“There’s subtlety, and then there’s invisibility. Charlie Wilson’s War director Mike Nichols offers us champagne-sparkle charm and whimsy and aw-shucks hijinks. If a film really wants to tackle the covert actions of the Cold War and their long-term consequences, it needs to provide short sharp shots of truth as raw as whiskey, one after the other. [Instead] we get the buzzy, boozy, bonhomie of Charlie’s crusade.
“What Nichols has done is eliminate the historical hangover of unintended consequences. Charlie Wilson’s War is timid where it should be reckless, clever where it should be cutting, funny where it should be fierce.” — from James Rocchi‘s 12.21 Cinematical review.
