Aaron Sorking raises the same questions as Shakespeare did or does. How could they possibly know so much about the inner workings of palace life. Here like in The West Wing, Sorkin opens surprising doors that are hardly a shock but seem ton confirm our worst fears. Everything is so casual and at the same time so directly responsible for so many people's lives. A puffy Tom Hanks tells us one way or another that things can be manipulated with semi pure intentions but without weighing the consequences and Julia Roberts in a blond southern hairdo reminds us of the powers harbored in the sidelines. The subject is serious but the treatment is light, intelligent but light. Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the invisible middle man, steals every scene he is in, just like Charles Laughton did in every movie he was in.The dialogue is fast but not fast enough for us not to catch up and discover that this is not an ordinary comedy. The seemingly casual pace filled with strokes of wit and provocation grants another badge of honor in the Mike Nichol's collection.

In one of the better movies of the year, Tom Hanks stars as Congressman Charlie Wilson in this sardonically funny and extremely relevant (given reasonably current events) historical comedy-drama surrounding the 1980s Afghan/Soviet fiasco. The Soviets were attacking Afghanistan killing hundreds of people. Why should anyone care? People are dying, right? No, the reason the United States got involved through Charlie Wilson was because the Afghans, in fear they would get blown to sh_t, started illegally coming into Pakistan which in turn p_ssed Pakistani President Mohammad Zia ul-Haq off. Charlie Wilson in an effort to fix this situation teamed up with the sixth richest woman and religious fanatic in Texas, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) and a amusing and robust American spy for the CIA, Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to help supply Afghans with high-tech weapons to destroy Soviet fight air-craft that would try and attack their land.

Although certainly not a serious Oscar contender for Best Picture, 'Charlie Wilson's War' is probably one of the best of the many political films of the year. Academy Award Winner Mike Nichols provides solid directing as to be expected while Emmy Award Winner Aaron Sorkin (Sport's Night, The West Wing) provides a remarkable screenplay that near-flawlessly balances comedy and drama. The acting is great for the most part as well. Tom Hanks delivers his best and most enjoyable performance since his 2000 Oscar-nominated turn as a FedEx worker stranded on a tropical island in 'Cast Away'. Hanks takes a slimy character like Wilson and with his trademark charm turns him into a likable guy. Amy Adams and Ned Beatty are reliable as always, but the real stand-out performance of the film is from Philip Seymour Hoffman. Arguably the finest actor working in the film industry today, Hoffman takes a small supporting role and upstages everyone around him. From his first scene where he's screaming at his boss before violently breaking his window, Hoffman sucks you in. The only disappointing cast member is unsurprisingly overrated Hollywood starlet Julia Roberts. Hamming her way through yet another movie, Roberts' overbearing and over-the-top portrayal of a rich Texas oil woman hits all the wrong notes and is at most times flat-out annoying. At 97 minutes, the movie is short and sweet, and that isn't to say it doesn't drag at some points but when it does drag it's for a very brief amount of time.

In conclusion, 'Charlie Wilson's War' is not a perfect film by any means, but it's certainly worth a look. Grade: B+

Before Afghanistan was known as the home of the Taliban and Osama bin Laden, they were fighting a bloody war against the Russians. And they were losing. Bad.

So, how did a major motion picture get made about an obscure congressman named Charlie Wilson who's so unknown he has to google himself to know who he is? When you watch this film you see that it was something that needed to be made--not to make the world aware of Charlie Wilson necessarily, but to make the world aware of a decade in which Afghanistan was being mercilessly obliterated by Russia and how the tables turned.

Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) was a hedonistic congressman representing a small part of Texas. In the grand scale of things he was barely a blip on the radar, but he was on the subcommittee for covert defense spending, and that made him a bit of a somebody. When he arbitrarily doubled the CIA's covert budget from $5 million to $10 million he became just a little more important. It was then that he was made aware of the Soviet Union's actions in Afghanistan by a wealthy, ultra-right wing, religious woman named Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts). She had the kind of money, clout, and sexual prowess to gently nudge Charlie Wilson toward supporting a cause she passionately believed in.

"Charlie Wilson's War" started out kind of sleazy and despicable. After twenty minutes I was beginning to ask myself why should I be watching a womanizing lush congressman; even if he is played by Tom Hanks. The gears caught and the movie gained traction once Wilson met with the president of Pakistan, President Zia (Om Puri). The movie became a speeding locomotive when Wilson met with CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Hanks and Hoffman on screen together was fantastic. Even when their banter morphed into political and military jargon I didn't completely follow I still was entranced.

Like any movie about politics and/or war, your pleasure or displeasure with the movie will have a lot to do with your own politics. I happen to believe that America's covert intervention to arm helpless Afghans against a genocidal bully was a commendable move and seeing a movie about such a move is nice. Of course, it helps if the movie is done well, which this was.