The R-Rated Tom Hanks Movie Being Hidden From Viewers, A War Corruption Cover-Up

By TeeJay Small
| Published 17 seconds ago

Last year I decided I hadn’t seen enough Philip Seymour Hoffman movies. The late Academy Award winner has been called one of the greatest actors of his generation, despite usually appearing in supporting roles, rather than bolstering films as the lead. While tracking down films I hadn’t yet seen to cross off my list, I stumbled across Charlie Wilson’s War, which I rented on YouTube. The movie was so eerily prescient that it feels like it was intentionally crafted with today’s politics in mind, so it’s a shame that it isn’t currently streaming on Netflix or any of the major streaming outlets.

Real Life Adapted To Film

Charlie Wilson’s War is a true story biopic about U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson, who worked alongside the CIA to support Afghan mujahideen militants during the Soviet-Afghan War. It’s a topic that I wasn’t especially familiar with before watching the movie, having been born nearly two decades after this real-life conflict began. Still, the narrative felt all too familiar to me, since it showcases something that’s been endlessly repeating in American politics for the last 60 years or so.

Tom Hanks portrays the title character, while Philip Seymour Hoffman takes on the role of CIA operative Gust Avrakotos. At the start of the film, Charlie Wilson is more concerned with partying and hooking up with strippers than doing his actual job. He even incurs the wrath of a young Rudy Giuliani, who opens a federal investigation into Wilson’s misconduct with drugs and alcohol. After meeting with a few Houston socialites in his party circles, Charlie changes his tune and is convinced to take on a crusade to help the Afghan people fight against a Soviet occupation overseas.

Destruction, Not Reconstruction

Throughout the narrative, we see Charlie Wilson fending off the possibility of impeachment, lobbying Congress to send more funds and weapons to the Afghans, and working closely with the CIA to ensure foreign nations such as Israel and Egypt assist in the war effort. I would have thought that a congressman putting in this much work was science fiction if I hadn’t looked it up myself, and he managed to do it all with a massive hangover. Over the course of the film, the CIA’s anti-communism budget balloons to $500 million annually, effectively kicking off the Reagan Doctrine, which spread American influence across nations at risk of undergoing communist revolution.

Towards the end of Charlie Wilson’s War, the Afghans emerge victorious, and American parties intend to pull support for the region once the dust settles. Gust and Charlie work to ensure that the U.S. puts some of its Reagan Doctrine money into rebuilding roads, schools, and hospitals, and not just exploding them, but the American taxpayer wants no part of it. In the end, it seems like a major victory for all anti-communist parties, but America’s failure to aid in reconstruction sets the stage for extremist groups to take hold, directly resulting in the rise of global terrorism and eventually the September 11 attacks in 2001.

Heavy Subject Matter, But Not Without Humor

I won’t get too political here, but I will say that Charlie Wilson’s War is a hard watch given our current political climate. As the U.S. prepares to engage in a boots-on-the-ground war with Iran, aided by Israel, to fight against a Middle Eastern government that only exists due to American meddling in the first place, Charlie Wilson’s War is all too prescient. The movie highlights the ways in which our government, which loves to drop bombs but hates to erect buildings after the rubble is cleared, has been making the same mistakes for decades.

Even still, Charlie Wilson’s War is an excellent watch with an incredible cast and a fascinating story. It’s also surprisingly funny, with a number of well-choreographed fast-paced sequences that feel like they’ve been pulled straight out of Archer. If you’re not up on this period of history, you should absolutely track down this movie and give it a watch. It made nearly $120 million at the global box office on a budget of $75 million and garnered a host of Oscar buzz upon release. Given that Charlie Wilson’s War was so lauded in 2007, it’s a bit of a head scratcher that streaming services don’t seem interested in highlighting it.

As of this writing, Charlie Wilson’s War can be rented or purchased on-demand through YouTube, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, and Fandango at Home.