Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Production Company: Overture Films
Cast: Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels, Neal McDonough, Archie Panjabi, Alyy Kahn, Said Taghmaoui
Rating: PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and language.
By Gregg Tubbs
UMC.org—There are few words with a more negative and damaging connotation than traitor. Judas Iscariot and Benedict Arnold were both traitors whose very names have become synonymous with the betrayal of a sacred trust. In the complex and thought provoking new espionage thriller, Traitor, Don Cheadle plays a human mystery, a man whose loyalties and motives are veiled by intentional deception and who is hopelessly torn between God and country. The film explores the nature of loyalty, the perversion of faith and the question of acceptable losses. And to top it off, our hero—who may or may not be on a mission to root out Muslim terrorists—is himself a devout Muslim.
Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Crash) and Guy Pearce (Memento, L.A. Confidential) deftly spar in Traitor, a taut and largely plausible espionage thriller of international spy versus spy, where the line between the “good guys” and the “bad guys” is blurred and all motives are driven by an understandable (if not sympathetic) point of view. In a story packed with the unexpected, it is equally surprising that the idea for the story comes from comedian Steve Martin, who is also credited as the film's Executive Producer.
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Samir Horn (Don Cheadle) is caught in an FBI ambush while trying to sell detonators to a group of international terrorists in Yemen. Copyright © 2008 Overture Films.
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Cheadle plays Samir Horn, a Muslim born in Sudan, who is an undercover operative for a shadowy U.S. intelligence agency. At the age of 12, Horn witnessed the death of his father in a terrorist car bombing in Sudan—an early indoctrination into the world of violent treachery. Fleeing to America with his mother, the young man learned to love his new country while never giving up his Sudanese roots or Muslim faith.
In the opening scene, Horn is caught in an FBI ambush while trying to sell detonators to a group of international terrorists in Yemen. Although the FBI—led by smooth, philosophical agent Roy Clayton (Pearce)—have no jurisdiction in Yemen, they imprison Horn in a local jail and hold his fate in their hands. Surprisingly, Horn refuses to cooperate, and in so doing, gains the trust of the suspicious terrorists captured with him. When they are released, the terrorists reveal their plot to stage a massive suicide bombing attack across America. A man without a county or an identity, Horn finds himself pulled ever deeper into their conspiracy. Where exactly do his loyalties lie? Is his own life worth saving as he becomes more and more involved and gets innocent blood on his hands?
Traitor is a film that requires viewers to have an open mind and to consider complex questions. Terrorists are not portrayed as simple black and white characters, but rather as passionate human beings driven by deep beliefs. We are asked to consider whether their grievances are understandable—even if their methods are unforgivable. The film also acknowledges the gulf between the pure tenets of a religion—including Islam and Christianity—and the actions of many who profess it. Clayton illustrates this by recounting events from his childhood in the Deep South when Klan members—supposed Christians—would burn a cross on someone’s lawn at night. His father, a pastor, and his congregation would go out the next morning to remove the burned cross and comfort the terrorized family.
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Although he is Christian and American, FBI officer Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) is drawn to Horn (Cheadle), a Muslim, as a kindred spirit with a similar sense of ethics. Copyright © 2008 Overture Films.
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In this convoluted story, the most intriguing aspect is the depth and complexity with which its the characters are portrayed, particularly Horn and Clayton. Horn opposes Muslim terrorists, not because he is a naturalized American or a Christian, but because he is a devout Muslim and sees killing innocents as a perversion of true Islam. Clayton, on the other hand, is a Baptist minister’s son with a degree in Middle Eastern studies. Although he is Christian and American, Clayton is drawn to Horn as a kindred spirit with a similar sense of ethics.
Traitor asks us to question stereotypes, to look at other faiths with fresh eyes and to question the compatibility of killing with a religion that preaches love. For example, we are asked to consider difficult questions like what are “acceptable losses” and whether a largely innocent populace can be held accountable for the actions of their leaders. Applied to us, Traitor is really a film about loyalty. Though most of us never do anything that approaches traitorous, we can all search our souls about the idea of loyalty. Where do our loyalties lie? To whom do you owe allegiance—family or country? When Clayton asks Horn where his loyalties lie, he answers, “With God.” Makes you think.
Study Questions
- What does the word traitor mean to you? Are there people you think of when you hear the word?
- Have you ever known someone who you thought was a traitor? Can you forgive a traitor? Do you think Jesus would want you to extend forgiveness?
- Is there a real traitor in the film or is the answer determined by your point of view?
- Did you have any problems with a protagonist who was Muslim? Why or why not?
- Do you believe there are those who pervert Christianity, just as there are those who pervert Islam?
- What do you think motivated Horn? Could you call him a man of peace?
- What does the film say about loyalty? What does the Bible say? Can you “serve two masters”? (See Matthew 6:24.)
- Can you think of figures in the Bible who showed loyalty to God or Jesus? Can you name any who didn’t?
- When Horn declares his loyalty is to God, what did he mean? Do we owe our loyalty to God? Should loyalty to God supersede loyalty to country? Is there a body of believers that transcends national boundaries?
- Do you agree with Horn’s decision about what to do with the bus bombers? Is any killing justified—even to save innocent lives?
Study Questions
Official Traitor site
Trailer
