Traitor (2008)

Director:

Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Writers (WGA):

Jeffrey Nachmanoff (screenplay)
Steve Martin (story) ...

Release Date:

27 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The truth is complicated.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Bomb | FBI | Devout | FBI Agent

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44487) | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Singapore:M18 | Germany:12 | Czech Republic:15 | Norway:15 | Finland:K-13 | Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Overture Films

Trivia:

According to Guy Pearce, who plays FBI agent Roy Clayton, the conflict depicted and denounced in the film is due to lack of communication between the different branches of the American government post-9/11, particularly the CIA and the FBI, with each agency trying to supplant the other.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Samir crosses into the United States from or at Boundary Bay. This would be very close to the worst place to cross from Canada into the United States. The border crossing is the only access to a peninsula which contains the hamlet of Point Roberts with a population of several thousand. To access the rest of the States, Samir would have to rent a boat and go be sea to Bellingham or Blaine, or he could go back into Canada by road.

Quotes:

Max Archer: [Referring to the bomber captured in Spain] This guy's gotta be in a state of shock. He planned on waking up in Paradise to 72 virgins. Blow yourself up to get laid, this is gotta be some crazy s**t!
Roy Clayton: Where I grew up the Klan burned crosses in front of people's houses and called it Christianity. Then my daddy and the folks from the church would drive over and put them out. Seems every religion has more than one face.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Michael Phelps/Lil' Wayne (#34.1)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Ayadjidjè

Thinking Man's Spy Thriller

I usually go to Malco's reviewers and then Rotten Tomatoes, to see what the consensus on a movie is. Well after going to see this movie with some very hardcore friends/critics, we all agree, the professionals are getting paid off! If it wasn't for the good amateur Malco reviewers, I would have missed a very good thought provoking movies. I disagree that this movie stereotypes its characters, they are anything but. The acting is rich, the character's are memorable, very great acting on all levels, especially the main characters, and respect is paid to traditional Islam as opposed to its radical splinter. About Cheadle's character, you may have heard his performance is wooden, that is untrue, he delivers a moving portrait of a tortured soul subjected to a traumatic past and exposed to soul rending choices. If you follow it, Traitor will offer an excellent, thoughtful, journey into the heart of a complex issue.