The Nevada Sagebrush

In the mix of terrorism films that have plagued theaters this past year, “Traitor”stands out amongst the barrage with a well-crafted narrative and great performances from the entire cast.

Samir Horn (Cheadle) looks out across a valley, stressed by the constant pursuit of the U.S. Government.

“Traitor”opens with former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn (Don Cheadle, “Ocean’s Thirteen”) meeting with a terrorist group in the Middle East.  During trade negotiations Horn and the terrorists are ambushed and taken to prison to be interrogated by FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce, “Factory Girl”). Gaining no answers from Horn, Clayton leaves to follow other leads on the head of the terrorist organization.  Soon after, the terrorists and Horn escape and pick up their work where they left off.

While the beginning is the most tedious part of the film, it is also the most essential part to understanding the characters’ motives.

It is here that Cheadle’s acting genius shines.  By playing a very subdued and faith-driven man, the audience is unsure of his alliances.  Cheadle is also able to occasionally lighten the mood of this otherwise serious drama with sharp one-liners.

After their escape, the plot twists really begin to pick up.  For the longest time, the film only shows Cheadle working with the terrorists and their bombing attacks.  It is not until Horn makes contact with an associate inside the government, Carter (Jeff Daniels “The Lookout”), that it seems he might not be just another terrorist after all.

This is when the film’s title becomes an essential part of the story.  Is Horn a traitor to the U.S. government, the Middle Eastern terrorists or both?  Director and screenplay writer Jeffrey Nachmanoff does a great job of making a similar story compelling by using the usual thriller elements but also for taking a closer look into Muslim and terrorist culture.  To great surprise, the original story of the film was written by “The Pink Panther”star Steve Martin.

In his continual struggle to follow his religious beliefs and do the right thing, Cheadle gets thrown into many ugly situations in which he must determine who lives and who dies.  All this time, unsuspecting Clayton continues to chase Horn.  While Guy Pearce rarely makes appearances on the big screen these days, he easily gives his best performance since “Memento”in “Traitor”.  With a gruff American accent, it is impossible to tell that he is British.

Once all the twists have been revealed, a familiar, yet always satisfying genre-styled conclusion closes the film with flare.  While “Traitor”will never see any kudos from the Academy, it should definitely earn some for being a solid piece of entertainment during this dead season.

‘Traitor’
Release Date: Aug. 27
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Starring: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce and Jeff Daniels
Genre: Action, thriller
Rating: PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language.
Grade: B+

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