The hate mail and flack is going to come my way probably by the wheelbarrow full when I say this next statement but here goes. Never in my life and the millions of films that I’ve seen have I ever sat through an entire, or even a portion of, any James Bond flick. {Ducks flying shoes and other such objects.} They have never interested me no matter if it was Connery, Moore, Brosnan, or Craig. I don’t care who 007 is or where he’s going or what chick he’s with or even what kind of new gadgets he’s got. And it’s not like spy films aren’t my type of thing because Traitor was sure as hell pretty awesome, but I’m still not going to watch a Bond film no matter what you say. Octopussy? Shut your filthy mouth!
Samir Horn (Don Cheadle) is a man that may confuse many people because it isn’t exactly known where his allegiance may lie. Born to a Sudanese father and an American mother, Samir now travels the world years after his father was murdered and vows revenge on…well, someone. While in Yemen and aligning himself with members of a terrorist group, Samir is thrown into prison and all seems lost for his global trek. But as always, Samir seems to find himself something to do and ends up befriending a fellow prisoner and Muslim named Omar. Also part of a vicious terrorist group, Omar and his men break out of prison and take Samir along with them to devise a huge suicide bombing barrage in the United States.
On the opposite side of the world, FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) is on the job of finding out all he can about Omar’s terrorist group and making sure they don’t succeed in any mission they have. Clayton was raised in a Baptist family and knows plenty about the Muslim religion and the close bond that can form between its followers. But while doing his research, he becomes obsessed with Samir and knows there is a lot more to him then anyone else could possibly imagine. Clayton may be all that stands between Omar and the attack on the United States and he believes that the biggest cog in the terrorist machinery is Samir.
Well, James Bond and his spy business may not be up my alley, but this flick certainly was. The amount of tension and suspense that Traitor brings to the table begins from the very start of the film and ends only when the credits begin to roll. A lot of it has to do with Don Cheadle and the excellent job he does as Samir who is full of mystery and intrigue almost like an old black and white Casablanca mystery case. You never quite know exactly what side he is on or just what he’s going to pull next, and that makes for the aptly named title of the film itself. You’ll hate him but you’ll love him. You’re going to support him yet you hope he gets caught. It’s back and forth the whole time making for a nerve-racking but enjoyable good time.
Traitor does something else that made me enjoy it so much and it’s that it followed along with a trend that has been made popular in the past four or five years. The twist. Still, it took the twist one step further and decided to do a bunch of small twists instead of one big final surprise that changes your entire outlook of the film. All these small twists kept things interesting and had your mind racing to wonder what was going on and where everyone would go next. And just when you thought you had it all worked out – WRONGO! Traitor is an excellent story of deceit, intrigue, suspense, terrorism, and national pride all rolled into one hell of a fun hour and a half.
The film is shown in 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen format and it looks alright for the most part. Some scenes are a tad grainy and the picture looks a little smushed, but nothing really to complain about.
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and it’s kind of strange that a film so reliant on storyline would be given such a shotty sound mix. It’s rather hard to hear all dialogue because the sound effects and music (which is heard beautifully at all times) comes through way too loud.
Audio Commentary – Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and actor Don Cheadle are together for the commentary track and it is a really good listen. One of the best things these two do during their talk is to discuss extra information for the film. Instead of just talking about what is happening on screen (which is obvious); they talk about scenes that were cut or how it was shooting in a particular place. The film is worth checking out a second or third time anyway so do yourself a favor and listen to this commentary while you’re at it.
Action! The Stunts And Special Effects Of Traitor – This feature basically dives into the action sequences from the film and how they were shot and prepared for. Some of the finished product is shown as well as the behind-the-scenes work of getting to the final cut. (4:40)
International Espionage – Here we have a feature much like the “Action!” featurette except that it focuses on the foreign locations they shot the film in. It’s a neat look at the different locales and how it was when they were there. (5:14)
Theatrical Trailer
Trailers – Righteous Kill, Henry Poole Is Here, The Visitor, and Sleepwalking
At first glance of seeing the trailer months ago, when Traitor was about to hit theatres, I thought it looked pretty interesting but not something that would cause me to run out and see. Boy was I wrong, and I wish my butt would have ended up in a theatre seat and watching all the action on the big screen. It delivers a lot of intrigue to keep anyone entertained for a little over ninety minutes and is a great way to spend an evening. The special features aren’t much in way of quantity, but the quality is there and especially in the audio commentary. It’s a great track that gives forth a lot of added information and comes from two guys that truly sound as if they enjoyed making the film and are really proud of it. The rest adds up to about ten minutes and is just too short to ever really get going. Check it out as a rental perhaps, but if you’re a fan of action films and those that will keep you on your toes guessing then just grab yourself a copy of your own. Cheadle is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors as he just gets better with every single role he takes.
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Anchor Bay presents Traitor. Directed by: Jeffrey Nachmanoff. Starring: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Said Taghmaoui, Neal McDonough, Alyy Khan, Jeff Daniels. Written by: Jeffrey Nachmanoff. Running time: 100 minutes. Rating: R. Released on DVD: December 19, 2008. Available at Amazon.com
