Fair Game (2010)

This kind of political thriller can be tricky to make, and the tendency is to throw in either too much politics or too many thrills (see this year's Green Zone for an example). Director Doug Liman finds a nice balance with Fair Game, however, sticking fairly close to the real-life facts, even if he does employ a few tried-and-true Hollywood chestnuts for easy shortcuts. Overall, he takes a story about secret meetings, phone calls and article-writing, and makes it dynamic and suspenseful.

Best of all, Liman adds a welcome, moving human level to recent history. It's heartbreaking to see Naomi Watts, as Plame, helplessly watching TV pundits casting judgment on her, and the strain on the couple's marriage is palpable. Plame and Wilson were more or less branded as traitors for a time, but here we see them as two good people who tried to do their best in the wrong place at the wrong time. The characters are angry, yes, but the movie itself keeps a cool head.