Fair Game 4/5
Director: Doug Liman
Stars: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn
Leave factual accuracy apart- everyone has a right to know a different perspective on the reasons told causing war on a country. This movie does that honestly and raises many questions boldly. Can a war, and hence death and destruction, be enforced on country on basis of a suspicion? Were there other opinions among CIA ranks about presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Can people raise their honest voice if some privileged ones are cheating on their nation? It is easy to reject such ideas as conspiracy theories but it should be left on people to judge the diverse opinions themselves.
Post 9/11, Bush administration is looking to dismantle weapons of mass destruction. They believe that Saddam Hussein has made nuclear and biological weapon. They have reports that some Aluminum tubes which may be used for nuclear fission are available with Iraq. Some experts believe that those tubes cannot be used for nuclear weapons but the secretary of state and other government officials present it as on obvious proof of presence of WMD.
Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) is a CIA agent and is working around the globe to track terror organizations and presence of nuclear weapons. Her husband Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn) is a former diplomat and is an expert on Africa. Plame is working to know the nuclear capacity of Iraq. With the help of family of a scientist in Iraq she learns that Iraq do not has any nuclear program running. Their program was destroyed by America in the Gulf War. The Iraqi Scientist says" We don't even have spare parts to fix a tank- they must know that".
CIA gets reports that tons of Uranium has moved from Niger to Iraq. CIA on recommendation of Plame sends Wilson (on account of his knowledge of the area) to Niger to know about movement of Uranium. He goes there and reports against the movement of Uranium. He gets frustrated when he hears the president, George W. Bush, telling about Saddam's nuclear weapons and provides uranium movement as its proof.
Wilson writes an article "What I did not find in Africa". That article angers the White house and they hit back. They reveal the identity of Valerie Plame and tell that Wilson was sent by her wife and not by CIA. They do personal attacks on them which puts huge strain on the married life of the two. This also brings tragic repercussions on the life of people that were on field in Iraq for Plame. Wilson keeps on his offensive against the wrong information presented by the Bush administration on Iraq issue. He gives television interviews, addresses public sessions and writes articles. The film ends at cheering on truth and justice.
Naomi Watts' acting is the real soul of this movie. She is subtle, restrained and impressive. Sean Penn is immensely watchable as his character develops.
He says at an address "The responsibility of a country is not in the hands of a privileged few. We are strong, and we are free from tyranny as long as each one of us remembers his or her duty as a citizen. Whether it's to report a pothole at the top of your street or lies in a State of the Union address, speak out! Ask those questions. Demand that truth. Democracy is not a free ride, man. I'm here to tell you. But, this is where we live. And if we do our job, this is where our children will live. God bless America"
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