Rated PG-13 for some language, 108 minutes
Political drama "Fair Game" flows with suspense
"Fair Game" is an entertaining, powerful real-story political thriller superbly acted and directed. It's based on the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose cover was supposedly blown by White House officials in 2003 after Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, wrote story about WMD's in the New York Times. Tense, affecting and relevant, Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity") directs "Fair Game" and features excellent performances from Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, as Plame and her husband Wilson, respectively.
Watts plays Plame, a high-level CIA employee whose cover is blown by Robert Novak in his Washington Post column in July 2003. Penn is her husband Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. Ambassador who feels his wife was unfairly targeted due to his political beliefs and his criticism of the Bush Administration for their lack of evidence in finding any Weapons of Mass Destruction.
"Fair Game" is a superb, tense drama featuring inspired performances from Watts and Penn. Watts in particular gives a fine, subtle turn as Plame, with whom she bears a striking resemblance. Penn is good too though his performance, much like the film itself, becomes a bit heavy-handed and preachy near the end. The story is fascinating enough with the messages of right and wrong, though it leaves out a considerable bit of the story and its aftermath (and truthfully, never resolved if you think about it enough).
"Fair Game" is well-acted, well-done, and a thought-provoking film that works better in its initial chapters than in the later going. Well-worth a look.
