In class today we saw the movie "Charlie Wilson's war" and it was about Charlie Wilson's life and how he fought for Afghanistan in the Cold War.
The movie portray Charlie Wilson(played by Tom Hanks) as a man who drinks a lot of scotch, he is always up for something fun, but he is still very serious when he has to be. He is a Texas congressman and likes his job because the people of Texas doesn't really fight for much, they only wants to lower the taxes and keep their right for guns. Charlie is quite a player, but he is weak for Joanne(played by Julia Roberts). She is very engaged in Afghanistan and knows she has a big influence on Charlie. When Charlie goes to Afghanistan and see their conditions, something changes in him. The Afghanistan people are fighting the US's war, without any ammunition or training what so ever. Charlie knows that he can change this and that's what he is fighting for.
I understood a lot more about the conflict after watching the movie. In fact, I didn't even know the war in Afghanistan was going on at the time, it is very embarrassing to admit. I thought the cold war was just threats going on between the US and the Soviet Union. Now I know that the Afghanistan war that is still going on, started already back then.
I enjoyed the movie because it was entertaining and educational at the same time. Charlie Wilson is a good example on how one person can make a big difference. Charlie m
anaged to raise the amount of money supported from the US to Afghanistan from 5 million to 500 million. Without Charlie Wilson the world history would probably be very different. In the end of the movie we see Charlie Wilson talking to the US secret service and they are complimenting him for his good work. He is proud of what he accomplished, but is aware of the challenges facing Afghanistan. They won't listen to him when he says they have to continue helping Afghanistan, and that is probably the main reason of the conditions in Afghanistan today.
This is the real Charlie Wilson who fought for Afghanistan during the cold war.
Glad you liked the movie, and glad you feel you learned something new from it. It is a complicated struggle going on in Afghanistan, and this period has not been mentioned a lot lately. Sometimes ir really helps to put history in perspective and with great actors like this it is a pleasure to watch. It helps to know it is bases on a true story too.
SvarSlett