Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) was a covert operations officer at the CIA. In the run up to the Iraq war, she worked at the counter proliferation division gathering intelligence and developing sources. Her husband Joe Wilson (Sean Penn) is sent to Niger to investigate one particular claim. The president uses misinformation in his speech, and the country goes to war. Joe Wilson writes in the New York Times to dispute the report, and the White House targets the couple. Eventually they leak her identity and jeopardize her sources.
This is based on Valerie and Joe's account of the events. The best is that they didn't jazz up the CIA with dozens of flat screen TV. The story is a little too familiar, and there aren't many surprises at the end. Director Doug Liman should probably have added a scene at the end with those diner guests. The movie starts out strong, but fizzles a little towards the end. The biggest mistake is casting Sean Penn. It gives an obvious target for those who claim that this is a left wing bias movie. Penn is a brilliant actor. He's not needed here. A more adorable guy with a softer image would probably work better. I'm thinking Oliver Platt.
This is based on Valerie and Joe's account of the events. The best is that they didn't jazz up the CIA with dozens of flat screen TV. The story is a little too familiar, and there aren't many surprises at the end. Director Doug Liman should probably have added a scene at the end with those diner guests. The movie starts out strong, but fizzles a little towards the end. The biggest mistake is casting Sean Penn. It gives an obvious target for those who claim that this is a left wing bias movie. Penn is a brilliant actor. He's not needed here. A more adorable guy with a softer image would probably work better. I'm thinking Oliver Platt.