself away and scurried around like crazy during ads to get my chores done.

I highly recommend both the movie and the History Channel documentary. If you can see both, all the better. I thought Phillip Seymore Hoffman was especially good as the CIA agent. He provided some much needed comic relief to the movie, yet what he did wasn't funny. He is one of my favorite actors.

Some friends of mine saw the movie. They said their impression was how they movie shows  the way we just walked away from Afghanistan after the Soviets left, was a preamble to what eventually happened  in 2001.   It showed the tremendous responsibilty we take on when we become involved in another country , entering into very complex and complicated cultural, political and social  relationships we can't fully comprehend.

Charlie Wilson, who was accused of coccain use,  was involved in a car wreck and struggled with an alcohol problem still managed to achieve something remarkable. I wonder why we don't hear more about him. I never even knew he existed let alone the socialite and the CIA agent.

Last edited on Sat Dec 29th, 2007 02:17 am by CleburneFan