Traitor

It's always a pleasure to see a fine underrated actor get a meaty role in well constructed film.  Don Cheadle's been given that chance and though 'Traitor' is a film that walks a fine line between being a dramatic thriller and a popcorn flick in the vein of the 'Bourne' movies, its nice to not see the actor don a terrible British accent and play second fiddle to those Rat Pack wannabees Clooney, Pitt and Damon.  Lacking the star power and budget of most major studio thrillers, 'Traitor' is not only ambitious, but feels as if it has a much grander scope with a story taking place on three continents.  Writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff takes an idea (from actor-comedian Steve Martin of all people) that could have been a poor man's Robert Ludlum novel and fleshes it out into a feature that manages to entertain without becoming too political. 

So many of the latest thrillers have foolishly focused on expressing reactions to 9/11 and terrrorism through caped crusaders, alien invasions or homicidal clowns in make-up.  'Traitor' suceeds above the rest because it chooses not to solely focus on the results of terrorism, but how and where such ideas begin.

Much of the story and structure of 'Traitor' may be familiar to fans of espionage thrillers, so much so in fact that its obvious from scene one where things are headed.  The destination is not as important as the journey and its an intriguing one that Cheadle takes us on as Samir Horn, a Muslim American arms dealer who may or may not be a U.S. government operative.  Before he can broker an arms deal with an old colleague, he's caught up in a sting operation and thrown into a Yemeni prison.  Horn's profile and cool demeanor are closely analyzed by visiting FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) who tries to make a deal with him which Horn ultimately refuses.  His partner Max Archer (Neal McDonough) tries to strong-arm Horn with old school tactics, but Clayton can see there is more to this man than meets the eye and he's right.

Horn's actions and defense of a fellow inmate catch the eye of Omar (Moroccan-French actor Said Taghmaoui) another prisoner caught in that sting operation, who initially distrusts the man, but identifies with his dedication to his faith.  A Muslim, schooled in Switzerland, Omar and Horn have not only been brought up in American culture, but share the same issues with identity.  Before long, Horn is caught up in a prison break devised by Omar's powerful friends on the outside and invited to join their jihadist movement.

With news of his escape, Clayton and Archer begin to work up a profile on Horn, shedding light on his military record, his relationship with his secret girlfriend (Archie Punjabi) and the fact that he may have become a true believer after witnessing the assassination of his Yemeni father as a child. And now he may be working with one of the most sought after terrorist groups in the world.  Or is he?  In the shadows is Carter (Jeff Daniels), a veteran contractor at the CIA, who just may be working with Horn to infiltrate that jihadist group.  When Horn is enlisted to commit incendiary acts of terrorism, he carries them out with skill and expertise, except Carter is always there to pick up the pieces.  Even if he is secretly working with the agency, Horn isn't quite sure himself where his loyalties lie because he has been lied to by both sides for so long.

That internal struggle is the heart of 'Traitor' and it is expressed through the great intelligence and emotion of Cheadle's performance.  He has that rare gift to convey so much with a single glance or milli-second reaction that most actors would need pages of dialogue to express.  It's pretty obvious, who Horn is working for, but Cheadle makes it so we're not one hundred percent convinced where this man's loyalties lie.  Though he expresses regret and guilt over the results of his actions, he and we the audience are never sure just how far he is willing to go.

Cheadle's performance isn't the only element that makes 'Traitor' work.  Australian native Pearce, another underrated performer, is quite convincing as the son of a minister who majored in Arabic and chose law enforcement over the clergy.  He's not the traditional pursuer we see in films because not only is he a tad sympathetic towards who he is chasing, but intelligent enough to notice there is something deeper going on here.  The third side of the relationship triangle is Taghmaoui's Omar, who surprisingly isn't as fanatical as his superiors.  He even tells Horn to give serious thought to coming to a decision about joining up because the life isn't for everyone.  Like Horn, Omar was raised in American culture and rather than play the character as a full extremist, Taghmaoi gives the man depth by demonstrating he feels their cause has exhausted every peaceful option.  It's this touch of humanity that brings realism to the relationship between the two men and makes the ultimate betrayal all the more difficult to watch.

With today's current events. 'Traitor' walks on thin ice with its story, but succeeds at entertaining while not becoming too political.  Some frightening realism is brought not just to the ordinary nature of the people that Omar and Horn work with, but their ideas for terrorist acts which are much more simple to carry out than we might realize.  Whether or not they are stopped, there are still many other groups just as committed, making the conclusion of the story feel like a vain attempt at victory.  But the heart of the matter is that problems arise from the lack of communication between cultures as well as individuals.  Late in the picture when Clayton greets Horn with the Muslim translation of "peace be unto you" the latter replies that "you should always start the conversation with that."