One of the many war-related films to fall by the wayside last fall, Charlie Wilson's War hits the DVD shelves next week and, if the world is remotely fair, will garner more notice now than it did in the theaters. Directed by Mike Nichols with a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, the film boasts the acting talents of Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Based on a real story and a book by George Crile about the real story, the film follows Charlie Wilson (Hanks) as he somehow, some way, manages to continually increase a covert operations budget that funnels money and munitions into the hands of Afghan freedom fighters. Wilson is spurred on in his efforts to support the anti-Russian Afghani forces by Houston socialite and ultra-right winger Joanne Herring (Roberts), and CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (Hoffman).

Pushed into taking a trip to Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan by Herring, Congressman Wilson takes up the cause of the Afghani people trying to stem the Soviet invasion of their country. Wilson, as a member of the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, had an inside track on being able to raise the amount of money going to support the Mujahedeen, but his plans are initially met with resistance from the CIA.

Once he meets Gust, everything starts to fall into place for Wilson. Well, everything save for a pesky little investigation being conducted by Rudy Giuliani (who is only mentioned in the film, neither he nor an actor portraying him is present) into purported wrong-doings on Wilson's part.

Hoffman, Hanks, and Roberts are all outstanding in the film, but the real star of the show is Sorkin's wonderful screenplay and his drawing of all the characters. He portrays Wilson as a deeply flawed man who drinks, womanizes, and may do some drugs too, but who essentially wants to do the right thing for the world.

Hanks, using both his dramatic and comedic skills, is more than up to the task of showing Wilson as a very smart, very funny, and somewhat troubled individual. The film may be slightly too forgiving of Wilson's shortcomings, but that is only because it is completely in awe of his ability to support the Afghanis through his myriad of contacts.