Charlie Wilson's War: Book vs. Movie
Mike Nichols's 2007 film Charlie Wilson's War adapts George Crile's book about covert American support for Afghan fighters during the Soviet occupation. Tom Hanks plays Wilson, with Philip Seymour Hoffman as CIA officer Gust Avrakotos.
About the book and the movie
- Author
- George Crile III
- Year
- 2003
- Pages
- 550Buy book
- Audiobook length
- 20 hr 24 minGet audiobook
- Narrator
- Christopher Lane
George Crile traces the covert campaign to arm Afghan fighters resisting the Soviet occupation, following Texas congressman Charlie Wilson and CIA officer Gust Avrakotos. Through their dealings with donors, foreign governments and Washington officials, he examines how an unlikely partnership secures the money and weapons for a much larger war.
- Director
- Mike Nichols
- Writer
- Aaron Sorkin
- Year
- 2007
- Runtime
- 1 hr 38 minWatch on Amazon
- Cast
- Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
- Genre
- biographical, Drama, political drama, spy
- IMDb
- View on IMDb
Texas congressman Charlie Wilson is better known for partying than foreign policy until Afghanistan's war becomes a personal cause. Encouraged by wealthy donor Joanne Herring and working with abrasive CIA officer Gust Avrakotos, he pushes to expand covert aid to fighters resisting Soviet occupation. Securing weapons means negotiating Washington rivalries and alliances with governments whose interests do not neatly align.
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