CIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.
Plame's status as a CIA agent was revealed by White House officials allegedly out to discredit her husband after he wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece saying that the Bush administration had manipulated intelligence about weapons of mass destruction to justify the invasion of Iraq.Written by
anonymous
Joe Wilson is portrayed as removing his shoes before passing through airport security. This was not standard practice until 2003, however expensive shoes with a metal reinforcing in the sole have always set off metal detectors and therefore he did so voluntarily. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Valerie Plame:
[arriving at Kuala Lumpur airport]
Jessica McDowell, Gnosos Chemicals.
Chanel Suit:
[on elevator]
When do you leave Kuala Lumpur, Miss McDowell?
Valerie Plame:
I fly to Taiwan Tuesday, then back to Düsseldorf.
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Crazy Credits
The film's closing credits declare: "Democracy only works if you do your part", and citing the website link - www.takepart.com/fairgame. See more »
Alternate Versions
According to Decider.com, the changes in the 2018 director's cut are:
-The new version runs 1 hour and 54 minutes to the original's 1 hour and 48 minutes
The Director's Cut shows Plame leading a quiet raid on a shipping facility in order to intercept a detonator
A scene where Wilson expresses his frustration and fear that he can't know where Plame is being sent or whether she's okay
A short scene airs after a clip of Bush giving his State of the Union speech where he alluded to Iraq's use of uranium, where we see Iraq at dusk, peaceful, before the U.S. shock-and-awe bombing began
An extended scene between Plame and her friend Diana (Brooke Smith) after Plame's cover has been blown
An extension of a scene where Plame and Wilson argue in their kitchen
A scene where Joe is harassed at a restaurant and he yells back at the woman is trimmed up a bit
A closing montage of Wilson speaking at various college lectures is re-edited
The final scene of Naomi Watts as Plame testifying before Congress has been swapped for different shots
The postscript: "In 2018 President Trump gave Libby a full pardon."
Fair Game follows in the tradition of All The President's Men as presenting a probing look into an important political issue in the form of a crackling thriller. Director Doug Liman uses his Bourne Identity/Mr & Mrs Smith skills to move the true story of exposure of Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), the wife of US senator Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), as a CIA undercover agent by the Bush Administration at breakneck speed. Plame's research based on her contacts in Iraq had put serious doubts on the existence of WMD in Iraq, which was not in line with White House's view point. They thus considered her "fair game" for discrediting and public exposure. Fair Game is fascinating for all those interested in the mechanism of power and use/abuse of it; and is also a riveting piece of film making. In my view it's Liman's best film to date.
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Fair Game follows in the tradition of All The President's Men as presenting a probing look into an important political issue in the form of a crackling thriller. Director Doug Liman uses his Bourne Identity/Mr & Mrs Smith skills to move the true story of exposure of Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), the wife of US senator Joe Wilson (Sean Penn), as a CIA undercover agent by the Bush Administration at breakneck speed. Plame's research based on her contacts in Iraq had put serious doubts on the existence of WMD in Iraq, which was not in line with White House's view point. They thus considered her "fair game" for discrediting and public exposure. Fair Game is fascinating for all those interested in the mechanism of power and use/abuse of it; and is also a riveting piece of film making. In my view it's Liman's best film to date.