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77 comments in total

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92 out of 120 people found the following comment useful :-
Also saw a pre-screener, 22 March 2008

Author: richardseibert from United States

I was offered a ticket to a screener last Wednesday, and when I heard Don Cheatle was in it, couldn't pass it by. I am not a huge fan of action/suspense/spy movies, but this one was a cut above the normal. It was more intelligent, and delved a bit into motivations, beliefs, etc. of terrorists. I went into the movie cold, with no idea of the plot, and I recommend that. Most write ups I have read give away too much of the twists in the plot, which I was glad I didn't know beforehand. Don Cheatle was excellent, and so was Saïd Taghmaoui. It was also refreshing to see Hollywood recognizing the breadth of Muslim philosophy for once!

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76 out of 92 people found the following comment useful :-
Drama/Action -Not a Bourne Rip off- Very Good-, 27 August 2008

Author: smiplacer from United States

When I first saw the previews, I was expecting a bourne supremacy/bond film with whoooohoooooo action that makes you say "kill, kill, kill" and gets you all worked up. But this film is more drama/realistic and made me actually think about life instead of tuning it out. The action parts are very satisfying. Don Cheadle was great. If you are expecting something along the lines of The Marine, you will probably be disappointed. It is a little more mature than that. The movie surprised me in its creativity/originality with certain scenes. overall, it is a drama/thriller/action/spy that I found very satisfying. some people on IMDb were complaining that it was slow, which it was, but don't take that to mean that the film is bad. the movie is just more of a drama film than action at times. Go see it!!!

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73 out of 108 people found the following comment useful :-
thoroughly enjoyed the film, 25 February 2008

Author: shutupDAAVE from United States

i was lucky enough to be part of the "first audience" to catch this at a pre-screening, and i have to say that i really enjoyed this film. i don't know anything else i could really say. it was suspenseful, had great twists, the acting was superb, and was a great story. Don Cheatle was amazing as ever, but i don't want to give away any spoilers at all so i wont say anything about the characters. what i will say is that Jeff Daniels for sure needed more character development. of course Guy Pierce was great, and what came as a semi-surprise was Saïd Taghmaoui's performance. very well-done by the cast and if Steve Martin is really the man who came up with the idea, he needs to keep churning 'em out. Traitor was a fit name for the film, and i would recommend it to all of you reading this.

9 1/2 out of 10

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42 out of 56 people found the following comment useful :-
An effective and thought provoking thriller thanks to Cheadle, 29 August 2008

Author: Spy_v2009 from United States

A few years ago, Don Cheadle rose to the top of the acting world with dynamite performances in Hotel Rwanda, the Ocean's series, Crash, and Traffic. He even got to fight in Rush Hour 2! So it should come as no surprise that Cheadle is electrifying and deep in this film, and it is his performance that makes the film what it is: a deeply engrossing political thriller that will definitely make the audience think about the movie, and of course, the current state of affairs in our world.

Traitor did a very good job of stepping on the audience's toes with some lines that could've been considered prejudiced, and then catching themselves with actual truths about the war in the Middle East, in addition to religions themselves. This obviously takes place in the dialog of the characters, particularly those of Cheadle and Guy Pearce. The film's dialog is well written, making up for the sometimes slow pacing scenes that take awhile to transpire.

I've already heaped my praise on Don Cheadle, but I'll do it a little bit more. One of the crucial plot points is the true allegiance of his character, and it is the subtlety of his performance that will keep you guessing what side he is fighting for, though when the answer is finally revealed, you'll think you knew all along. Some call this 'predictable'. I call it great acting. Guy Pearce delivers a winner of a show as well as the straight edge FBI agent chasing after Cheadle, though his character has been done to death, to be honest. Neal McDonough is somewhat annoying in a supporting role as Pearce's partner (though I think Neal is annoying anyway...), while Jeff Daniels is a nice addition to the team. I thought another great performance came from Said Taghmaoui, as Cheadle's terrorist partner. After one of the better villainous performances of the year in Vantage Point, Taghmaoui delivers a performance just as deep and riveting as Cheadle's. This guy is one of the more underrated performers around, and he should get more work outside of being a terrorist.

I like the character development within the script, but I have some issues with the pacing of the film, which I'll take up with our director. The film seemed slow at times, as I was constantly waiting for a particular moment to happen, while 5 pacing scenes would come in the way like a roadblock and just aggravate me a bit. It's nitpicking, but some of the action was a little nauseating because of the camera. STAND STILL, YO! A decent plot twist within the ending of the film doesn't hurt at all, and adds a great element of surprise and depth to some characters.

All in all, Traitor is definitely worth a watch if you're looking to see something different to escape what is usually the graveyard for films...August. Cheadle's performance alone is worth the ticket. Taghmaoui's as well.

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37 out of 51 people found the following comment useful :-
Traitor is great film with genuine action, but it also makes you think., 1 September 2008

Author: KramedogReturns from United States

For the life of me, I still can't figure out why Traitor is getting such poor promotion, but if I were the studio I'd be trying my damnedest to get people into the theatre to this. It has got a great cast in Guy Pearce, Jeff Daniels and the lead role by Don Cheadle. Don't be fooled by the commercials that say that "Traitor is this year's Bourne Ultimatem", because this is clearly not true. While there is plenty of mystery and conspiracy to go around, this is a completely different situation that really makes the viewer think at the end of the movie. The great thing about Traitor is the fact that politics aren't heavy-handed or one-sided a la Syriana or any of the other cookie cutter political thrillers out there. The film really allows the viewer to draw their one conclusions based their own individual moral compass. I would say that anyone who is NOT looking for just another Michael Bay-esquire popcorn flick should totally love Traitor.

-J.

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23 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Thinking Man's Spy Thriller, 26 September 2008

Author: ven2s from Memphis

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.

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22 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
Gritty perspective on the war on terrorism, 1 September 2008

Author: Aguas from United States

Don Cheadle selected another excellent role for himself in a movie that tells the tail of Jihad from the Western and Muslim perspective. If you are expecting an action flick, this is the wrong movie for you. Traitor focuses more on personal relationships than high-tech weapons. The movie makes good use of the actuals tactics and methodology of present day jihadists. But some of the terms, such as the halawas, could be better defined. The way the movie portrays interaction between American security agencies is interesting, but better represents the Cold War era than modern day. The limited information presented about Cheadle's past also leaves just enough for the imagination to wonder. The one negative is that Archie Panjabi's character was not developed enough. She did a solid job with the few lines she was given. However, a more developed Panjabi character would have added more depth to Cheadle. Overall, very good movie that makes you think.

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11 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
Great acting, stupid movie, 3 November 2008

Author: jack_thursby from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Traitor" is an attempt to take us inside a modern-day Islamic terrorist group by telling the story of Samir Horn (played by Don Cheadle). The movie leaves us guessing as to Samir's true loyalties as he gets involved in planning a major terror attack on the US, while FBI agent Roy Clayton (played by Guy Pearce) leads the government effort to thwart the plot.

On the positive side, the acting in "Traitor" is uniformly great, without standout performances from Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce as the lead characters. The direction and cinematography are at a high level as well.

So what's the problem with "Traitor" then? The problem is that "Traitor" can't decide what kind of movie it wants to be: a silly action movie, or an intelligent thriller. "Traitor" starts out as a slow-paced, intelligent, story-based thriller, but at the halfway point, it turns into a silly Hollywood action movie that unfortunately, doesn't have a lot of action.

A more consistent story would have made "Traitor" a better film. The first half of "Traitor" is quite compelling and effective as it establishes the characters and sets the story in motion. But as the movie enters silly action-thriller territory, all the tension and mood built up in the first half of the film is lost. And as mentioned earlier, there's simply not enough action sequences to make up for the foolish story.

It's a real shame that the movie makers didn't end "Traitor" with the same focus and determination with which they started it because the movie had a lot of potential.

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28 out of 51 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent movie., 2 September 2008

Author: PWNYCNY from United States

This is an excellent movie. This was evident by the fact that while the movie was playing the audience stayed absolutely quiet. Usually when a movie is a clunker the audience starts fidgeting and becomes restless. This movie kept the audience's attention. The star of this movie was Guy Pearce who gives a compelling performance as a government operative. Of course, Don Cheadle gives another excellent performance, this time playing a character whose loyalty is put to the test under the strangest circumstances. The story immediately grabs the audience's attention and dramatizes the dynamics and issues relating to the government's response to terrorism and provides an interesting take on the challenges associated with police work and undercover infiltration.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining but nothing new, 25 December 2008

Author: valleyjohn (j.taylor147@gmx.com) from Biggleswade

Back in my youth it was always the case that movie bad guys were pretty much an uncomplicated bunch. The enemy used to be either Red Indians or The Germans. Then came the IRA (for us Brits ) and the Russians . Sinister foe's who were willing to go that one step further for their cause. Since 9/11 a far more fearful enemy has appeared on the scene. A brain washed enemy that is willing to die in the name of religion - The fundamentalist Muslims . Because of the terrifying prospect of what they have done and what they could do again , Hollywood have jumped on the band wagon and profited from a string of movies about the subject . None of which have been outstanding yet most have been entertaining. Traitor fits perfectly in that bracket .

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. A mysterious figure with a web of connections to terrorist organizations, Horn has a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation goes down.

The inter-agency task force looking into the case meets with Carter,a veteran CIA contractor who seemingly has his own agenda and Max Archer, fellow FBI agent. The task force links Horn to a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, but a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his quarry is a disaffected former military operative--or something far more complicated.

Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue.

I like Don Cheadle. I can forgive him for one of the worst ever English accents in the Ocean's films because despite that he is normally very good at his trade. He was brilliant in Boogie Nights and i loved his performance Reign Over Me. His performance is probably the best thing about Traitor.

Although thoroughly entertaining , this film has nothing new in it to recommend it any more than say - The Kingdom or Body of Lies - and if you have seen either of those films you have seen Traitor.

It's good to see Guy Pearce too . A highly underrated actor who has hardly put a foot wrong since his days in the extremely naff Australian Soap Opera "Neighbours". His best performance to date being the lead in the stunning movie "Momento".

This film reminds me a lot of the US TV series " Sleeper Cell" . Don Cheadle's character is asked to basically do the same thing in this as Darwyn Al-Sayeed does did in that show.

To sum up traitor is 2 hours of fast flowing predictable fair that is hard to criticise but is also difficult heap praise on.

7 out of 10

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