This attack on President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq, which was based on faulty intelligence indicating that Saddam Hussein not only possessed but was ready to launch weapons of mass destruction, delivers an action-packed opening in Kuala Lumpur before turning to Washington, D.C., where CIA operative Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) lives with her husband, retired ambassador Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), and their two young children. Based on the couple's books--Wilson's The Politics of Truth and Plame's Fair Game--the film finds Plame supervising secret missions while Wilson, a staunch Democrat, openly voices his skepticism about Hussein's ability to ignite a nuclear war. When the agency hears that Iraq may be buying large amounts of “yellowcake” (uranium) from Niger, Wilson is dispatched to investigate. Although he concludes that no large-scale purchase has occurred, the administration deliberately misconstrues his report, making it yet another pretext for invasion. Righteously indignant, Wilson writes a New York Times op-ed piece refuting the decision, after which Bush's furious advisor, Karl Rove (Adam LeFevre), and Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby (David Andrews), retaliate by leaking Plame's covert status to Washington Post columnist Robert Novak, effectively wrecking her career, discrediting Wilson, and endangering Plame's cohorts and sources still in Baghdad. Unfortunately, director Doug Liman serves up too much sanctimonious exposition and too little suspense--all while incessantly using a jiggling handheld camera—in this too-little, too-late exposé. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by the real-life Valerie Plame Wilson and Joe Wilson. Bottom line: a small extras package for a somewhat stale would-be thriller.] (S. Granger)
Fair Game
Summit, 107 min., PG-13, DVD: $22.99, Blu-ray: $30.99, Mar. 29 Volume 26, Issue 2
Fair Game
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