Traitor
Conceived in the aftermath of 9/11 by Steve Martin (yes, that one) and director Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Traitor proved too topical for comfort.
It took six years to get made – and another to cross the Atlantic. The lull probably isn’t to the film’s advantage, especially as bigger budget items like Ridley Scott’s Body Of Lies and The Kingdom have stolen some of its thunder.
Cast details
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Don Cheadle
Born: 29 Nov 1964
Kansas City, MissouriTop rated films View all Hotel Rwanda (2004) 
Ocean's Eleven - BLU-RAY Version
The reliably excellent and still under-utilised Don Cheadle produced it through his company and stars as Samir Horn, a Sudanese born Muslim of American extraction whose allegiances switch between the US (he’s ex Special Forces) and Jihadi groups – though quite where he stands as the movie gets going is intentionally ambiguous.
Guy Pearce is the FBI agent on the case, desperate to catch up with Samir when he is tracked back on US soil… Pearce is a Good guy – he has a PhD in Arabic studies and defuses his less tolerant partner (Neal McDonough), who’s more from the Dick Cheney school of thought.
There are matching cheques and balances on the other side of the equation: Fareed (Aly Khan) is the sinister terrorist mastermind ready to bathe in the blood of Holy War; but Omar (Said Taghmaoui) is a thoughtful and intelligent guy who voices legitimate concerns about western imperialism without coming off like a crazy.
This even-handed approach isn’t quite the same as claiming “moral equivalence” between the terrorists and the homeland security forces. The movie never suggests that the bombings are justified. The plotting may be complex, but it’s nowhere near as sophisticated an analysis of the geo-political situation as Syriana. Rather, it plays like a woolly liberal version of a Robert Ludlum thriller, with a man-on-the-run theme and a race-against-the-clock climax mitigated with a good deal of moral hand-wringing and jaw-jaw.
Traitor: Guy Pearce
Good performances from Cheadle and Pearce, as well as supporting actors like Archie Panjabi (as Samir’s better half) and Jeff Daniels (as an old CIA associate) sustain our interest despite a rote feel to the suspense. Nachmanoff is a screenwriter who wrote The Day After Tomorrow. This is his first film as director and he doesn’t try anything too radical unless holding the camera steady counts. These days, maybe it does.
Reviews
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Critics' reviews
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The war on terror inspires works of earnest mediocrity: from Rendition to The Kingdom, Hollywoods... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful members' reviews (3)
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30 out of 30 people found this review helpful
Keeps you guessing.
It keeps you guessing all the way through, just who are the bad guys and who are the good. Well worth renting.
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11 out of 11 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
A good gritty and gripping film
While the claims of bourne identity are a bit overstated this film is completely in its own league. The outstanding acting by almost everyone and the realistic 'isms' that you would expect in real life are everywhere and entirely plausible and acceptable reactions.
Overall the film is exceptional with little or no room for complaints other than the FBI agents were a little bit 'soap series' style.
This was a nice surprise of a film as it achieved additional 2 objectives here:-
1. It shows that Islam is not wholly followed by suicidal maniacs and that
2. It is a religion that can be followed without stereotyping.
Completely watchable and recommended.
Enjoy!
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- rubbishreview from Northwich
- Posted 18 Aug 2009 23:25
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Islam vs.West (part 784 )
You may well groan at the mere thought of another of this type of film ,but give it a try - it's really rather good. Intelligent ,well crafted plot ,beautifully filmed.The blu ray disc produces a sumptuous picture . If you liked The Kingdom or Body of lies you'll love this .
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Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Traitor
I have to say I was very dissapointed with this film. I lost interest after 30 minutes however I watched the movie to the end and wow, someone has wasted a large amount of money making this pointless film.
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Traitor
It was a good plot but wasn't as fast paced as we would have liked. Well worth a watch
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30 out of 30 people found this review helpful
Keeps you guessing.
It keeps you guessing all the way through, just who are the bad guys and who are the good. Well worth renting.
-
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
A good gritty and gripping film
While the claims of bourne identity are a bit overstated this film is completely in its own league. The outstanding acting by almost everyone and the realistic 'isms' that you would expect in real life are everywhere and entirely plausible and acceptable reactions.
Overall the film is exceptional with little or no room for complaints other than the FBI agents were a little bit 'soap series' style.
This was a nice surprise of a film as it achieved additional 2 objectives here:-
1. It shows that Islam is not wholly followed by suicidal maniacs and that
2. It is a religion that can be followed without stereotyping.
Completely watchable and recommended.
Enjoy!-
- rubbishreview from Northwich
- Posted 18 Aug 2009 23:25
-
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Islam vs.West (part 784 )
You may well groan at the mere thought of another of this type of film ,but give it a try - it's really rather good. Intelligent ,well crafted plot ,beautifully filmed.The blu ray disc produces a sumptuous picture . If you liked The Kingdom or Body of lies you'll love this .
-
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Excelent
One fo the best movie I have seen. It is intriguin and fantastic thriller. Exposed one of the most trouble matter in society. I highly recommend.
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Convincing
Boy sees his father blown up by car bomb, years later helpts terrorists, makes bombs, blows up US Embassies, twists & turns.
Really good thriller that is very modern & an interesting story & plot.
Don Cheadle is very convincing with Said Tagmaoui & Guy Pearce lending decent support. Nice cameo by Jeff Daniels too.
The film does jump about a lot between locations but it had me gripped right until the end of the film.
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- Bassman71 from Stockport
- Posted 09 Sep 2009 09:42
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Traitor
It was a good plot but wasn't as fast paced as we would have liked. Well worth a watch
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3 out of 4 people found this review helpful
Very Good
A disturbing theme but it is reality. Well produced and very well acted. Not at all predictable or far fetched.
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3 out of 5 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Traitor
I have to say I was very dissapointed with this film. I lost interest after 30 minutes however I watched the movie to the end and wow, someone has wasted a large amount of money making this pointless film.
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
worth a watch
Excellent acting and storyline throughout this film. Don Cheadle gives a bravura performance as the lead actor, ably supported by Guy Pearce amongst others. A fascinating modern day thriller.
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
An intelligent thriller
It is good to see that Hollywood can look at the global terroism threat in an intelligent, even sympathetic, manner. For a US produced film to treat the feelings of middle eastern muslims with some understanding is unusual and gives me hope. Not a popular film in redneck country I would think, but an intelligent thriller which is not afraid to show the US secret services in a less than flattering light as they fight the terrorist threat. Well worth seeing!!
Critics' reviews
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The war on terror inspires works of earnest mediocrity: from Rendition to The Kingdom, Hollywoods... read more on Time Out