Traitor

Review by Sean Lynch
Watch The Trailer: Traitor

If there is one thing we didn't need (nor did Guy Pearce's career need) it was another movie about terrorists and a corrupt US government.

Why?

In a nutshell, in terms of pure cinematic entertainment, films like this just don't work.

For any type of thriller or suspense movie, you need a clearly defined good guy and a clearly defined bad guy. Sure, in reality, Nazi's were scum - but you can't tell me they haven't supplied a sweet and easy and downright fun "Bad Guy" option for many a Hollywood classic.

The problem with this current spate of flicks invading our screens (including The Kingdom, Body Of Lies and Rendition) is that both sides (whether they be good or evil) are humanised and praised while simultaneously being made to look like the moral scum of the earth.

Sure, that works when you've got yourself a hard nosed political director making a film out of passion with a budget of $500 and a can of beans. But when you've got a major studio throwing around $20 million and a few B-List Hollywood actors, you can't pass it off as a film "with a message" trying to "open the world's eyes".

Let's face it - that $20 million has been invested with the sole intention of producing a product that will reap the type of financial rewards which the film itself is trying to expose the potential evil of.

And if that is the case, that $20 million should provide an eventful and enjoyable 90 minutes of explosions and intrigue that makes you leave the cinema with a smile on your face (and not the type of facial expression you normally have after a three hour uni lecture on plankton).

By not really choosing a side, the film loses all it's tension (because the viewers want everyone to get their cummupance) and because it's masquerading as a "serious film with a message", the stupid Hollywood explosions and lame one liners (that would have accompanied these sorts of films in the 1980s) are all but absent.

All that aside, as these sorts of films go, Traitor is the closet anyone has come thus far to keeping the film engrossing and entertaining (while still making plenty of "important points about the world we live in").

The flick follows FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) who heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, with all clues seeming to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn (Don Cheadle).

A fairly mysterious figure (Samir's intentions are revealed throughout, but are never quite what you expect) with a complex web of international connections, Horn has a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation goes down and disappearing before the authorities can question him.

The inter-agency task force looking into the case also meets with Carter (Jeff Daniels as an amoral, veteran CIA contractor) who seems to have his own agenda as well.

The real strength of Traitor is that it doesn't just play out the same as, say, Body Of Lies did. There is plenty to keep your brain ticking over and there is a fairly good chance you won't see what lies ahead (which is so often isn't the case).

However, the what takes Traitor to the next level is Don Cheadle.

The guy has been on the cusp of the A-List for quite some time (surely he is a shoe in for a major "credible star meets mainstream action hero" role any day now), and his performance here is testament to his skill.

This guys performance is truly phenomenal. There is something so engrossing and empathic about each and every movement he makes, the audience more than happily follows his journey as the twists and turns slowly unravel.

And that's saying a lot - because for some reason not only do these types of movies tend to be quite boring... but for some reason they also insist of be f***ing long.

Guy Pearce is also in form (the guy is good, let's hope he gets back in the Hollywood good books soon) with his take on the FBI nice guy. You could be forgiven for assuming that the reason Pearce has been absent from our screens lately is due to attending an intense semester at the "Heath Ledger School Of Brokeback Mountain Grumble Talk" - but his lack of facial movement actually helps draw the audience in and side with him just as much as you do with Cheadle's character.

Traitor is a refreshingly entertaining look at the topic of terrorism and the USA, while still keeping itself firmly grounded, and is easily the best of the bunch. And while I won't be praying for any further releases based on the subject (it's almost time for a no brainer popcorn action thriller), if this is the last one I ever see, I'm more than happy to admit that it is possible for a movie of this type to be made well.

Thought provoking, unpredictable, intense and genuinely exciting - Traitor is probably the best political thriller of the year.

4 out of 5

Traitor
Australian release: 6th November, 2008
Official Site: Traitor
Cast: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Saïd Taghmaoui, Neal McDonough
Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff