'Traitor' review

Don Cheadle and Saïd Taghmaoui in "Traitor" (Credit: Overture)

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Muslim-American U.S. operative Samir Horn (Don Cheadle) is in so deep with terrorists in the Middle East that FBI agents (Guy Pearce, Neal McDonough), who don't know he's on their side, hunt him as a suspect. Their pursuit runs parallel to Samir's morally conflicted task of helping to plot an attack so he can sniff out the terrorist leaders.

Big question: Can writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff give "Traitor" more realism and common sense than the script he co-wrote for "The Day After Tomorrow"?

Skip it: "Traitor" glances over its most interesting ideas, like how Samir is driven by his father being killed by terrorists or why some Americans would fear his Muslim garb and prayer rituals. There's a sympathetic, un-biased exploration of anti-American perspectives— Saïd Taghmaoui is excellent as Samir's friend, devoted to both his pal and his violent mission—and some genre excitement to be had, but the plot holes escalate as quickly as the action.

Catch it: To hear agent Carter (Jeff Daniels) demonstrate the firm grip of government-speak: "This is a war. You do what it takes to win. We're the good guys." Not cliché. At all.

Bottom line: Even if "Traitor" is a step in the right direction—away from the on-the-nose dullness of "Lions for Lambs" or the violent hypocrisy of "Rendition"—its biggest failure is never allowing Cheadle or the audience to fully understand who Samir really is. He blankly slips through the cracks in a movie about secret information and limited communication that does little to further the conversation about religious disputes or anti-terrorist efforts.

Bonus: "Traitor" teaches us that the FBI knows what terrorists listen to on their iPods. It's probably safe to say they're not big John Mellencamp fans.

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