Comments on: Charlie Wilson’s War Review http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review The Official Home of Correct Movie Opinions Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:58:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Danilo http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-177712 Danilo Sat, 20 Dec 2008 05:48:19 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-177712 Will there be an islamic version of Charlie who really did it? Was he Khalid Sheik Mohammad? Are there anyone else? This movie is based on a true story, and shows some insights about CIA methods, real methods employed. Did not elaborate much on how the US failed in the hearts and mind victory already offered in a silver platter to them by helping the Mujahadeen shoot down Russians. The soundtrack was the era, the characters were as told by a hero named Gust Avrakotos. Greek American tough guy, no none sense clandestine operator. Makes those Ivy leage types at Langley look like pompous clowns because they are with that Iran Contra project. It was good... not the entire details and full story perhaps or the movie would run more than it should. I would still recommend watching for an entertaining historical perspective. 4/5 Will there be an islamic version of Charlie who really did it? Was he Khalid Sheik Mohammad? Are there anyone else? This movie is based on a true story, and shows some insights about CIA methods, real methods employed. Did not elaborate much on how the US failed in the hearts and mind victory already offered in a silver platter to them by helping the Mujahadeen shoot down Russians. The soundtrack was the era, the characters were as told by a hero named Gust Avrakotos. Greek American tough guy, no none sense clandestine operator. Makes those Ivy leage types at Langley look like pompous clowns because they are with that Iran Contra project. It was good… not the entire details and full story perhaps or the movie would run more than it should. I would still recommend watching for an entertaining historical perspective. 4/5

]]> By: Ivan http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-117172 Ivan Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:37:50 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-117172 It is easy to mend the bad part - just take pictures of people dieing and suffering in Iraq now - killed by American bombings, children maimed, women being raped by American troops. That would bring viewers rage to appropriate level. I Afganistan we, Russians, fought for political ideas and in Iraq US is driven only by greed for oil. Local population sufferes just the same... think about that It is easy to mend the bad part – just take pictures of people dieing and suffering in Iraq now – killed by American bombings, children maimed, women being raped by American troops. That would bring viewers rage to appropriate level.

I Afganistan we, Russians, fought for political ideas and in Iraq US is driven only by greed for oil. Local population sufferes just the same… think about that

]]> By: Ivan http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-117168 Ivan Wed, 23 Jan 2008 07:16:25 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-117168 I am a Russian and was appawled at the scenes when Tom Hanks cheers when helocopters with our soldgiers get shot down by dirty, drug-trading goat-lovers using US missiles. Great people to support - Taliban. The ones who blew up monuments of intenational heritage and set up a muslim state with medival tortues. Now Americans are dying in Afganistan, Iraq... NYC. It is heros like Charlie that helped in bring 9/11. He did change the world... for New Yorkers and others who died in 9/11 Well done Charlie! Maybe we should think about supplying missiles to Taliban and Al Qaeda now to bring down American blackhawks and up the body bag count, and then we will make a good funny movie about it! I am a Russian and was appawled at the scenes when Tom Hanks cheers when helocopters with our soldgiers get shot down by dirty, drug-trading goat-lovers using US missiles. Great people to support – Taliban. The ones who blew up monuments of intenational heritage and set up a muslim state with medival tortues.
Now Americans are dying in Afganistan, Iraq… NYC.

It is heros like Charlie that helped in bring 9/11. He did change the world… for New Yorkers and others who died in 9/11

Well done Charlie! Maybe we should think about supplying missiles to Taliban and Al Qaeda now to bring down American blackhawks and up the body bag count, and then we will make a good funny movie about it!

]]> By: Sonya http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-116327 Sonya Sat, 19 Jan 2008 08:44:14 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-116327 I saw "Charlie Wilson's War" last night and have thought a great deal about its insights into the US' current "mess" in Iraq.  The scene in the Appropriations Subcommittee room with Charlie attempting to raise money for reconstruction in Afghanistan was informative.  Of course, he starts at $1,000,000 (re. Kurt's remark); why would he think he could get more at the outset.  Had the US made any attempt at reconstruction then or after its assault in after its most recent attack, the Taliban might not have gained control in the first place nor regained the power it has today.  The same is true in Iraq.  We f----- u- the end game in both instances and may never extricate ourselves from either situation.  On another front, I do not believe the movie was a satire.  Charlie Wilson is based on fact, not fiction, and I do not believe that Mr. Wilson, who is still alive, would consider what he did to be a satire nor would he consider this account of what he did to be a satire.  Finally,  I don't believe the movie needed to flood us with scenes of the horrors of the refugee camps.  Anyone who is following the news today is already overwhelmed with the pictures we have in our minds of these camps in Darfur, Pakistan, Palestine, and any of the many nations where conflict is occuring.  Surely anyone with a sense of the conditions millions of people in the world face today could make that connection and feel what Charlie Wilson felt.  The movie did touch me emotionally and it did make me think!!  Yes, it could have done more, but would the audience have sat through 3+ hours of a film that attempted to do it all?  I doubt it.  It's been very difficult for any movie about any war recently to bring in major audiences.  People in the US in general do not want to think or feel anything about what the US has been up to during the past 5+ years. I saw “Charlie Wilson’s War” last night and have thought a great deal about its insights into the US’ current “mess” in Iraq.  The scene in the Appropriations Subcommittee room with Charlie attempting to raise money for reconstruction in Afghanistan was informative.  Of course, he starts at $1,000,000 (re. Kurt’s remark); why would he think he could get more at the outset.  Had the US made any attempt at reconstruction then or after its assault in after its most recent attack, the Taliban might not have gained control in the first place nor regained the power it has today.  The same is true in Iraq.  We f—– u- the end game in both instances and may never extricate ourselves from either situation.  On another front, I do not believe the movie was a satire.  Charlie Wilson is based on fact, not fiction, and I do not believe that Mr. Wilson, who is still alive, would consider what he did to be a satire nor would he consider this account of what he did to be a satire.  Finally,  I don’t believe the movie needed to flood us with scenes of the horrors of the refugee camps.  Anyone who is following the news today is already overwhelmed with the pictures we have in our minds of these camps in Darfur, Pakistan, Palestine, and any of the many nations where conflict is occuring.  Surely anyone with a sense of the conditions millions of people in the world face today could make that connection and feel what Charlie Wilson felt.  The movie did touch me emotionally and it did make me think!!  Yes, it could have done more, but would the audience have sat through 3+ hours of a film that attempted to do it all?  I doubt it.  It’s been very difficult for any movie about any war recently to bring in major audiences.  People in the US in general do not want to think or feel anything about what the US has been up to during the past 5+ years.

]]> By: Kurt http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-112435 Kurt Sun, 23 Dec 2007 18:09:14 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-112435 typos: last quote - shown on screen in the film grip=gripe walkes = walks typos:

last quote – shown on screen in the film
grip=gripe
walkes = walks

]]> By: Kurt http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-112434 Kurt Sun, 23 Dec 2007 18:07:46 +0000 http://themovieblog.com/2007/12/charlie-wilsons-war-review#comment-112434 Hey John. The film is supposed to be S-A-T-I-R-E, not feel-good fist-pumping melodrama. (did you miss the last quote?) Hence emotional connections are not part of the fabric in the first place. In fact the movie delights in its own way of going from amputated children or bombing villages to say, the shot of a womans ass as she walks down the corridor. All that being said, I was really, really, really surprised just how much I liked this film. I expected little and it delivered a lot. My only real grip with the movie was that obviously inserted final scene talking about funding school reconstruction in Afganistan for $1 Million (after investing $1 Billion in the war). That scene was obviously put in there for the 'slower' folks in the audience, despite the nice 'Hoffman walkes away from the balcony and Wilson' scene which would have ended the movie (including the great on-screen quote that followed) much better. It's a minor grip though. Hey John. The film is supposed to be S-A-T-I-R-E, not feel-good fist-pumping melodrama. (did you miss the last quote?) Hence emotional connections are not part of the fabric in the first place. In fact the movie delights in its own way of going from amputated children or bombing villages to say, the shot of a womans ass as she walks down the corridor.

All that being said, I was really, really, really surprised just how much I liked this film. I expected little and it delivered a lot.

My only real grip with the movie was that obviously inserted final scene talking about funding school reconstruction in Afganistan for $1 Million (after investing $1 Billion in the war). That scene was obviously put in there for the ’slower’ folks in the audience, despite the nice ‘Hoffman walkes away from the balcony and Wilson’ scene which would have ended the movie (including the great on-screen quote that followed) much better. It’s a minor grip though.

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