What an odd couple! Stranger still is that this is a true story. Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), high profile, outspoken, retired Ambassador from the United States to Niger, Africa, married to Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), a CIA operative who lives the life of an Ambassador's wife, on the one hand, and has a completely hidden identity as an spy, on the other. The strain on their marriage must have been tremendous at the best of times. Joe and Valerie's parents knew she is CIA, but she couldn't talk about her missions, her access to certain information, her actual day-to-day life when she isn't housewife and mother of twins. What keeps them together is their love for each other and their mutual sense of patriotism and belief in the tenets of democracy. They both dedicate their lives in their own ways to upholding the Constitution and maintaining the security of the country. All is about to change with the outing of Valerie Plame in the Washington Post.
We get to see Valerie's actions in protecting the American way of life, including gathering information regarding weapons of mass destruction which fear leads to the invasion of Iraq shortly after the September 11th attack on the United States. She is logical, well informed, and unemotional about the information she and others in the CIA are able to retrieve. Most critical in Bush's decision to invade Iraq, or so he said, is the presence of 'yellowcake' and metal tubes, both of which his cabinet convince Bush are necessary for the development of weapons of mass destruction, specifically atom bombs. Valerie knows this is not the case and advises as much. Joe is also asked to go to Africa, using his contacts and knowledge of the area to see if goods from Africa necessary for the production of nuclear bombs made their way to Iraq. He reports after his visit that it was impossible to have transported such goods. In an act of retaliation against the two of them for their response to the Presidents's need to prove war against Iraq necessary, Lewis 'Scooter' Libby (David Andrews), a high ranking Bush administration official, outs Valerie Plame as a CIA operative in an article by Robert Novak in the Washington Post. Joe Wilson alleges that the disclosure was part of the Bush administration's attempts to discredit his report about his investigations in Africa and the op-ed describing his findings because they did not support the government's rationale for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.' (quoted from Wikipedia).
Once exposed, Valerie is fired from her career job, a cascade of lies about her appeared in the press, and aspersions against her husband are cast as well. Joe insists on taking the high road, talking to the press and on television about the facts behind the lies. Valerie wants only to fade back into obscurity and let the whole ugly incident pass.
I'm not giving away anything. It's all historical fact and clicking on some of the above links will reflect that. You all probably remember a lot of it. But this film really probes the political maneuverings and strategies behind the headlines. This is a thought provoking and revealing film about how the government works -- Bush's, Vice President Dick Cheney's, and Lewis Libby's lies to disguise their actual ambitions in Iraq, as well as jeopardizing those who disagree with them. On a more intimate level, it shows the biggest hurdle in Valerie and Joe's marriage. Could they withstand the barrage of lies against them and deal with each others different approaches to handling the situation? Penn and Watts, together again since '21 Grams' (2003), are convincing as a long-time married couple who deal with secrets, loss, frustration and deep love as only long-time marrieds do. They seem comfortable in their skins and in the skins of the characters they portray.
As the film progresses, or the plot thickens, the tension builds to a fever pitch -- this is a true spy/action/thriller, and it all really happened. You don't have to remember the incidents depicted in the film; you don't have to take a particular interest in politics. 'Fair Game,' taken from the title of the book Valerie Plame wrote, is a pot boiler and a love story which will keep you in your seat for 105 packed minutes.
Fair Game
Director: Doug Liman
Writer: Jez Butterworth
Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, David Andrews, Sam Shepard, Noah Emmerich, Michael Kelly, Bruce McGill
Time: 105 min.
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