Traitor (2008)

When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn.

Director:

Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Writers:

Jeffrey Nachmanoff (screenplay), Steve Martin (story)

Stars:

Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Archie Panjabi

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Don Cheadle	...	Samir Horn
Guy Pearce	...	Roy Clayton
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Omar
Neal McDonough	...	Max Archer
Alyy Khan	...	Fareed
Archie Panjabi	...	Chandra Dawkin
Raad Rawi	...	Nathir
Hassam Ghancy	...	Bashir
Mozhan Marnò	...	Leyla (as Mozhan Marno)
Adeel Akhtar	...	Hamzi
Jeff Daniels	...	Carter
Lorena Gale	...	Dierdre Horn
Scali Delpeyrat	...	Inspector Gilles
Mehdi Ortelsberg	...	Ali (as Medhi Ortelsberg)
Aizoun Abdelkader	...	Ahmed

Storyline

Samir Horn is a former soldier, a devout Muslim, and U.S. citizen in the Middle East selling bomb detonators to Islamic radicals. He joins their cause as both the FBI and a rogue CIA agent track him. Horn escapes a Yemeni prison, goes underground in France where he proves his abilities, and is sent to the United States to choreograph a simultaneous and multiple terror attack. Will the intelligence agencies talk to each other, and can Horn be stopped?

---

Plot Keywords:

prison | escape | fbi | bomb | devout | 

---

Taglines:

The truth is complicated.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

27 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Traitor: Zwischen den Fronten

Filming Locations:

Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$10,006,327 (USA) (29 August 2008)

Gross:

$23,527,748 (USA) (21 November 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Overture Films, Mandeville Films, Hyde Park Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough have previously appeared together in Ravenous - Friß oder stirb (1999).

---

Goofs

At about 1:00:40, a caption appears on screen which reads "U.S./CANADIAN BORDER BOUNDRY BAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA." The word Boundary is mis-spelled in this caption.

---

Quotes

Nathir: In chess and in war the key to winning is to anticipate what your opponent will do in advance. Think two moves ahead. The art of asymmetrical warfare is less about inflicting damage than provoking a response. Terrorism is theater. And theater is always performed for an audience. Ours is the American people. But they are dispersed across a large country. The question is how to convince them that nowhere is safe.

---

Connections

Referenced in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Episode #8.30 (2009)

---

Soundtracks

Laisse-Toi Aller
Written by Mark Kilian (ASCAP)
Lyrics by Marcel Adjibi (BMI)
Performed by Marcel Adjibi and Mark Kilian

User Reviews

Tense film about terrorism with action , suspense and an amazing final

Thrilling and exciting movie about terrorism , spies and geopolitical issues . A firm believer in the Holy Quran, Samir Horn ( Don Cheadle ), American citizen and former soldier in Afghanistan, lives a middle-classed lifestyle along with his love interest , Chandra Dawkin (Archie Panjabi). He is actively involved in selling explosives to Jihadis. However he is trapped and meantime in a Yemeni prison, Samir is hit , and another inmate, Omar ( Said ), comes to his support . Both men become close friends, subsequently getaway from prison, re-locate to Marsielle, executing a massacre , and elude authorities for some time . Later on they re-enter the U.S., meet with other important terrorists , and together they scheme to place bombs in 50 Greyhound buses ,one for each State. Using internet and mail they recruit 50 volunteers to carry out this gruesome aim . Meanwhile, the super-powerful CIA uses technological-gizmo-surveillance satellites , super-computers for people spying and hound terrorists relentlessly. The CIA agents ( Guy Pearce , Neal McDonough ) scheme a plot to chase the mastermind terrorist . They form a shaky alliance with Carter ( Jeff Daniels ),the boss of Intelligence to break the terrorist ring whose objective is the bombing civilian targets . They try to stop cruel group who plans terrorist bombings by means an uncanny masquerade .

Story's core is interesting and script is dense with information and drama . The ultra-brisk editing and rapid scenes movement leaves little time to consider some inadequacies. The picture takes parts from ¨ The Siege¨ (98, by Edward Zwick with Denzel Washington,Tony Shalhoub) about the dangerous terrorism Arab in US ; ¨ Spy game ¨(2001, by Tony Scott with Brad Pitt and Robert Redford ) concerning the spy-world and ¨Body of lies ¨ (2008 by Ridly Scott with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe ) about sophisticated methods of the international terrorism . Don Cheadle , also producer , is the main attraction , he sustains interest in this tale of treason and terrorism . Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough are good as intelligent super-agents and Jeff Daniels's cool displaying a brief performance. The use of interesting messages to add weight to a romantic subplot between the terrorist and the Arab woman , though feels a little forced . The film packs adequate,evocative cinematography by Michael Muro and agreeable musical score by Mark Kilian with Arabs overtones. The motion picture is well written and realized by Jeffrey Nachmanoff . Rating : Above average, well worth watching.