Product Description

Academy Award® nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) and Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) star in Traitor, a taut international thriller set against a puzzle of covert counter-espionage operations. When straight-arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) investigates a dangerous international conspiracy responsible for a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn(Cheadle). But a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his suspect is a disaffected former military operative—or something far more complicated.
Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue. Traitor is written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (screenwriter of The Day After Tomorrow).

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7439 in DVD
• Brand: STARZ/SPHE
• Released on: 2008-12-16
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 114 minutes

Features

• Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) and Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) star in Traitor, a taut international thriller set against a puzzle of covert counter-espionage operations. When straight-arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) investigates a dangerous international conspiracy responsible for a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, all clues

Amazon.com
An action film rich with politics, espionage, and complicated characters, Traitor is an engrossing film in which the lines between right and wrong are anything but clear and the threats of terrorism and conspiracy across the globe seem startlingly real. Sadim Horn (Don Cheadle) is a devout Muslim, once trained and employed in engineering and explosives by American Special Forces, who has chosen to settle in Afghanistan. FBI agents Clayton (Guy Pearce) and Archer (Neal McDonough) begin investigating an uncooperative Sadim in an Afghanistan prison because of his connections with terrorist Omar (Saїd Taghmaoui) and, as events unfold, uncover ties between Sadim and several international bombing incidents. As agents Clayton and Archer follow Sadim around the world, Sadim's dedication to his faith becomes abundantly clear, as does his involvement in an international bombing conspiracy. What's less than clear in all the contradictory evidence is the nature of Sadim's role in the conspiracy--specifically, which side he's really fighting for. Traitor is an action-packed, suspenseful film with strong acting talent, a disturbingly real message, and stellar Blu-ray picture and sound that puts viewers right in the middle of the action. Bonus features include audio commentary by director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and Cheadle, an "Action!" featurette about the film's stunts and special effects, a look at the production's exotic filming locations, and BD-live capability. Also included is a separate digital copy for use in portable media players. --Tami Horiuchi

Stills from Traitor (Click for larger image)

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Traitor

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Customer Reviews

Where Do His Loyalties Lie?
The movie is called "Traitor," and the implication is that the main character, played by Don Cheadle, has betrayed his own country. But it's nowhere near that simple. Some think he's a traitor to the United States while others think he's a traitor to Islam. He may be a traitor to his own beliefs, his loyalties divided between his Muslim faith and his American upbringing. By the end of the film, no one is any closer to understanding what he believes, himself least of all. He's a double agent frequently confronted by conflicting ideologies, and it's slowly but surely tearing him apart. One way this movie succeeds is that we're able to feel for this character no matter what side he's on; we can sense the anguish he feels, the torment of being a misfit in every culture he immerses himself in. We see in his face the unease and guilt he's forced to live with everyday.

Cheadle plays Samir Horn, who was born in Sudan but raised in the United States. Thirty years ago, his father was killed in a terrorist attack, although it's unclear which side was responsible; it may have been an anti-Muslim faction, but it may also have been devout Muslims who opposed his beliefs. Whatever the case, Horn is now a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant for the United States Army, someone trained to infiltrate terrorist organizations and gather information. It seems his loyalties have shifted; while in Yemen, he's caught selling detonators to a group of jihadists, and after a brief shootout, everyone is arrested. In prison, he befriends Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui), who is apparently in league with people on the outside, people willing to risk incarceration or death to free their brother Muslims. A frenetic jailbreak ensues. Not long after, Horn becomes entangled in a terrorist conspiracy, one that would result in several major attacks on American soil.

Two FBI agents have been assigned to locate and arrest Horn. One is Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce), who, interestingly enough, once considered World Religions as a college major. He claims to take his own Christian faith seriously, but unlike Horn with the Koran, we never see him reading from the Bible or quoting any of its passages. We're never told what Max Archer (Neal McDonough) believes, although it's obvious that, as far as his job is concerned, he's all about getting results as quickly as possible; in an early scene, he gets impatient with Horn and subsequently punches him in the stomach. Clayton is much more calm and collected, and he understands that you get information from a suspect by pushing his buttons, not by letting him push yours. Indeed, Horn is a tough nut to crack, probably because he knows how to keep secrets from both sides.

To describe the plot any further would not only give too much away, it would also require a lot of explaining, more so than anyone would be willing to read. As Horn says, "The truth is complicated." It would be more accurate to say that the truth is elusive, simply because I'm not convinced he knows what the truth is. He probably no longer knows which side represents good and which side represents evil. His beliefs are divided between what he reads in the Koran and what he sees going on; one passage states that killing one man is like killing all mankind, yet he's surrounded by Islamic extremists who commit murder to get their point across. He's serious about his faith, but it's clear he doesn't always understand it. He certainly doesn't understand how certain ideas can be misconstrued out of all reason, such as Takfiri, or blending in. A Pakistani terrorist named Fareed (Aly Khan) baffles Horn by saying that jihadists living in America drink alcohol and eat pork in order to blend in. Both acts go against Islamic beliefs.

Horn would probably argue that murder, no matter how justified, also goes against Islamic beliefs (I would make the same argument, although I'm well aware that many people would not). If there were no jihadists, if terrorism were to be eradicated entirely, Horn would not need to be a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant. He would not have to infiltrate enemy hideouts and pretend to be on their side. Only then would his mind be at ease; he could worship in peace without having to worry about suspicious activity in American and Muslim communities. Is it unreasonable to suggest that the vast majority of Muslims long for the same peace of mind? I don't think so. Neither is the idea that there's a gigantic difference between jihad terrorists and those of Islamic faith.

That may ultimately be the point "Traitor" is trying to make, although it's difficult to tell with a story actively trying to be ambiguous. Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and producer/co-story creator Steve Martin (yes, that Steve Martin) have crafted a political drama that forces the audience to think really hard, more about the main character's beliefs than about the actual plot. Themes of not belonging and divided loyalties are certainly not new, but that doesn't mean they're no longer used effectively; "Traitor" succeeds on many levels, not the least of which is Don Cheadle's believable performance. He above all else is what gets the story off the ground, allowing it to be much more than a run-of-the-mill thriller. He adds genuine emotional touches in the subtlest of ways, from precise eye movements to random breathing patterns. Essentially, he makes it real, especially since he never reveals which side his character feels most connected with.

Excellent Don Cheadle Thriller
Traitor is a fantastic thriller starring Don Cheadle as Samir Horn, a Muslim who was born in Sudan and moved to America as a teenager. He grows up to be a Special Forces soldier for the US, and as the movie begins, we see him moving through the Middle East selling explosives.

His fate crosses with two FBI agents, played by Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough. Soon the two are crisscrossing the globe hunting Samir, who is becoming more and more involved with a cell led by a terrorist mastermind.

The film is written and directed as a great thriller with enough action and suspense to keep you ocuupied and guessing, but not to the extent that it comes off like a routine action movie trying to be more than it is. The film has several twists and surprises and keeps the viewer engaged throughout.

But everything is held together is by Cheadle, who burnishes his reputation as one of Hollywood's greatest talents. His Samir is at once devious, treacherous, loving, compassionate, stubborn, and dangerous. Traitor is a great film, but it would not possess the same impact with a lesser talent as its star.

An Average Thriller With Tons of Wasted Potential...
Throughout both 2007 and 2008, moviegoers saw what seemed like an endless string of movies focusing on or around the ongoing War on Terror. For a majority of these films, which ranged from character dramas ("Stop-Loss" or "Grace is Gone"), political thrillers ("Lions for Lambs" or "Rendition"), to just good ol' fashioned action films ("The Kingdom"), the response from audiences was far from welcoming. Most of these titles, along with a few others I didn't mention, suffered through a rather brief stint at the box office and didn't enjoy much more success on DVD. To me the lacking success for these films would seem to be enough to get the studios' attention, and make them aware that audiences just don't want to go to the movies to watch something that involves a topic that can be seen daily on any news channel known to man.

Regardless of all of this, the political thriller "Traitor" starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce was released to theaters this summer. If memory serves me, this is merely the latest film released in the War on Terror genre; I'm calling it a genre due to the surprisingly large number of movies based on the subject that has been released thus far. I personally question the reasoning behind even releasing this movie in the first place, especially in light of all the losses the studios have accrued over the previous films; but I guess the various studio executives share a sort of "It only takes one to make a difference" mentality. So, does "Traitor" have what it takes to win over audiences even with the touchy subject matter or does it fall prey to the same general lack of interest that has befallen the rest of the genre?

After a series of terrorist attacks in various locations around the Middle East and Europe, along with a prison break in Yemen, the U.S. government is desperately seeking answers as to who is responsible, especially in light of a new threat targeting the country's heartland. Assisting in the investigation is FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) who finds himself with a rather short list of suspects, and one man on his list is raising his suspicions more than the others. The person of interest is a former U.S. Special Operations officer named Samir Horn (Don Cheadle), who appears to have become involved with the very group that may be responsible for the attacks. However, appearances may be deceiving as the further agent Clayton digs, the more evidence he discovers to suggest that perhaps the truth is much more complicated than it initially appeared to be.

What are the key components that are vital to a movie for it to be considered a thriller? Is it a great story, terrific actors and actresses, a hefty dose of the unexpected, or a general sense of uncertainty that will cause the audience to be on the edge of their seats at all times? The answer is that it's not just one of these items, it is all of them. Each of these components are key to creating a top-notch thriller that will keep audiences entertained and enthralled from start to finish, and possibly creating repeat business if all goes well for the film.

In the case of "Traitor" many of those items were present, but not all of them. For the ones that made it into the film, there didn't appear to be any emphasis on consistently maintaining the quality of these components throughout the duration. What I mean by that statement is when there were genuinely thrilling sequences or moments of the unexpected, they would either end in a way that made them feel unoriginal or be followed shortly thereafter by something so obviously tired and cliché that you would have to be a fool not to notice. Basically just when the movie seems to be heading in the right direction it falls apart prematurely.

The story for this film is intriguing, and the fact that we are delivered a viewpoint from both sides, lends the film some credit for trying to flesh out the how's and why's of the ongoing war. However, writer/director Jeffrey Nachmanoff (writer of "The Day After Tomorrow"), fails to create a completely engaging film due to falling prey to numerous movie pitfalls; such as, an overuse of character stereotypes for both the terrorists and the government agents, predictability within the story, and essentially becoming too trite and generic in the end. Perhaps if the screenplay had been more polished and willing to go even deeper into the more unexplored areas of the war, which it drifted in and out of throughout the film's duration, and not been so overbearing with its various messages it was trying to get across; then perhaps the final product would have been better received, at least by this viewer.

Even if the movie's storyline did run into its fair share of problems, one aspect of the film that cannot be slighted is the generally high-caliber cast, led by the talented Don Cheadle ("Hotel Rwanda"). Cheadle gives a terrific performance as Samir, a man who has sacrificed so much in this war, to the point that he wonders if it will ever be enough; especially in light of the regret he feels over some of the decisions he's had to make along the way. In the role of the closest person Samir has to a friend, and one of the terrorist group's masterminds, is actor Said Taghmaoui ("Vantage Point"). Said brings a fresh, new approach to the terrorist type of role, not allowing him to be portrayed in a hackneyed, cookie cutter cut-out sort of way that I had expected. At times he almost gives his character a sense of morality (twisted as it may be), while providing some form of reasoning and motives for why he is willing to do and plan the horrendous acts his group will commit.

As far as the quality of the characters goes, the two listed above is where the truly developed characters meet their end, and the stereotypical ones begin. Leading the way are actors Guy Pearce ("The Count of Monte Cristo") and Neal McDonough ("Walking Tall"), who are both very talented actors in their own right, yet find themselves misused in this film. The two actors portray your typical, garden variety FBI duo; one of the agents is a level-headed, eternal optimist (Pearce) who believes in a suspect until he or she is proven guilty, and the other is a hot-headed pessimist (McDonough) who would rather lock a suspect up and throw away the key than actually get to any answers. Alongside them is Jeff Daniels ("Gettysburg") as your typical government handler who knows much more about what is occurring than he is letting on, and for the sake of his mission and secrecy (and the storyline), he keeps the facts from everyone.

Lastly, the various actors portraying the many members of the terrorist group were given the least to do in the entire storyline. Aside from Said's character, the other terrorists were nothing more than a bunch of nameless, evil men with no rhyme or reason to their apparent madness, who want nothing more than wanton violence and destruction to engulf the "evil" United States and its allies. Please, spare me the same old semantics I've seen and heard so many times before, it's beginning to grow tiresome. It's a shame that more wasn't done to capitalize on the talent at this film's disposal. At least, the entire cast did the best they could with the material they were given, so even at its most predictable and unoriginal moments, the film remains better than average.

While "Traitor" did manage to keep me moderately interested from start to finish, albeit to varying degrees of interest; the movie's various pratfalls causes the film to devolve into being just another generic political thriller with high aspirations, yet poor execution.

"Traitor" is rated PG-13 for violence and language.