Charlie Wilson’s War

Jan 11 2008 by Gary Slaymaker, Western Mail

15, 101 mins

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Lust, Caution

18, 158 mins

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Dan In Real Life

PG, 98 mins

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2008 begins with the return of Tom Hanks to our cinemas in Charlie Wilson’s War.

Notable for his absence from the big screen last year – at least I can’t remember him appearing in anything – it’s nice to see the “modern day Jimmy Stewart” return, playing a more roguish character than usual.

Set in the ‘80s and based on a true story, Charlie Wilson (Hanks) was a Texan Democrat who had been elected to congress.

A womaniser and alcoholic, Wilson was also rabidly anti-Communist, which is how he ended up fronting the biggest covert operation in history. When asked by his wealthy patron and part-time lover, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), to do what he could to help the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan – who were at that time trying to hold back the might of the invading Russian army – Wilson went to town. Enlisting a well-connected, though rather abrasive CIA operative, Gust Avrakotos (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Charlie decided to help out his new Afghan friends by arming them to the teeth so that they could fight back against the invaders. Nice plan in theory, if it wasn’t for the fact that now the hi-tech weapons supplied by Wilson are being used by the Taliban – against the very country that provided them in the first place. Honestly, you couldn’t make this stuff up.

There’s no denying the pedigree of the people behind Charlie Wilson’s War. Director Mike Nichols helmed the blistering anti-war film, Catch 22, while scripter Aaron Sorkin created the wonderful West Wing TV series.

Added to this you have a powerhouse cast full of fine actors – and Julia Roberts. She pales in comparison to Hanks, while Hanks himself is left in the dust by Hoffman. However, when Hanks and Hoffman share screen time, the film is at its vibrant best.

Nichols’ direction is always impressive and Sorkin’s script is as sharp and witty as anything he ever wrote for The West Wing, but it’s when the movie calls for a more serious approach that things begin to drift.

As a political statement to deride American foreign policy over the last 30-odd years, Charlie Wilson’s War never really hits the target. It’s almost as if they were having so much fun with the farcical aspects of the story that they had to crowbar the obligatory anti-government message into the last ten minutes of the feature. And that’s a shame, because if the serious issues were handled as well as the comedy and satire, this could have been one of the year’s best films.

As it stands, Charlie Wilson’s War is highly entertaining and aimed at an audience looking for a little maturity in their films.

Released last week, Ang Lee’s latest offering, Lust, Caution deserves mention because it’s a great way of beginning the year.

The first week of 2007 brought us Apocalypto, a foreign language film which grabbed the attention from start to finish, and 2008 has started with a similar piece of work.

Set in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation of China in 1938, it tells the story of drama student Wong Chia Chi (Wei Tang) who is persuaded by Chinese rebels to become a spy and use her charms to seduce a known Japanese collaborator, in order for the rebels to set up his assassination. This leads to intrigue, romance, sacrifice, betrayal and death, with a liberal dashing of bed-hopping thrown in.

Lust, Caution has already made a name for itself with its graphic love scenes, though the couplings are handled skilfully and are integral to the storyline.

And what a storyline it is – epic, but with an intimate character study at its heart.

The cast are excellent and manage to speak volumes just by suppressing their natural urges to overact. In the hands of another director this could have slid into melodrama quite easily, but Lee keeps a tight rein on proceedings, and lets his tale unwind.

Yet again Ang Lee shows he’s a master craftsman when it comes to telling a story. He effortlessly juggles scenes of quiet elegance with nerve jangling moments of tension. The best film of 2008 – not that that’s saying much at present but I have a feeling this will make a lasting impression on those who see it.

Finally we have an independent American feature starring one of last year’s breakout stars, Steve Carell.

Best known as the 40-year-old virgin or the bloke that plays the Yank version of Ricky Gervais in their version of The Office, Carell’s latest feature is Dan In Real Life.

Playing a widower, father-of-three and an advice columnist, Carell’s Dan is an affable, warm, yet lonely guy who thinks his life might be on the up when he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) – a vivacious woman with a carefree spirit.

Sadly for Dan, before things can go any further, he discovers Ms Binoche is in fact the new girlfriend of his brother, Mitch (Dane Cook). Then Carell and Binoche find themselves in close proximity during a weekend break with Carell’s extended family. So does Dan keep his feelings in check, or does he open his heart to Marie, at the expense of his brother’s happiness? Decisions, decisions.

Even though Carell gets more than his fair share of chances to act goofy and provide moments of slapstick, for the most part this is a quieter performance from the comic actor, similar to his beautifully measured role in Little Miss Sunshine.

As a result, this makes Dan In Real Life come across as a traditional romantic comedy, which is no bad thing in this case because there is a real chemistry between the two leads and a lightness and sweetness to the whole work.

A truly warm-hearted little tale that can’t help but warm the cockles of the flintiest heart.