'charlie wilson's war' helped give us 9/11

'war' isn't pretty, woman
from news & observer: The movie pretty much cops out at the end by glossing over that Wilson's noble, patriotic actions may have contributed to the 9/11 attacks down the line. This was brought to full attention in Sorkin's original draft of the script, but the real Herring reportedly threatened legal action if that draft was produced. So not only is Roberts annoying in the movie, but the person she plays is a killjoy as well.

afghanistand-up
from new york post: A feel-good comedy about a covert US effort to fund resistance to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan? What will Hollywood think of next? ... What a timid wimp-out for the liberal stars and filmmakers. Many of the US-funded weapons ended up in the hands of the Taliban - and this more or less directly led to 9/11 and the current war in Iraq.

'war' stops 30 minutes shy of greatness
from houston chronicle: But when it ends, with the Afghan rebels triumphant over their Communist oppressors and Wilson being lauded by the intelligence community for his backdoor efforts pushing the largest covert operation in U.S. history, the film leaves a whopper of an issue unexplored. In brief: 9/11. What happened next in Afghanistan. How the United States lost hold. How the Taliban took power. How that country, those freedom fighters, turned our guns and good will against us after American money backed them in their fight against the Soviets.

this 'war' is a winner
from popmatters: And Wilson may have been, in real life, a cad of unconscionable proportions, but the message this movie delivers is loud and crystal clear - the US funded covert war against the Soviets in the early ‘80s led directly to the rise of the Taliban, the establishment of Al-Qaeda, and the events of 9/11.