Traitor (Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Neal McDonough, Said Taghmaoui, Jeff Daniels) – Self-described as this year’s Bourne, Traitor isn’t as good as the Bourne spy-fi movies. But it’s pretty good as a timely look at Islamic terrorism and the complexities people of that faith face in today’s world. Make no mistake about it, this is a definitely a spy movie. It opens with a look at Samir Horn (Cheadle), an American who has joined the Islamic Jihad … or has he? He engineers the bombing of an American consulate in Nice, becoming a hero of Islam even though, to his apparent disappointment, only eight people die. He and his compatriot, Omar (Taghmaoui) – also an American – become better and better connected to the money men of the movement. The targets become bolder as the terrorists seek to strike deep into the American heartland. The plot deals with that effort and the race to the denouement.
I have become one of Don Cheadle’s biggest fans. Two of my favorite movies of last year were Talk to Me and Reign Over Me, both Cheadle films. His Hotel Rwanda performance was definitely worth the Academy Award nomination he received. And even his relatively small roles in the Ocean’s movies are memorable. This is one of America’s best actors and in the elite of African American actors who has the capability to do unlimited accents and either dominating the screen or to grant it to his co-stars. That is a talent that excellent actors like George Clooney or Denzel Washington do not have. They always “eat the lens,” dominating any camera shot they are occupy.
Traitor isn’t a great movie but it is fast-paced and taut. It uses sound in very interesting ways whether it is music, drum beats or tonal dynamics. I don’t always recognize great sound editing and non-lyrical soundtracks, but this one burst out at me. I enjoyed the film as much for its political content and its different point of view while giving us the usual pyrotechnics. Interestingly, the story came from Steve Martin – yes, that Steve Martin – who came up with the plot and outline for the movie. The writer/director, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, is inexperienced and it shows here, probably the cause of this falling short of the Bourne trilogy.