Mike Nichols and Aaron Sorkin's star-studded collaboration is a well written, directed, and acted movie that is ultimately denied "great" status by the first two components. The writing crackles for the first hour, especially in the hands of Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the direction is quality Nichols fare, but when the all-too-quick ending arrives, one is left wondering where the magic went.
What this film lacks is a believable struggle. While Charlie Wilson is a remarkable, charming character in a unique situation, he is able to secure funds and other necessities for his covert war without trouble. Among his many successes, he gets Jews and Muslims to collaborate, and though these two groups display mutual hatred in their shared scenes, the overall effect is as if the drama was only for show and to weakly reinforce Middle-Eastern stereotypes. Practically no one says "no" to the guy and the stready stream of affirmatives leaves one wondering when something, anything, will come crashing down. That moment never really happens.
Yes, Wilson was able to call in a number of "back-scratching" favors to have his way in Congress, but is it really that easy to subvert the U.S. authorities and alter world history without attracting attention? If so, the perks of being a politician far exceed the public's understanding, but the omission of difficulty experienced by Wilson, though apparently true, remains the film's primary weakness. If Wilson was really able to cakewalk through to a successful operation, then the ease of his work should be hyperbolized; the string of "yes"es should be so outrageous that it reaches fairy tale levels. And if it was not so simple, then the tension and resulting miracle of achievement should likewise be depicted.
The film gets so close to being as remarkable as Wilson himself, but suddenly the story is over and feels noticeably unfinished. In this case, the writing and directing are at fault for failing to satisfactorily complete a fantastic yarn. Though all aspects were successful for the majority of the film, the limited running time and lack of a compelling conclusion raise awareness of the gaping absence of drama. Without struggle, or an almost cartoonish sense of accomplishment, the story remains limited, though at times it offered glimpses at perfection.