Texas congressman Charlie Wilson sets a series of earth-shaking events in motion when he conspires with a rogue CIA operative to aid Afghan mujahedeen rebels in their fight against the Soviet Red Army, in this fact-based political thriller directed by Mike Nichols and based on George Crile’s 2003 book by the same name.
Based on a true story. You think we could make all this up?
September 21st, 2008 at 11:51 am
The movie is based on the book by George Crile and is reasonably accurate to the events outlined in the book although it tends to understate various elements and overplays others at times while compressing ten-years of events into a two-hour screenplay. It’s difficult to get an adaptation right, whether of a book or real life events, and this film struggles as a result but it does keep the interest flowing, the characterisations are great and the story-lines interesting. Plus you can never quite stop yourself thinking ‘what-if’, and whether the present war is heading down a well-trodden path.