The DVD Dissection: Charlie Wilson’s War
Posted by Chad Webb on 04.25.2008
An all-star trio leads this witty political comedy, but how does the DVD stack up?
Tom Hanks: Rep. Charlie Wilson
Julia Roberts: Joanne Herring
Philip Seymour Hoffman: Gust Avrakotos
Amy Adams: Bonnie Bach
Ned Beatty: Rep. Doc Long
Emily Blunt: Jane Liddle
Christopher Denham: Mike Vickers
P.J. Byrne: Jim Van Wagenen
Directed By: Mike Nichols
Written By: Aaron Sorkin
Theatrical Release Date: December 21, 2007
DVD Release Date: April 22, 2008
Running Time: 1 hour and 37 minutes
R for strong language, nudity/sexual content and some drug use.
The Film
For almost a full year prior to the release of Charlie Wilson’s War, I had researched the project and realized how incredible the star caliber would be. Being a fan of Tom Hanks for a long time, and having adored each and every turn Philip Seymour Hoffman has been a part of, I became worried that my anticipation of the film would ultimately disappoint me. Upon its arrival in the crowded month of December, I found it to be entertaining enough, but I was not astounded as I expected to be. Following a second viewing, I was struck by how perfectly concise and engaging Charlie Wilson’s War was. The impressive cast unified with a stellar crew and crafted a motion picture that is sure to age well.
The story is based on the book written by George Crile about Texas congressman Charlie Wilson’s outrageous accomplishments. He is a representative of the second district, and is known more for his scandals involving women, drugs, and partying than any major political maneuvering. After joining the Defense Appropriations committee in 1980, Charlie discovers the realities of a situation in Afghanistan where the USSR is inflicting its wrath on the people. He takes the budget for launching an opposition to the Soviet Union and increases it with the help of socialite and ultra right winger Joanne Herring. Along with irreplaceable CIA agent Gust Avrakotos, Charlie takes commences a mission which leads him to Pakistan and Egypt, to name a few. The goal is to successfully initiate a covert war by getting essential weapons to the Afghan Mujahideen. By sheer determination and optimism, Charlie makes history.
There comes a point in every actor's career, who is a household name, to settle down when accepting roles, and not aim for excessive attention. Tom Hanks is just having a blast as a performer these days, and all one has to do is watch his terrific work as the womanizing congressman nicknamed Good Time Charlie. As a controversial figure that is always causing a raucous due to his extracurricular activities, Hanks completely hypnotizes the audience into dismissing any of Charlie’s shortcomings. Hanks makes the transition from jovial playboy to serious politician effortlessly. By the end of the events, Charlie has learned a lot about himself and the Unites States, and Hanks conveys that impeccably.
Admittedly, Julia Roberts was a wild card in the cast, as one never really knows what to expect from her, but she brings her A game to the fray with two masterful stars like Hanks and Hoffman. She embodies the part of a wealthy woman who sticks her nose in this particular business because she wants to change things. Most reviews have cited Roberts as the weak link, but I disagree. She handles herself with remarkable ease, and throws her influence around wonderfully. That moment where she separates her eyelashes using a safety pin still sits in my head. This is a woman who gives orders instead of taking them, and Roberts expresses that marvelously.
Of the three memorable performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman in 2007, I will probably give multiple viewings to that of Gust Avrakotos. When we meet him, he is about to be berated by his superior while the other co-workers eavesdrop behind through the office window. Unfortunately for his boss, Gust switches the direction of the argument and unleashes a verbal tirade that is not only hilarious but motivating to anyone that wanted to tell of a manager. From then on, Hoffman is incredible for every single minute he is seen. To see him and Hanks exchange witty banter, and expose their acting muscles together is exhilarating and fantastic. Gust is blunt and vulgar, but efficient and intelligent. He might have won his first Oscar in the lead of Truman Capote, but Hoffman’s strength has been and always will be supporting submissions like this.
The tone and mood for three fourths of Charlie Wilson’s War is upbeat, humorous, and politically clever. That is a testament to the bravura screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. He could have easily filled this story with confusing dialogue and transformed the journey into a straightforward drama. Thankfully, he took the risk of reaching out to all types of moviegoers. He was aware that most would not have heard of Charlie Wilson, but uses that to his advantage. I don’t think enough people realize how difficult it was to make a covert war into a comedy with satirical elements, but that occurs. It doesn’t hurt that Hanks and Hoffman have innate funny bones either. The Academy should have taken a second glance at how he elegantly crammed years worth of news into a succinctly triumphant 97 minute film.
The immediate shift in attitude towards the conclusion is so quick, and done with such aptitude, that it should be afforded more praise. Basically, Sorkin and Director Mike Nichols communicate a message on how America’s government thinks, how this incident foreshadowed the future, and how this country needs to reshape its judgment without revealing it as hamfisted, a mistake that Lions for Lambs and many others made last year. That, as well as the final quote, is unforgettable. The beginning of Nichols career as a filmmaker was exceptional with The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Catch-22, but over the next several decades his resume would be saturated with peaks and valleys. Following 2004’s magnificently acted, but definitely bizarre Closer, Nichols demonstrates that he is still a consummate tactician behind the camera.
Charlie Wilson’s War made a generous amount of money at the box office, but it could have done better had the poster not been hideous, and had it not been released in the middle of Oscar rush. The reason I say this is because it contains all the ingredients that a compelling and amusing adult themed picture should. The timing and execution is so deft and flawless, the script is so crisp and sharp, and the aftertaste is so significant that it is hard not to love this movie. The cast and crew take Sorkin’s script and devour it with a refreshing hunger. The world may not have been familiar with Wilson before, but because of great actors like Tom Hanks, they will never disregard his importance after seeing his journey unfold.
The Video
The picture transfer is quite excellent with a huge variety of colors to create not only a smart film, but a visually attractive one as well. Joanne Herring’s mansions offers most of the nifty set decorations, as does Charlie’s office. This could have been bleak and lackluster in terms of how the office rooms were constructed, and how the Middle Eastern scenes were laid out, but the six crew members responsible for production design, set decorations, and art directions should give themselves a pat on the back. Additionally, Albert Wolsky’s amazing costume designs stands out the entire time. As if that was not enough, the cinematography from Stephen Goldenblatt captures hints of a epic or a blockbuster when shooting the desert and battle sequences. You will notice absolutely no grain, soft spots, blurs, or other defects. This is gorgeous video with an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1.
The Audio
As I stated earlier, Charlie Wilson’s War has everything a grand film should have. Along with that is explosions and gunfire, which do not show up until the final portion, but are nonetheless rendered as loud and clear through the speakers. Composer James Newton Howard presents an inspirational melody, some of which he borrowed, accompanied by many delicate little moments. The result is a first-rate delivery of sound effects. This dual layered region 1 DVD includes Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in English, Spanish, and French, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
The Packaging
Charlie Wilson’s War is distributed in a standard black keep case with security clips on the side to prevent theft. Inside is no booklet or chapter listing sheet. The cover artwork is nothing special, but at least someone got the hint that using the poster image would have been bad. After all, it wasn’t just my worst posters of the year list it made. I can deal with what was given. The menus are easy to navigate.
The Extras
The Making of Charlie Wilson’s War (17:10) - This is your routine “making of” and “behind the scenes” featurette with cast and crew interviews featuring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. They discuss George Crile’s book, the script, Director Mike Nichols, the real Charles Wilson, and the rest of the characters. They also touch on how no one knew that this happened. This was a bit short, I kind of predicted that it would be.
Who is Charlie Wilson? (12:22) - I will only state briefly what this exactly specifies about Charlie Wilson because I plan on posting a review of the documentary soon. Basically, this has pictures and video footage of Charlie Wilson doing his thing. It has interviews with the cast, crew, and even Charlie himself. This was probably short because a longer documentary on the subject exists.
Previews (3:16) - When you insert the disc trailers for Atonement, Saturday Night Live - The Complete Third Season, Friday Night Lights - The Second Season and an HD-DVD promo start. You can skip them by pressing menu on your remote.
The Film: 9.0/10.0
The Video: 9.0/10.0
The Audio: 9.0/10.0
The Packaging: 7.0/10.0
The Extras: 4.0/10.0
The 411: Charlie Wilson’s War is one of those accessible films that is funny, engrossing, and intelligent on the big screen or on the television. You really have to see images and interviews of the real people to fully appreciate the depth and accuracy of the three top performances. While the acting is top notch, the superb screenplay of Aaron Sorkin gave them all the opportunity to bite into substantial material. Director Mike Nichols has crafted a fine film for himself since he began his career in 1966. The technical specifications are brilliant, but the extras are lacking anything of note unfortunately. No commentary track is a loss, and a full length documentary should have been added here as a bonus instead of a short and unmemorable one. Still, this is a recommended purchase because of the other aspects. Give it a few weeks, and the price will be good enough to buy.
