Fans of the television programs “Sports Night,” “The West Wing,” and the short-lived “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” know Aaron Sorkin’s trademark, fast-paced, witty dialogue, his love for politics and his sentimentality. All of those things are evident in “Charlie Wilson’s War,” a movie he wrote and legendary director Mike Nichols directed, although the speed of the dialogue wasn’t as fast as in Sorkin’s past. The key to the success of Sorkin’s television programs was strong ensemble casts and “Charlie Wilson’s War” boasts a strong cast, albeit a rather small one. While the star power of Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts can’t be denied, they are both outshined by the story, which is both a little crazy and true to boot, and another outstanding performance from the always solid Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Hanks plays Charlie Wilson, a Texas congressman with a taste for booze and women, who gets involved in Afghanistan’s war against the Soviets in the 1980s. Wilson is a likable ‘fella’ and Hanks, who is one of Hollywood’s most affable stars, does a nice job with Wilson, who is smarter and shrewder than he seems. It’s too bad he’s from Texas though, because I’ve never been a huge fan of Hanks’ southern accent. Wilson is pulled into the fray by Joanne Herring, a right-wing Texas billionaire who sees fighting the Cold War as a Christian mission, and is assisted by a CIA maverick, Gust Avrakatos (Hoffman). What transpires for this unlikely team is quite unusual. The U.S. initially had a $5 million investment to help the muhjahadeen (Afghanistan) and by the end of the fray they had invested $500 million, which Saudi Arabia matched.

The unfortunate end of the story is that these Afghanistan rebels eventually became the groundwork for what became Al-Qaida, but “Charlie Wilson’s War” isn’t about pointing fingers as much as telling the story of how people can change the world.

It is a fascinating story and Sorkin and Nichols tell it in a very entertaining way. There are some fine supporting performances from Amy Adams as Wilson’s assistant and Ned Beatty as the head of an important subcommittee, and Nichols does an excellent job of showing the audience the large scale of the story (the world involved) while also illustrating the minute details and dealings behind the scenes that got the job done.

It isn’t a perfect movie, but it is one of those end of the year type films that feature a star-laden cast, strong storytelling and fine direction. It is rated R, but I’m not sure why. There is some very brief nudity and some bad language, but it could be viewed by some mature teens who are interested in current events and history.

*** 1/2

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