In Progress

Went to see Traitor this weekend. A great film that sadly may not find the audience it deserves (doesn’t seem like it’s being promoted much), Traitor features many of the hallmarks of a classic genre thriller, with the FBI playing cat and mouse against a rogue agent against an international backdrop. But Traitor has ambitions far exceeding pure plot, and the story of Samir Horn, a devout Muslim (played by the brilliantly emotive Don Cheadle) who joins a terrorist cell, unfolds as a meditation on how religion and morality interplay.

Traitor succeeds because of Jeffrey Nachmanoff‘s subtle direction, a great script, and thougtful and multi-layered performance from a first-rate cast of international up-and-comers as well as established stars, including Cheadle, Guy Pierce, Saïd Taghmaoui, Neal McDonough (from Band of Brothers), Archie Panjabi (The Constant Gardener and East is East), and Alyy Khan. Oh, and Jeff Daniels.

Saïd Taghmaoui gives a particularly beautiful performance in this film as Horn’s spiritual brother who he tries to save, and I was reminded of his co-star from La Haine, Vincent Cassell, who had a similarly haunting turn in Eastern Promises last year. Sidenote: Taghmaoui will also be heating up TV show Lost next season, as well as the upcoming G.I. Joe movie.

I can’t leave unmentioned that Steve Martin, one of my original heroes of American entertainment, not only co-wrote the screenplay, but actually came up with the idea for this movie. Martin’s work only gets better with age, colored by a consistently modern sensibility and inwardly investigative eye. And, you know, sex jokes.

Traitor Trailer:

Don Cheadle Interview:

Guy Pierce Interview:

Posted on September 15th, 2008 by DeepthiW
Filed under: Global Culture, Movies, Politics, Uncategorized