Charlie Wilson's War

Directed by Mike Nichols

A stiff drink. A little mascara. A lot of nerve. Who said they couldn't bring down the Soviet empire.

In the 1980s U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, Texas socialite Joanne Herring and CIA agent Gust Avrakotos form an unlikely alliance to boost funding for Afghan freedom fighters in their war against invading Soviets. The trio's successful efforts to finance these covert operations contributes to the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War.