Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I just saw this today... wanted to catch it before it left the theater... I'm sure it will be gone next week because I could only find one showing of it in all 3 Regency theaters we have locally.

I knew absolutely nothing about this episode of our recent history until I saw a preview of the movie last summer, then when it started playing in the theaters, the History Channel did a documentary of it by the same name.

Before I forget, there's Lots of skin in the beginning, Adult language throughout, so don't rent it for the kids... it is an "R"...

The movie pretty well parallels the documentary with a few minor variations... It is about a Reagan era Texas Congressman, Charlie Wilson, who became obsessed with supplying arms to Afghanistan with which they were ultimately able to defeat the Russians... and in the end illustrates exactly what will happen if we bail on the Iraqi's after the shooting is over, the way we bailed on the Afghani's.

The movie stars Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, but delves into some of the backroom deals that go on in Congress, sounds a bit boring, but the movie was actually moving thru out, and the guy who played the Cantankerous CIA Agent was hilarious... don't know his name.

Good movie - I had a weird urge to go buy a book about similar topics.

The book was great. In a million years I can't imagine Tom Hanks as Charlie Wilson so I'm not going to ruin the story watching the movie. I do recommend the book though!

Maybe I'll try the book. The movie trailer didn't interest me...maybe when it hits cable and nothing else is on I'll watch it.

Rent the DVD! I loved the movie! The screenwriter did a great job. The cool thing about the DVD is the bonus features. It has the real Charlie Wilson on it and talks to him a great deal. Quite a character! Like Creeker said, it ain't for kids, but I highly recommend it. I watched it last night and then invited my best friend, another retiree to come over today and watch it again with me. I wish the real CIA operative, Gust could have been in the bonus features too. His character was kept me in stitches during the movie.

... The cool thing about the DVD is the bonus features. It has the real Charlie Wilson on it and talks to him a great deal. Quite a character! ....

I wonder if they used the documentary on the dvd that I saw on the History channel prior to seeing the movie. I think it was narrated by Edward Herman, but its been so long ago now, I can't be certain.

Glad you liked it, too.

...And yes the CIA guy was a Hoot.;)

No, there was no documentary as such on the DVD. One feature was the making of the movie where the actors just talked about what it was like to work with one another and the real Charlie Wilson (who apparently was on the set most of the making). The second was "Who was Charlie Wilson". In it Charlie Wilson talked a lot more and there were clips of some of his tv interviews back then. They also had the real Joanne Herring on it.

Charlie told them to go ahead and show him drunk, using drugs and carrying on with wimmen in the movie because it was all true. There was nothing pretenous about the guy. To me the bonus features really enhanced the movie.

i couldnt agree with you more