"Fair Game" is a slick, well made and engaging political drama. It raises several interesting questions, not just about the reasons behind the war in Iraq, but also about the mechanisms and reliability of those within the inner sanctums of government. Admittedly these questions would have been more effective if we didn't already know the answers! Penn and Watts are excellent though, with the film at its most successful during the scenes that explore the strain on their marriage. Pretty good.

Frightening.

I was on board with this. Sean Penn and Naomi Watts are both great, and they're both doing their thing. Good. It's one of those movies where everybody should know the story. That doesn't always mean that there should be a big Hollywood movie about it, but this story is unusual and compelling enough to warrant a proper narrative film, so fine. I liked it. But I didn't understand why Sean Penn had to get on his soapbox for the last several minutes. We all got it. We just saw it all happen.

"Respectable but rather soggy."

A very interesting subject with a great cast, though not above average due to Liman's weak realization.

Confused pseudo-ethical message of the film is 'sometimes you have to lie, but always remember the truth'. One is tempted to ask if the torture is part of the full package...

So interesting to get an insight into behind the curtain of Operation Iraq Freedom and get acquainted with new untold truths. As usual I enjoyed Penn's performance and was rather delighted by Naomi also.

This was an unbelievable story at the time, and watching it re-told a couple years later really underlines how vindictive and evil the GWB administration was. Sean Penn makes a great Joe Wilson -- a vain, but admirable figure. I hope Rove and Co. hate the fact that they'll be used as the most easily caricatured villains for the next few generations.

Awful.

I'm totally gay for Sean Penn. He is one of the greatests.. I never like Watts and didn't like her here either, I always find her acting bad and nothing changed in this one except in a few scenes. Other aspects of the movie where also quite good witch made this a really fine watch, not a single boring minute.

Great film.

Liman clearly believes this is an important issue, and wants me to believe the same, and even does a fair job of painting a sympathetic picture of these interesting characters, but I remain ambivalent. There is a lot of rhetoric and bias just under the surface of this affair, and while the human story seems like a raw deal, it isn't particularly compelling, and I don't really have enough affection for the politics of stars and strips to care about the potential corruption.

Whether or not you're familiar with the Plame/Libby CIA leak story, the film serves as an important reminder of the deceit of the Bush administration in the lead-up to (and during) the 2003 Iraq invasion, as well as shedding a broader light (at times, heavy-handedly) on the spread of misinformation in this new age of media. The pace is tight, as if it were a fictional political/spy thriller, and Penn and Watts bring their A-game as we're shown the tragic personal consequences this leak had.

This insufferable mixture of partisan principle and exploitation-movie gimcrack is part of the contemporary political and cultural carelessness now rampant in movies, TV, the press and the Internet.

Naomi Watts is a wonderful actress, she portrays convincing woman, wife and mother but she just doesn't talk like a CIA agent and the first hour suffers for it; I'm pretty sure 30 of the first 60 minutes could have easily been cut. More of Sean Penn's incredible monologues and shouting sessions would have benefited this film a great deal. Barely good before it takes off but absolutely excellent once it does - unfortunately it takes just a little too long for me to give a hearty recommendation.

I was mixed on the "marriage in turmoil" portion of the story, but as an anger-stoking piece against arguably the most corrupt administration in American history, it's one of the most effective non-documentaries I've seen.

Not only paints an engaging family portrait on the brink of collapsing, but exposes the moral implications of governmental austerity in light of righteous accusations. Liman's direction hit the skids with his last 2 films yet restores it with this slick, well-paced drama, surprisingly devoid of gratuitous action and caricatural characters as he has complete trust in his script/actors.

David vs. Goliath. An honest individual vs. the corrupt powers that be. Premises that will probably never lose their appeal. Add two of the best actors of their generation and, surely, we have one of the best movies of the year? Well, not quite. Watts and Penn deliver, often in spite of the (occasionally preachy) writing. Liman's film is never more nor less than moderately entertaining but it provides neither the depth of a history lesson nor the excitement and suspense of a regular thriller.

Had it not been for a slow and somewhat confusing opening hour, Fair Game would have been an excellent film. Apart from that, the acting performances are great, the story is interesting once it gets going, and you will begin to care about the characters. The set-up does its job, establishing the characters and setting, but it isn't engaging enough to keep the audience's attention. Push past it though, and you'll get a great final act, with tension, suspense and, most importantly, entertainment.

Yet another "based on a true WhatTheFuck-moment from the Bush-era" movie, and as such, bound to make your blood boil at least once or twice. For me, it gets a little too longhaired towards the end, when the focus switches to "the heavy price of principles" family drama, letting the two (great) main actors roam free in overly melodramatic/intense discussions, that quite frankly borders on overacting, and feel out of place next to the big story.