Traitor

Rating:

* * *

Verdict:

Not a bad terrorist thriller but lacking cohesion and tension.

For those still immune to post 9/11 thriller fatigue, this pious spy story might intrigue.

Interestingly, it's based on a story by comedian-author Steve Martin.

Politically,

Traitor

,  has positioned itself firmly on the fence. It's determined not to offend anyone and tell all sides of the story. But its stereotypical characters and muddled narrative come to the radical conclusion that, yes, there are no winners in war.

The film starts in Sudan, 1978, where young Samir Horn witnesses his father's death in a car bombing. Returning to the present day, Samir (Cheadle) is now an ex-US Army Special Forces operative turned mercenary who sells explosives to Muslim extremists.

After an arms sale goes wrong, Samir is imprisoned in Yemen where he befriends the leader of a terrorist organisation, Omar (Said Taghmaoui). Omar recruits Samir to his global jihad mission and soon Samir is plotting a large-scale terrorist attack on American soil.

Most of the tension in the film is derived from uncertainty around whether Samir is in fact an undercover American spy, or a devout anti-American Muslim terrorist. This may remain a mystery to some, but Cheadle's earnest performance does a pretty good job of leading you in the right direction, diluting the suspense.

There are still a few good plot twists, and a collection of strong performances, especially from Pearce as an FBI agent on Samir's trail.

These help elevate

Traitor

beyond its formulaic sensibilities.

So, if you can handle a thinking thriller that feels like it's aimed at information-deprived America, then you might find this entertaining.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast:

Guy Pearce, Don Cheadle

Director:

Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Running time:

114 mins

Rating:

M (violence & offensive Language)

Screening:

Berkeley, SkyCity and Hoyts Cinemas