Traitor (2008)

Traitor is classified as a spy/terrorist plot and thriller film released in 2008 and directed by Jeff Nachmanoff. The film stars Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, and Jeff Daniels.

Though the film did fairly well in the box office, it did not do well with film critics, something that this writer completely disagrees with.

Jeff Nachmanoff, to his credit, is the writer of The Day After Tomorrow and an upcoming Schwarzenegger action film for 2013, The Last Stand. However, as the critics wrongly mentioned (most film critics don’t even bother to research), Traitor is not Nachmanoff’s directorial debut. He directed The Big Gig and Hollywood Palms before Traitor. After this, he directed four episodes of Homeland.

So, when watching Don Cheadle as Samir Horn on Traitor, expect no less than a fast-paced story with matching action to boot. And the story is not that far-fetched, unlike most post 9/11 Hollywood flicks that smack of nonsensical anti-CIA and government conspiracies. While viewers are trying to figure out whether Sudanese-born Samir is a patriotic American or a devout Muslim with terrorist ties, others like Guy Pierce (FBI agent Roy Clayton), Neil McDonough (FBI agent Max Archer), Said Taghmaoui (Omar), and Jeff Daniels (CIA agent Carter) give really superb acting support to a film that neither sounds anti-Islam nor anti-American.

Another mistake most film critics did was to compare Traitor with The Kingdom and a couple of Jason Bourne films. What’s wrong with this analysis is that the former film is based on a true story about a terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia, while Jason Bourne is a cold war action flick trilogy, period.

Critics never gave proper attention to the true focus of Traitor’s story, that the threat of terrorists around us is real, and that governments around the world cannot do enough to arrest this threat. The story is unassuming and tightly focused. It covers enough of both sides as well as every possible ideological objection without sounding anti anything.

For every action film enthusiast, Traitor is a must-see film. Download while the seeds are still hot. Perhaps in the end you can figure out Cheadle’s superb character.