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Traitor (2008) - Trailer Included
The Depths of Terrorism Fight For Attention.
Traitor - Available on DVD
Director:Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Starring: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Saïd Taghmaoui, Neil McDonough, Archie Panjabi, Raad Rawi
“The truth is complicated.” – Samir Horn
From a story that gestated in the mind of comedian Steve Martin and co written by Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Traitor is an espionage thriller that promises much. Setting its cross hairs on the complexities of the war on terror, the film ends up missing its target by a narrow margin. Failing to stimulate any new thought it’s still an entertaining “in pursuit of a terrorist cell” distraction.
“In chess and in war the key to winning is to anticipate what your opponent will do in advance. Think two moves ahead. The art of asymmetrical warfare is less about inflicting damage than provoking a response. Terrorism is theater. And theater is always performed for an audience. Ours is the American people. But they are dispersed across a large country. The question is how to convince them that nowhere is safe.” - Nashir
Samir Horn is a young Sudanese-American boy who witnesses his father’s death at the hands of a car bomb. Jump forward and the adult Samir (Don Cheadle) has let his past dictate his future. A devout Muslim, fluent in Arabic, he lives in the Middle East and trained by the U.S. military Samir now sells detonators on the black market.
“You know that the Qu'ran says that if you kill an innocent person it's as if you've killed all mankind?” – Samir Horn
Caught in the midst of an arms deal gone wrong Samir ends up in a Yemin prison where he is interrogated by F.B.I. Special Agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce). Despite being the son of a preacher man whose empathy is strength in combating covert targets Clayton fails to obtain any information.
“Where I grew up the Klan burned crosses in front of people's houses and called it Christianity. Then my daddy and the folks from the church would drive over and put them out. Seems every religion has more than one face.” – Roy Clayton
Soon Samir escapes from his cage and his path leads him to a violent terrorist cell that is under the surveillance of the F.B.I. Ensconced in a conflict of cultural idealism his actions spiral into the realm of an international criminal. Meanwhile Clayton hunts down his prey and begins to realize there is more to the equation than the intelligence community has revealed.
“Tactics have always changed. You don't defeat an empire fighting by their rules. Once upon a time it was the Americans who were terrorists to the British. They forgetting their history already.” - Omar
Guy meet the Don...
John Doe says:
Ably shot and edited, conflicting religious commitment and integral political beliefs are represented in the characters actions and an effort towards objectivity is attempted. As the film progresses we see what could have been a provocative depiction of a systemic paradox used as the framework to facilitate suspense with an obvious message telegraphed ahead.
On the positive side the film is not your typical Hollywood affair. Jeffrey Nachmanoff’s involved Direction creates a Jihadist excursion. Shot in just 48 days and traveling through 17 countries the use of real locations lifts the authenticity.The scenes of explosive device creation are impressive and the sporadic action feels unforced.
The screenplay builds the bombs strapped to a vest tension with care taken to establish naturalism and develop drama. Showing its hand to early it is still obvious that the intent was to depict both sides of the story.
Few actors can match Don Cheadle’s (Boogie Nights, The Assassination of Richard Nixon) understated confidence that audiences can read his subtle mannerisms. Ideally suited to the part, his restrained delivery communicates the internalized turmoil of Samir’s situation.
Guy Pearce (The Proposition, Memento) is a little more gung-ho than the role demands and his Southern twang is uneven. Still he manages to bring a solid counterpoint to his portrayal of Roy Clayton.
Fast becoming the go to guy when someone of Middle Eastern appearance is needed in movie town, Saïd Taghmaoui (Three Kings, The Kingdom) again proves to be excellent in his pivotal moments.
John Doe was a little disappointed that Traitor never got into the cavernous grey that the subject inhabits. Films like Syriana and Paradise Now both delved deeper and offered unique views. All the questions raised here are ones that should have been over analyzed long before now by free thinking individuals. Still the film is entertaining, and manages to provide engrossing flourishes that form a taut amalgam.
Watch the trailer for Traitor.
Don Cheadle talks about Traitor
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