Review of Fair Game (2010) by Jeff D — 05 Jan 2012

Fair Game is a well produced op ed page, as if written by the film's protagonist, disgruntled diplomat Joe Wilson (Sean Penn). Director Liman has made the flick diverting enough, with a great cast. However, it treats it's protagonists with kid gloves,and doesn't delve into their personal lives as deeply as it should. The most interesting aspects of the story are submerged in favour of a strident condemnation and expose of the Bush White house (certainly a worthy goal, but not the most worthy film material).

WIlson is an ex diplomat who is assiged by his CIA spy wife (Naomi Watts, solid as usual) to investigate whether Saddam has ordered uranium in Africa for his supposed WMDs. When the verdict is negative, Wilson is shocked when Bush makes the discredited allegation on national TV, launching the war in Iraq. He writes an Op Ed piece in the NY Times about it and then both he and his wife are discredited, but her career at the CIA is destroyed.

The movie avoids going into very much emotional detail about the strains on the Wilsons' marriage, and any moral qualms that Wilson may have about what his self-righteous actions to hurt his family. That's the movie I would have liked to see. Still, it's got plenty going for it, and it's one of the more watchable Iraq films, all of which have been huge box office flops except Hurt Locker. Why is that?