Fair Game
Review
by Anthony Morris
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Fair Game
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In the 1990s, Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) was a undercover CIA agent working in the Middle East. This, you might think, would have made her a valuable asset after 9/11. Instead,
forces high up in the US government - specifically, the office of the
Vice President, though Dick Cheney himself dodged this particular
charge - blew her cover, rendering her useless and putting her life at
risk. They did this because Plame's husband Joe Wilson
(Sean Penn) had been publicly speaking out about the administration's
efforts to claim that Saddam Hussein was trying to build a nuclear
weapon using uranium from Niger. He was speaking out
because he'd been sent by the CIA to Niger to investigate the story (he
was a former ambassador to Niger), and he found no evidence whatsoever
to back up the anti-Saddam claims : presumably because the facts didn't
fit their story, the White House ignored his report and said what they
liked. The disappointing thing about this solidly competent
(and all true) film is that it's never as gripping as it feels like it
should be. All the elements for an amazing story are here,
but director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) soft-pedals the real
outrage that is this story's due while trying to liven things up with
thriller-movie camerawork. Seeing Penn in yet another smart
and strident role also diminishes the story's impact - he obviously has
real passion for the issues, but his public persona often gets in the
way of the character here. Watts is what holds it all
together with a nuances, compelling performance: her work (and Plame's
character) really deserves something better. 3 out
of 5
Fair Game
Australian release: 25th November,
2010
Official
Site: Fair Game
Cast: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts
Director: Doug Liman
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