The movie is called "Traitor," and the implication is that the main character, played by Don Cheadle, has betrayed his own country. But it's nowhere near that simple. Some think he's a traitor to the United States while others think he's a traitor to Islam. He may be a traitor to his own beliefs, his loyalties divided between his Muslim faith and his American upbringing. By the end of the film, no one is any closer to understanding what he believes, himself least of all. He's a double agent frequently confronted by conflicting ideologies, and it's slowly but surely tearing him apart. One way this movie succeeds is that we're able to feel for this character no matter what side he's on; we can sense the anguish he feels, the torment of being a misfit in every culture he immerses himself in. We see in his face the unease and guilt he's forced to live with everyday.Cheadle plays Samir Horn, who was born in Sudan but raised in the United States. Thirty years ago, his father was killed in a terrorist attack, although it's unclear which side was responsible; it may have been an anti-Muslim faction, but it may also have been devout Muslims who opposed his beliefs. Whatever the case, Horn is now a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant for the United States Army, someone trained to infiltrate terrorist organizations and gather information. It seems his loyalties have shifted; while in Yemen, he's caught selling detonators to a group of jihadists, and after a brief shootout, everyone is arrested. In prison, he befriends Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui), who is apparently in league with people on the outside, people willing to risk incarceration or death to free their brother Muslims. A frenetic jailbreak ensues. Not long after, Horn becomes entangled in a terrorist conspiracy, one that would result in several major attacks on American soil.
Two FBI agents have been assigned to locate and arrest Horn. One is Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce), who, interestingly enough, once considered World Religions as a college major. He claims to take his own Christian faith seriously, but unlike Horn with the Koran, we never see him reading from the Bible or quoting any of its passages. We're never told what Max Archer (Neal McDonough) believes, although it's obvious that, as far as his job is concerned, he's all about getting results as quickly as possible; in an early scene, he gets impatient with Horn and subsequently punches him in the stomach. Clayton is much more calm and collected, and he understands that you get information from a suspect by pushing his buttons, not by letting him push yours. Indeed, Horn is a tough nut to crack, probably because he knows how to keep secrets from both sides.
To describe the plot any further would not only give too much away, it would also require a lot of explaining, more so than anyone would be willing to read. As Horn says, "The truth is complicated." It would be more accurate to say that the truth is elusive, simply because I'm not convinced he knows what the truth is. He probably no longer knows which side represents good and which side represents evil. His beliefs are divided between what he reads in the Koran and what he sees going on; one passage states that killing one man is like killing all mankind, yet he's surrounded by Islamic extremists who commit murder to get their point across. He's serious about his faith, but it's clear he doesn't always understand it. He certainly doesn't understand how certain ideas can be misconstrued out of all reason, such as Takfiri, or blending in. A Pakistani terrorist named Fareed (Aly Khan) baffles Horn by saying that jihadists living in America drink alcohol and eat pork in order to blend in. Both acts go against Islamic beliefs.
Horn would probably argue that murder, no matter how justified, also goes against Islamic beliefs (I would make the same argument, although I'm well aware that many people would not). If there were no jihadists, if terrorism were to be eradicated entirely, Horn would not need to be a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. He would not have to infiltrate enemy hideouts and pretend to be on their side. Only then would his mind be at ease; he could worship in peace without having to worry about suspicious activity in American and Muslim communities. Is it unreasonable to suggest that the vast majority of Muslims long for the same peace of mind? I don't think so. Neither is the idea that there's a gigantic difference between jihad terrorists and those of Islamic faith.
That may ultimately be the point "Traitor" is trying to make, although it's difficult to tell with a story actively trying to be ambiguous. Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and producer/co-story creator Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) have crafted a political drama that forces the audience to think really hard, more about the main character's beliefs than about the actual plot. Themes of not belonging and divided loyalties are certainly not new, but that doesn't mean they're no longer used effectively; "Traitor" succeeds on many levels, not the least of which is Don Cheadle's believable performance. He above all else is what gets the story off the ground, allowing it to be much more than a run-of-the-mill thriller. He adds genuine emotional touches in the subtlest of ways, from precise eye movements to random breathing patterns. Essentially, he makes it real, especially since he never reveals which side his character feels most connected with.
In `Traitor' Don Cheadle delivers a marvelous performance as Samir a Islamic, Sudanese born American immigrant who after spending years in U.S. military intelligence apparently has a change of conscience and joins an extreme terrorist organization after being recruited by Jihadist and future best friend Omar (Said Taghmaoui). Said is also magnificent, the on-going conversations between Omar and Samir discussing the Jihadist mindset and mission and how they compare with past and present acts of aggression by America are searing, thought-provoking and nuanced. For me they make this movie worth the time and effort. That's not to say that there isn't anything else worthwhile in this film, but it is there relationship and intellectual debate that raises the film to a higher level.
As for the rest of the film, well this isn't one of your typical fast paced action films. The storyline unfolds rather slowly, too slowly at times. But it does build momentum about halfway through will firmly hold your interest to the end. `Traitor' offers the viewer great performances, intellectual stimulation and political relevance. There is in my opinion two flaws that keep the film from receiving a -5 Starrating. The `Big Moment' at the end is rather unrealistic for reasons I can't discuss without spoiling the surprise and secondly, the ultimate decision made by Samir was a little too black and white for a storyline focused on exploring the gray areas of faith, conscience and choosing sides.
Footnote: Guy Pearce also delivers a stellar performance as the FBI agent pursuing Samir. Traitor is a fantastic thriller starring Don Cheadle as Samir Horn, a Muslim who was born in Sudan and moved to America as a teenager. He grows up to be a Special Forces soldier for the US, and as the movie begins, we see him moving through the Middle East selling explosives.
His fate crosses with two FBI agents, played by Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough. Soon the two are crisscrossing the globe hunting Samir, who is becoming more and more involved with a cell led by a terrorist mastermind.
The film is written and directed as a great thriller with enough action and suspense to keep you ocuupied and guessing, but not to the extent that it comes off like a routine action movie trying to be more than it is. The film has several twists and surprises and keeps the viewer engaged throughout.
But everything is held together is by Cheadle, who burnishes his reputation as one of Hollywood's greatest talents. His Samir is at once devious, treacherous, loving, compassionate, stubborn, and dangerous. Traitor is a great film, but it would not possess the same impact with a lesser talent as its star.
Read Best Reviews of Traitor (2008) Here
This film is a suspenseful drama that looks into the world of espionage and the so-called war on terror with the view as advertised on the DVD jacket "the truth is complicated." Cheadle plays a Sudanese born US Army vet trained in explosives who is seemingly working with Islamic terrorists... though who he is actually working with is not as it seems even to himself. There's a message in this film that the ends don't justify the means, and the characters are led to question whether it's right or just to kill for a cause just because you believe you are the good guys. Cheadle does an excellent job playing this troubled character, while Guy Pearce is the FBI agent who is pursuing him. One interesting thing depicted in the film is how intelligence operations are complex and that terror groups are often being steered by government agents/informants, who in some cases lead what can be considered false flag terror and the public reports about the events are based on disinfo created by government intelligence operatives. This film encourages us to look deeper at what's going on and question anyone who believes they are killing or sacrificing lives for a god-sanctioned agenda. The only weakness I found in the film was that there are a few loose ends in the film that don't get explained... but that's like real life where we can't find out everything. I couldn't remember what the movie was about, but I knew I wanted to see it because Don Cheadle was in it, and I recall seeing the preview for it a month or so ago. But the first hour of the movie had me struggling. All I kept thinking was, "Why did I pay my good money to see this terrible movie? I don't WANT to root for terrorists and I don't want to root for suicide bombers and why did Cheadle try out for this movie?" I'm not the type to wave an American flag or walk around preaching about patriotism, but the first hour was so uncomfortable to me watching terrorists plan to kill innocent people justifying it with an eye-for-an-eye and religion. But then the hump over that hour came in, and I started smiling. Suddenly I remembered why Cheadle is a genius, why this movie was going the way it did, and I can't say anymore about it besides: be patient, listen closely, and I loved this movie. Bravo!Cons: There was a scene where Cheadle had a tattoo on his right shoulder, and I was squinting at the screen to see it, but in the next scene, he didn't have it. I don't know if the make-up crew decided it needed to be hidden or was nobody supposed to see that or what, but the tattoo came up missing for some odd reason, and I'm not quite sure why.
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