Visitors Review

Edward Douglas (2012-05-24 11:34)

Has some problems with its pacing and tone especially when it switches gears in the second half, but Liman and his cast do a commendable enough job with difficult material.

Chiscully (2012-05-23 23:12)

Too Good to Miss

Essentially, the White House was lying its way into Iraq and if youdidn't go along with the story they were selling, you were smackeddown. It's always a pleasure watching Sean Penn in a new character. Hedoes a wonderful job here as Joe Wilson, embodying the role. NaomiWatts hits a pitch-perfect performance as CIA agent, Valerie Plame. The movie dramatizes how in the months leading up to the Iraq invasion,the White House punished author Joe Wilson (Plame's husband) as well asthe CIA department for not supporting the official WH line: that Iraqwas pursuing WMDs. Wilson had gone to Niger at the request of the CIAand confirmed the obvious; no yellow cake being transported from there.He wrote about what he found in the NY Times. The CIA was being fednonsense from Cheney's office about aluminum tubes for processingnuclear materials. The CIA argued, correctly, that it couldn't possiblybe the case. Their agents in Iraq confirmed what the U.S. shouldalready have known - that the U.S. itself destroyed any efforts toenrich uranium back in the 90's. So as punishment, Scooter Libby, working for Cheney, arranged to havePlame's undercover identity blown in the newspaper by Robert Novak, nowdead conservative writer for the Chicago Sun Times. The consequences ofthis are that CIA undercover operations were ruined; Iraqis whocooperated with Plame's activities and who were awaiting for secrettransport out of the country instead were stranded and never heard fromagain; the Wilsons faced harassment at home and in public with rabidreporters trespassing their property, even screaming at them in publicplaces; their marriage experiences a come-apart under the strain. It is a strong reminder and warning about corruption by those in power- those who lied.

(2012-05-22 23:36)

TRUE STORY, A MUST SEE!!

This review is from: Fair Game (DVD) Yes, this is supposed to be a true story, and in reality you get the bang for the money is this movie. While it might be a little bit slow in the beginning and you need to pay attention to the dialogs, by the end you're all in. This movie might upset you, might make you think about the hope of your situation, if you're involved in politics, might make you decide to stand for what you believe in, for truth, although many people say that truth is relative. This movie might radicalize you, and hopefully, it might do it in the right direction.There is a right and wrong, there is a truth and a lie. This movie has both elements, which one you will see is the question.Excellent actors, incredible roles, amazing story. Encouraging.

whp-2 (2012-05-22 05:54)

Flasehoods by Joe Wilson

This film is inaccurate, if not an outright lie. The most basicpremises of Joe Wilson were refuted long ago by The Washington Post anda bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report:Google: End of an Affair, Washington Post, September 1, 2006Google: Plame's Input Is Cited on Niger Mission, Washington Post, July10, 2004Wilson worked in the facilities management side of the statedepartment. He was the guy that made sure the floors were mopped andthe vending machines were filled. He was NOT in the diplomatic corps.To quote the Post: "Nevertheless, it now appears that the person mostresponsible for the end of Ms. Plame's CIA career is Mr. Wilson. Mr.Wilson chose to go public with an explosive charge, claiming --falsely, as it turned out -- that he had debunked reports of Iraqiuranium-shopping in Niger and that his report had circulated to senioradministration officials." With just a little research it is clear thatMr Wilson is a liar. This film was made solely because Hollywood sodesperately wanted it to be true, if not revise history outright.

David Edelstein (2012-05-21 23:48)

Exposed, abandoned, branded as traitors, the Wilsons finally have no choice but to tell their story, the latest chapter of which is this potent Hollywood melodrama starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts.

J. R. Jones (2012-05-21 10:50)

You'd have to go back to All the President's Men for a better example of fresh American political scandal being turned into slam-bang, star-powered drama.

Mark Dujsik (2012-05-20 00:11)

The backbone of the film is in the portrayal of the two targets.

Ben McEachen (2012-05-19 14:55)

Watts and Penn work their magic, as Liman avoids Bush bashing, to present well argued and personable "intel".

Mohammed Rebhi Awwad (2012-05-16 18:00)

Good movie but silly mistakes

Hi, I have just finished watching this movie...in General I like it andI think it deserves your money specially it gives you important messagefor your life.I like the movie..I liked it's end... if you watched everything in thetrue story on TV still you have chance to see more ...the problem that it has silly mistakes when it comes to Arabic peopleand I am stating it below: - They moved to Iraq before the war fromAirport...this was impossible as Iraq was under air siege ... so no wayto go by Aircraft! - The Iraqi families are speaking Palestinian andJordanian accent ...not Iraqi!! - They used Egyptian actor to playIraqi scientist role..which makes us feel that they are fooling people.- In very silly mistake ...They use Jordanian signed cars in Iraq!! -Two Iraqi people speak together in English even they started theconversation in Arabic!!

(2012-05-16 08:06)

Value of the Individual

Doug Liman, whose reputation is probably made due to his association with the Bourne Identity/Ultimatum movies, helms this project. When I saw this DVD in the video store, it had completely missed my radar screen. The film will be controversial for some because of the politics and the historical recency of the Bush administration and the Iraq war. As a film, it has been derided because of its emphasis on the relationship between Wilson and his wife. While my perception is that the film balances well between the politics and intrigue of the Iraq War and the home situation, it is made FAR more interesting because it so greatly points out the impact the events had on a real family. It also points to the value of the individual to stand up and say what is true in a democracy; reference the scene Sean Penn addresses a class at the end. Sean Penn is a Master actor. I never would have predicted this when I watched "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," but with the choices he has made and the incredible diversity from performances in "Milk," "I Am Sam" and "Mystic River," now I ALWAYS watch his work. He does an amazing job in "Fair Game," showing us a driven civil servant who stands up for what he believes is right and a husband in love with his wife. I also greatly appreciated the blending of reality that Liman does by having clips from the real-life Valerie Plame as well as the media footage of Condoleezza Rice talking about aluminum tubes. It's so well done. Naomi Watts turns in a strong performance in a challenging role that demanded a wide range of emotional territory. The scene where the two reclaim their marriage is powerful and reflects for me how even names we see in the news are people. David Andrews as Scooter Libby was sufficiently creepy. I thought this was a very strong film and was surprised at finding out the cool reception it received. I liked it! Enjoy!

Steven Rea (2012-05-15 00:40)

It's a real-life spy drama. It's human drama. It's political drama. And it's engrossing, all around.

Pierre_D (2012-05-14 05:13)

More than Fair, this Game.

Warning up front: As a Canadian, I heard only peripherally about theWilson-Plame-Libby affair, through our media, this don't have the "upclose" perspective an American might have.That said, I jumped at the opportunity to avoid "Potter-itis" and see ataut political thriller and this one didn't disappoint. Watts and Pennreprise their 'married' role they'd done so well in "The Assassinationof Richard Nixon". Their acting chemistry makes them a believablecouple, even when things begin to unravel in the latter stages of themovie.The movie starts on a somewhat comical note, with Watts posing as aCanadian (!) and taking a dig at the Leafs (!), which had me hiding inmy blue and white sweater and my friends chuckling in their seats. Fromthere, we see Wilson and Plame globe-trotting to either eliminateproliferation of nuclear weapons or fact-finding the White House'sclaim that the tubes (dimissed by the CIA as irrelevant) are indeedtools of the nuclear trade.The CIA is excellently portrayed as a small hive of interests andexpertise, which comes to a head when Scooter Libby starts pressuringthem for a motive to declare war on Iraq. Things come to a head here,after Valerie is "outed" as a CIA operative, much to the surprise ofher close friends and relatives. At this point, Wilson becomesmedia-hungry and a kind of justiciar for his wife and the truth,causing their marriage to perilously erode. These family scenes arefine, none too dramatic and the interplay of Plame's logic and cautionis countered by Wilson's exuberance and thirst for justice/publicity.We all know how this one ends: Libby got off scot-free, war wasdeclared and Wilson/Plame went into seclusion. It's certainly worth anhour or so of your time to see this one though, if only for a greatportrayal of the CIA and some fine acting by Watts and Penn, believablein their roles.

Harry T. Yung (2012-05-14 08:39)

Goliath

It is satisfying to see poetic justice triumph not only in novels butsometime also in real life. We see it here, because we know that thescreenplay has been adapted from two books published by theprotagonists. And we do not mind the sometimes necessary and tastefuldramatization, particularly with two marvellous actors.One of the minor characters in the movie sums up the story neatly as"Joe Wilson vs the White House". The movie depicts Wilson's (Sean Penn)quest in blowing the whistle on the Bush administration's fabricationabout Iraq's possession of nuclear weapon. His wife Valerie Plame(Naomi Watt), a CIA agent and a firm believer in her professional codeof conduct, steadfastly refuses to speak out until at the end of themovie when she changes her mind and joins him in this fight.Anyone looking for a Bond-ish or Bourne-ish spy affair will bedisappointed, but anyone looking for a good character study will beimmensely satisfied. Don't get me wrong. This movie is greatentertainment with conflicts and excitement, but it's just not thecar-chase, high-explosive type. Plame is a CIA agent, highly capableand valued, responsible for counter-proliferation projects. Rather thankilling people and blowing up buildings, her work is primarilyinformation gathering through making worldwide contacts, very importantbut totally unglamorous. Wilson is a successful, retired diplomatworking as a business consultant. The chain of events in this story hada not-particularly-eventful beginning. Knowing Wilson's very usefulbackground, the CIA had at times sought his help in specificassignments, through his wife Plame. They now have another one,involving going to Niger to check out whether they are selling nuclearraw material to Iraq. He goes, finds conclusive evidence that nothinglike that is taking place, comes home and reports his findings. Thiscould have been end-of-story.The authorities consider his report at least a nuisance, if not anobstacle, to their already conceived plot to manufacture stories ofIraq's nuclear weapon threat to start a war. To cut a long story short,Wilson, in his impeccable, idealistic integrity, refuses to keep quietand publishes his findings in the New York Times which is tantamount todeclaring a David-vs-Goliath war on the White House. The rest of thestory depicts the devastating impact on the couple's life when theauthorities seek revenge by exposing Plame's identity of a CIA agent,with character-assassination of the couple as profiteering from theoperations with her "sending" him on the Niger mission. Enduringunimaginable pressure that almost destroyed their marriage and throughperseverance in a fight that seems hopeless, the couple survived, andtruth is triumphs.I hope that this movie will get Oscar recognition, at least innominations. Wilson's role seems customized for Penn, not unlike HarveyMilk for which he won his Oscar Best Actor for the second time. Maybefor that reason he wouldn't get this one, but he is good enough foranother nomination. But I do hope to see this movie as Watt's Oscarbid. Her only other nomination was "21 Grams" in 2004 (coincidentallyalso co-staring with Penn), since which she has had so many good rolesthat were so close to Oscar nominations, and yet so far. As ValeriePlame, we see a Naomi Watt working hard, and succeeding well, tosuppress her natural alluring feminine charm. Plame is a tough,all-common-sense secret service professional, adhering strictly to theloyalty to her professional code of conduct even when she has been soobviously victimized by people who don't. But that's not all. In Plame,there is also an ordinary everyday mother of two young kids. Watt'sperformance is superb, particularly when after her cover is blown,pressure comes from which and every direction: government refusing torescue her global informants as promised (and many died), condemnationby the public but cannot bring herself to speak out, on the verge ofbreakdown of her marriage. This is not one of those wailing, screamingroles that often attract Oscar attention, but much more difficult. Forher performance in "Fair game" Naomi deserves one.

Matt Soergel (2012-05-13 23:12)

Not likely to get much of an audience beyond those who have long suspected the worst of the George W. Bush administration. But they'll bristle with outrage again.

WhippingBoy (2012-05-13 16:54)

Gripping drama & spy thriller, hope for sequel :)

I followed the Valerie Plame/Joseph Wilson saga for years, watched their name being constantly being dragged thru the mud by the media arm of the republican party (Fox News and various blogs), and often took on blogs that slandered them (for the sport of it, of course ;). I even attended a dazzling speech Joseph Wilson gave when he came to CSU Monterey Bay.That being said, I did not expect a movie that would be as riveting and fascinating as this one was. For instance, we get to see what real international covert agent work is like, the often dangerous work needed to establish and maintain a network of contacts to gain inside intelligence, and the fact that these agents are neither extravagantly paid nor even recognized for the invaluable work they do for the country. I don't expect to see a sequel but I'm certain Valerie Plame will be inspiration for future spy thrillers. Fiction may entertain but there will always something more compelling in a true story.Naomi Watts is pitch-perfect as Valerie Plame, in looks and mannerisms (at least from I know from the Congressional hearings). Sean Penn doesn't look much like Joseph Wilson, scowls a bit more than I think Joseph Wilson does (Wilson strikes me as someone who can conceal his feelings on his face, otherwise perhaps he might not have been as successful a diplomat), but here gives a dynamic performance that feels very real, as if what we're seeing is a little bit of Sean Penn's own deep outrage at what the Bush Administration managed to get away with.While it probably would not have furthered the story in any way, I held out some hope that the movie named some names, such as Novak's back-peddling, the various bottom-feeders in the Fox News payroll that slandered Plame's name, such as the Toensing woman who, for months, insisted Plame was a low-level clerk - who appeared in front of Congress after Plame (go watch it, it's on YouTube). The depiction of Scooter Libby was amusingly smarmy but couldn't they not have sneaked in mention of Libby's old creepy sex-fantasy novel The Apprentice? But anyway, showing the real Valerie Plame at the end, testifying under oath to Congress that she was a real spy should be enough to end any debate among skeptics. But anyway, do go and see this movie - and bring your republican friend or family member and enjoy watching them squirm. Truth will set them free. :)

Christopher Tookey (2012-05-12 22:55)

There are so many distortions within the movie, but space does not allow me to recount them here. Suffice to say, whenever the Hollywood Left tries to sell you a conspiracy theory, it is a good idea to check the facts out yourself.

Michael Dequina (2012-05-11 21:00)

Another of Participant Media's earnest, well-meaning, well-made, but rather dry efforts that definitely do their job in conveying the intended message but not so much as engaging drama.

riredale-2 (2012-05-11 09:27)

Hey, reviewers, read more than just Daily Kos for your news

Color me astonished at the glowing reviews here. It's one thing tocomment on technical aspects of movie-making--the cinematography, theediting, the acting performances--but quite another when a moviepretends to be a true story but in fact is full of blatant lies. Thedanger, as a smiling Oliver Stone knows all too well, is that as timegoes by the average citizen will gradually adopt the movie's premise asthe accurate one. Just look at other films by Stone, such as "JFK." Forthose of us who lived through the Kennedy assassination and subsequentinvestigations, the history is pretty ironclad--he was shot by a nutjobwho happened to be a pretty good marksman. But ask the average youngerperson and they will paint lurid stories of conspiracy. It was theCubans. It was the Mafia. It was the CIA. It was all of them, together.Insanity.And now Stone craps out this movie. Perhaps it's just a sign of thetimes. The Left and the Right are utterly polarized to an extent neverseen before in my lifetime.Don't take my word for it. The Washington Post, hardly a right-wingoutlet, trashes the movie today: "Hollywood has a habit of makingmovies about historical events without regard for the truth; 'FairGame' is just one more example. But the film's reception illustrates amore troubling trend of political debates in Washington in whichestablished facts are willfully ignored."Mr. Wilson claimed that he had proved that Mr. Bush deliberatelytwisted the truth about Iraq, and he was eagerly embraced by those whoinsist the former president lied the country into a war. Though it waslong ago established that Mr. Wilson himself was not telling the truth-- not about his mission to Niger and not about his wife -- the mythendures. We'll join the former president in hoping that futurehistorians get it right." Let's hope so.

Philip French (2012-05-11 10:52)

Although the outline of this story is well known, Fair Game gives it dramatic shape and teases out the moral problems raised.

(2012-05-10 13:34)

DOUG LIMAN, OPUS 7

** 1/2 I really don't know what differentiates Fair Game from a good TV movie. Naomi Watts, Sean Penn and Sam Shepard maybe. Otherwise, one may rejoice that a democracy like the U.S.A. can still produce movies about its administration's hiccups. Now that everyone is happy and has a good conscience, why not regret a time, not so distant after all, that allowed such directors as Alan J. Pakula, Sydney Pollack or John Frankenheimer to direct much more powerful films ? This one is already forgotten. Unfortunately.