Fair Game (2010)

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.

Director:

Doug Liman

Writers:

Jez Butterworth (screenplay), John-Henry Butterworth (screenplay)

Stars:

Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Sonya Davison

4 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Naomi Watts	...	Valerie Plame
Sonya Davison	...	Chanel Suit
Vanessa Chong	...	Tabir Secretary #1
Anand Tiwari	...	Hafiz
Stephanie Chai	...	Tabir Secretary #2
Sean Penn	...	Joe Wilson
Ty Burrell	...	Fred
Jessica Hecht	...	Sue
Norbert Leo Butz	...	Steve
Rebecca Rigg	...	Lisa
Brooke Smith	...	Diana
Tom McCarthy	...	Jeff
Ashley Gerasimovich	...	Samantha Wilson
Quinn Broggy	...	Trevor Wilson
Nicholas Sadler	...	CIA Tour Leader

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

iraq | cia | new york times | bush administration | interview | 

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Taglines:

Inspired by true events.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Full Production Notes - MS Word [Australia] Official site

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates

Language:

English Arabic French

Release Date:

3 December 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Plame and Wilson Biopic

Filming Locations:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$651,802, 7 November 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$9,528,092, 13 February 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

River Road Entertainment, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Bill Pohlad said: "I read the script and found it really compelling. At [production house] River Road, we try to avoid things that are too timely and focus on stories we think will stand the test of time. At first, given the topic, there was some concern about the current events aspect of the subject. When I read the script I realized it transcended that. What happens to Valerie and Joe [Valerie Plame Wilson and Joseph Wilson] on a personal level is universal. We all agreed that the political nature of this film was secondary to that."

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Goofs

When Joe Wilson arrives at the Niger Republic, the registration plates are written in Arabic ( filmed in Egypt), where in Niger it would be written in French.

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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

In the closing credits, the last names of some of the characters (Hafiz, Jack, Bill, Dr. Zahraa, Paul, Ali, Hammad, Beth and Pete) are redacted.

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Connections

Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Sarah Silverman/David Alan Grier/Sheer Mag/Tim Alexander (2016)

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Soundtracks

Good Lovin'
Written by Willie Clarke, Johnny Pearsall and Clarence Reid
Performed by Betty Wright
Courtesy of The Numero Group
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User Reviews

Great Game

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.