Traitor
Author: Wyatt Sanderman Day | Published: March 24th, 2009
Shades of Grey in the Battle Between Good and Evil
In the War on Terror, it is a certainty that all combatants will be real people, who line up on one side or the other for real reasons. For those of us who work to understand this war from the comfort of our career and family driven lives, we cannot know the machinations necessary for a positive outcome. And that preferred outcome is that we remain safe from the peril of terrorist event. "Traitor" is a thoughtful and well made film dealing with predicament that we find ourselves, and that we will continue to find ourselves in for some decades to come. Director and screenwriter Jeffrey Nachmanoff, who also developed the story along with funnyman Steve Martin, made a film that was; cohesive in structure, and exceedingly character driven. For character driven stories such as "Traitor," it is imperative that the acting be very good to outstanding. In this respect, the actors in this film are closer to the outstanding level on the qualitative bar.
As the titular character, the "Traitor" Samir Horn, Don Cheadle is so intense in his fleshing out of a character living on the edge. It's a man's role, and Cheadle plays it hard and yet provokes the sympathy necessary to draw the audience in. Australian actor Guy Pearce is extremely effective in his role as the nonsense FBI agent, Roy Clayton. As the arch nemesis of the globe trotting Samir, Roy Clayton is the cerebral ex-divinity student, whose father was a Baptist minister, who was the son of a Baptist minister. Actor Pearce, as the special agent empowered to keep us safe, subtly projects an intelligent southern boy with the heart of a good Baptist. His accent and
diction is perfect as the efficient special agent, and his manner proves what I have always known: predominately, Baptists are good people.When FBI sidekick Max Archer, portrayed by Neal McDonough, upon discovering that Agent Clayton has his PHD in divinity, he asks, "How did an egghead like you get drug into a street fight?"
To which, Agent Clayton answered, "No one ever gets drug into a street fight."
The balance of the acting; including Jeff Daniels as the contract intelligence agent Carter, and Said Taghmaoui as the Jihadist operative, are especially good and well influence the proper complexion for this morality play, where the negatives are examined and the positives are accentuated.
On the whole, it was a fine film and well worth the 114 minutes of runtime used to tell this outstanding tale. Ridley Scott's "Body of Lies," also released in 2008, also closely investigates the "boots on the ground" approach to intelligence and the interpersonal drama that consequently ensues, but "Traitor" is the superior film.
Stay tuned for the "Body of Lies" review.
Rated PG13. Released on DVD December 19, 2008.
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