Fair Game

As a complement to "Zero Dark Thirty", I decided to watch "Fair Game" another based-on-truth film based on another CIA chick, Valerie Plame.  And it's interesting to contrast Maya's frustration with a government that requires proof before acting in ZDT, with Valerie's ordeal caused by an administration that went steaming off looking for WMD's despite all evidence pointing to the contrary.

This film tells the story of how Valerie was "outed" as a CIA agent by the Bush administration in order to "move the story" that her husband John C Wilson had found no evidence of Saddam attempting to procure uranium out of Niger.  In a bit of fancy press footwork, Scooter Libby (aide to Dick Cheney and a total toolspank) implied that Plame's husband had been sent to Niger on a jolly at taxpayer's expense due to some string-pulling from the missus.  

The bottom falls out of Valerie's world.  She's thrown out of the CIA, her address is on the internet, and the shrill voice of Fox News is calling for her blood every night.

FRIEND:  It says in the paper you're a spy!
WATTS:  Well, yes.
FRIEND:  Do you have lovers all over the world?  A gun?  Have you killed anyone?

Again, you can't take this movie as gospel although those WMD's never did show up so the Plames did kind of have a point.  

A good performance by Naomi Watts mark this one out.  Sean Penn also does well as John C Wilson, a self-important d1ck of a man, who manages to annoy and alienate people with his self-righteous bombast, and Wilson is quite annoying as well ha ha.  No, but really.  

"Fair Game" is a more involving film than ZDT, because we find out more about the people involved, but of course there's no satisfying ending (quite the contrary in fact).  Still, it made for an interesting Sunday afternoon watch.

VALERIE:  I gave my word to those people that we'd get them out of Iraq!
CIA CHIEF:  And if we get them over the border and into CNN what do you think they'll say?!  "There was never a weapons programme" and "PS You all knew this."