Fans of Aaron Sorkin, the brilliant scriptwriter of The West Wing and, more recently, the underrated Studio 64 on Sunset Strip, won’t want to miss this sharp political drama, set during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. In the delightfully implausible true story, a womanising congressman (Tom Hanks), a rich Texan socialite (Julia Roberts) and an irascible CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) help fund the conflict for the Afghan side, eventually leading to the Russian troops’ departure.
The unlikely three musketeers have a great caustic rapport, and Sorkin’s piquant dialogue gives them some great one-liners (‘You know you've reached rock bottom when you're told you have character flaws by a man who hanged his predecessor in a military coup’). All three stars are at their best playing the flawed characters; Roberts’ spoiled housewife is an improbable heroine, but her sheer chutzpah is admirable, and Hoffman steals the show with some choice outbursts of rage. The sad irony, briefly hinted at in a end title, is that America’s then allies would soon morph into the Islamist haters of US liberty. But that’s another story.
Scripted by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing and, more recently, Studio 64 on Sunset Strip), this sharp political drama, set during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, tells the delightfully implausible true story of a womanising congressman (Tom Hanks), a rich Texan socialite (Julia Roberts) and an irascible CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who help fund the conflict for the mujahideen on the Afghan side, eventually leading to the Russian troops’ departure. This in turn led to the break-up of the Soviet Union and ultimately, the end of the Cold War.
Crackling dialogue, great performances and a deft balance of comedy and drama, make this a highly entertaining film that tells a piece of overlooked history.
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