What Do The Critics Say?

"Ripped-from-the-headlines realism, top-drawer performances by Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce, a dandy 'ticking clock' story structure and a vast catalog of terrorist modus operandi make this as harrowing as it is timely. Cheadle and Pearce give the movie its juice and make the cat and mouse stuff fascinating. McDonough, as the F.B.I. sidekick, gets the few funny lines." Roger Moore ORLANDO SENTINEL "The smartest, savviest, most seditious movie yet about the 'global war on terror'. Traitor is the best that movies can be, in lots of ways. It’s familiar but still gripping: there were plot elements that, in retrospect, I should have seen coming, but didn’t. By far one of the best movies of 2008 so far." MaryAnn Johanson FLICK FILOSOPHER "Tense, unpredictable and intriguing, terrorism weaves a tangled web of conspiracy." Susan Granger SSG SYNDICATE "Don Cheadle and Guy Pierce are at the top of their acting game." Jackie Cooper JACKIE COOPER.COM "Cheadle is outstanding. That's no surprise; he's a fantastic actor." Bill Goodykoontz ARIZONA REPUBLIC "Traitor is smart, effective, and at times suspenseful. It's one of a very few terrorist-themed movies that presents its situation without resorting to exploitation or oversimplification." James Berardinelli REEL REVIEWS "Traitor or Patriot? Terrorist or hero? The answer is subjective and what I like about this complex drama is that we become party to both sides. Kilian's music score is outstanding, adding to the tension that builds to the story's natural climax and we are engrossed." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

"Cheadle and Pearce are equally good in their roles, and their characters are given real feeling through Nachmanoff's pungent script, which provides the viewer with significant background and depth on the two leads. Traitor is a quality thriller. Nachmanoff's screenplay delves into the inner workings of how a terrorist cell could conceivably operate." Andrew J McGlinn FILMINK "Traitor is filled with more surprises and originality than last year's much ballyhooed "Michael Clayton" and Don Cheadle deserves much of the credit. "Traitor" is a sort of coming out role for Don Cheadle. He received an Oscar nomination for his lead performance in the excellent but criminally unseen "Hotel Rwanda." Cheadle is well supported by an excellent cast that includes Guy Pierce and Neal McDonough as persistent FBI agents, Jeff Daniels as a CIA handler, and most effectively Said Taghmaoui as extremist insider Omar." Bruce Bennett MAD ABOUT MOVIES "A solid, intelligent international thriller showcasing the underrated Don Cheadle in an intriguing and morally ambiguous role. This is the sort of movie best approached without prior knowledge." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST "Starts with the complexity and credibility of a John LeCarre spy story and transforms itself into an action thriller of the Frederick Forsyth mold. Cheadle's performance forms the core of this film." Mark R Leeper REC & ARTS MOVIE REVIEWS "Guy Pearce is tight as a wound spring as the FBI Agent in pursuit, and Don Cheadle gives a remarkable performance as the devout Muslim whose faith gives him the real moral ground for seeking change. Nothing is quite as it seems, although we are privy to the plot device half way through, a decision that the filmmakers must have agonised over. It's a gripping and satisfying film." Andrew L Urban URBAN CINEFILE

The Inside Story Traitor began its journey to the big screen when Steve Martin presented an intriguing idea to producer David Hoberman while they were working together on the blockbuster 2003 comedy "Bringing Down the House". Martin’s 'What if' scenario immediately captured Hoberman’s imagination with its provocative contemporary themes and surprising final twist. The concept of a former U.S. operative who goes on the run was rich with creative possibilities, says Hoberman. "I thought it was a fantastic starting point for a film." Hoberman and his partner Todd Lieberman chose Jeffrey Nachmanoff, who wrote the script for the climate change action thriller The Day After Tomorrow, to develop Martin’s concept into a script. Nachmanoff was given a short treatment of the basic plot of Traitor. "I immediately thought ‘Wow, this is a great twist ending,’ but I had no idea how you could get there," says Nachmanoff ("The Day After Tomorrow"). "I started thinking about the character and who he might be. I decided that it would raise the stakes to make the protagonist a Muslim American who finds himself in the middle of the conflict." Shortly after Nachmanoff turned in his first draft, actor Don Cheadle read it and approached the filmmakers. The depth with which Nachmanoff presented his story, even at that early stage, drew Cheadle’s production company to the project, says executive producer Arlene Gibbs ("American Gun"), who serves as senior vice president of production at Crescendo Productions. "We liked the script because it had so many layers. Jeffrey took a very complicated issue and made it entertaining." "For me, as a first-time director, to have a star and producing partner like Don Cheadle was just an incredible gift," says Nachmanoff. "He's one of the most talented actors we have, and he's also an incredibly smart man." For 2001 Black Reel Award winner Cheadle ("Traffic"), Traitor’s nuanced take on a popular genre was the drawing card. "It’s a spy thriller and hopefully it succeeds on that level. And in addition to the action and intrigue, Traitor is about a man who is struggling to do the right thing while, at the same time, trying to figure out what 'the right thing' means. It’s a provocative question: how far will you go for what you believe? Putting people in dangerous situations and having to sacrifice lives is something his superiors may require, but it’s something that his faith prohibits him from doing and speaks directly against," the 2008 BAFTA/LA Humanitarian Award recipient explained. "So he’s in a conundrum: how many lives do you sacrifice for the greater good, and how can an individual make that decision?" "The question of who Horn is, says what his real motivations are, what he’s trying to do and how he’s trying to achieve his goals, is the intriguing part of the film," says Nachmanoff ("The Big Gig"). The drirector/writer describes the film as "a mix of action and politics and espionage. I’m a big fan of action movies and I love it when a movie can blend both elements. We get a chance to blow some things up, have some amazing fight sequences, some gunfire, and those kinds of exciting elements within a broader story that is a character-based drama." Cheadle and Nachmanoff spent considerable time refining the script. "We worked through it together, a number of times," Nachmanoff recalls. "I think some actors take the title of producer but don't really do much. Don really thinks about the whole movie." And the director who was originally proposed departed to pursue another project, Nachmanoff put himself forward. "I made my case to the producers. I told them, 'I have the passion for this, I have the energy, I know how to do this and I'll do it on a smaller budget.' Somehow I convinced the producers I was the right person for this. Don agreed to roll the dice with me. It had really become very much a partnership by then." Crescendo approached Chris McGurk ("The Brothers Grimm"), CEO of newly created Overture Films, with whom Cheadle had worked previously on Hotel Rwanda. McGurk and Overture president of production Danny Rosett ("Capote") responded positively to the script and Nachmanoff was approved as director. With a green light from Overture, the production began to move forward again. Hoberman brought in EMMY Award winning producer Jeffery Silver ("The Wonder Years"), to pull together the production’s formidable logistics. "I loved the subject matter," he said. "To me it's a zeitgeist film. This film looks at difficult questions about the world, and it does it in a very entertaining package." The filmmakers were committed to making the most accurate film they could about the hidden world they were depicting. Nachmanoff spoke with professionals in the fields of espionage and intelligence gathering as well as academics and authors specializing in the film’s wide-ranging subject matter. The deeper he dug into the world he was recreating in the film, the more he wanted to know. "I started finding that there were all sorts of fascinating and rich, real details that could be layered into the film." "Our goal has always been to make an entertaining movie with the by-product of having something to say about the world. We wanted to make it entertaining and realistic at the same time," says Hoberman. How would he describe the film? "A thinking man’s thriller," he said. With a green light to go ahead, it was now time to cast the film. The story of Cheadle's character Samir Horn, the figure at the centre of Traitor’s international race against time, is counterbalanced by that of Roy Clayton, the FBI agent pursuing him. The filmmakers turned to 2002 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Sierra Award winner Guy Pearce ("Memento") to play Clayton, whom they envisioned as an FBI agent unlike any previously seen in films. "We wanted to depict Clayton as a nontraditional FBI agent," says Silver ("Training Day"). "Somebody who did not rely on the old culture of the FBI, but came to it fresh from academia." Nachmanoff was aware of Pearce’s abilities from his memorable performances in critically acclaimed films such as "Memento" and "L.A. Confidential". "Guy is one of those actors who is hard to take your eyes off when he is very still. He has a way of holding the screen with a tremendous intensity. When you see him on screen, you can see the wheels turning in his head." Pearce ("Death Defying Acts") says he enjoyed working with Cheadle, although their scenes together were actually quite brief. "It was almost like two film shoots, with two different stories. Don and his team have an objective, and part of that objective is to not be caught by us. We turn up in another country in every scene, because we’re always right on their tails." The producers, looking for a distinctly different energy for Clayton’s partner, Max Archer (an old school law-enforcement type), cast 2004 Golden Satellite Award winner Neal McDonough ("Boomtown") in the role. "Neal gave a completely different reading from anyone else I saw," says Nachmanoff. "He had a certain humor about him that I thought was really needed for the movie." "Neal gave a completely different reading from anyone else I saw. He had a certain humor about him that I thought was really needed for the movie. He brings a strong presence, but he also brings a lightness to the role." "I’m the old FBI, Guy’s the new," says McDonough. "There’s a great scene in the film that defines the two trains of thought. Clayton and Archer are interrogating Samir and they differ about how to get information out of a guy. There’s Guy’s way, which is talking about it, and there’s my way, which is punching it out of him." "Archer is your traditional FBI agent who comes at it from a law enforcement perspective. He is out there to fight crime, and he sees crime, and he's going after it. He does the job that we expect the FBI to do," Silver says. 2006 Chlotrudis Best Supporting Actor Award winner Jeff Daniels ("The Squid and the Whale") was cast to play one of the film’s most mysterious and morally ambiguous characters, Carter, a shadowy independent contractor for the CIA and the person closest to the truth about Samir Horn. Daniels ("Good Night, and Good Luck") describes his character as, "one of these guys that you don’t read about because they are doing things that aren’t necessarily what people on either side of the aisle would deem proper. He’s one of those guys that will do whatever it takes to get to his goal." Remaining true to their 'keep it real' approach equally applied to casting the those actors who would play the Arabs roles convincingly. They chose not to cast non-Arab actors. "We didn't want to go that way. We wanted to go out into the Arab community and find the actors. We got Aly Khan, we got Saïd Taghmaoui and we cast many individuals from Morocco. The truth that they bring to the role as Arabs, many of them as Muslims, imbues the film with a quality that you can't direct," says Silver. French-Moroccan actor Saïd Taghmaoui ("The Kite Runner" & "Vantage Point"), was cast in the pivotal role of Omar. "Omar was one of the key roles I had to cast," says Nachmanoff. "He’s a character who represents something I think most people in the American audience will find reprehensible. On the other hand, I wanted the character to be likable. So, it was a tricky balance trying to find an actor that could pull those two things off." 2000 Mannheim-Heidelberg International Filmfestival Award winner Taghmaoui (who grew up Muslim just outside of Paris and was a champion boxer before turning to acting), believes his background gives him valuable insight into his character. "Omar is definitely not a brain," he says. "He's more like a weapon. He's totally devoted to the cause. He and Samir are like two soldiers on the battlefield, fighting for the same cause." Aly Khan ("A Mighty Heart"), was cast as the mysterious money man Fareed. Nachmanoff describes Khan as "a refined and powerful presence. He’s a terrific Fareed: hard to dislike, because he has such charm and charisma. The character is one of the less sympathetic in the movie, but Aly makes it work." The producers thought that casting Arab actors in these parts would provide a benefit of simplify the language issues. They were wrong. "In each of the areas in the film, people speak a different dialect of Arabic," says Silver. Cheadle ("Devil in a Blue Dress" & "Hamburger Hill") was the only actor who had to learn Arabic for the film. "It was definitely challenging but it was necessary for this character, who was steeped in his faith and steeped in this world. I worked with dialect coaches and language professors who helped define the proper way to talk. Our default was trying to go to classic Arabic, the Arabic that the Koran is written in." Synopsis

When 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 complex web of international connections, Horn has a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation goes down and disappearing before the authorities can question him. He's recently escaped from a prison in Yemen. The inter-agency task force looking into the case meets with Carter, an amoral, veteran CIA contractor who seems to have his own agenda, and, FBI agent Max Archer. The task force links Horn to illicit activities in Yemen, Nice and 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 constructed of secrets and lies.

The Verdict "Many critics like to tell their readers that Don Cheadle first grabbed cinemagoers attention when he starred alongside future dual Oscar ® winner Denzel Washington ("Glory" 1989 & "Training Day" 2001) in Carl Franklin's 1995 film, "Devil in a Blue Dress". While he did make a big impression in that film, I like to think it was John Irvin's 1987 film. "Hamburger Hill" that kick started his career. Now critics are calling him 'the go to man'. And why not? After huge successes with "Crash" and then "Hotel Rwanda"; roles in such diverse films as "Boogie Nights", "Traffic", "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" and, appearing in all three editions of the "Ocean's" franchise (Ocean's 11, 12 & 13) Cheadles credibility as an actor is at an all-time high. "Traitor" proves my point that he was dead unlucky when he failed to pick up an Oscar ® for his role as Paul Rusesabagina in "Hotel Rwanda". Of course he was up against Jamie Foxx ("Ray") who played the iconic American music legend, Ray Charles. As he did in "Hotel Rwanda", Cheadle deserves all the kudos, fans and critics are heaping on him for his performance as Samir Horn in the triller/drama, "Traitor". As the 'engine' of this engrossing film, Cheadle is well supported by first class performances from Guy Pierce ("The Proposition"), Neal McDonough ("Minority Report"), Jeff Daniels ("Good Night, and Good Luck"), and Said Taghmaoui (The Good Thief") as Omar." Very Recommended. 4 STARS." Crew Bytes "TRAITOR" was .......
directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff ["The Big Gig" and "Hollywood Palms"]; set decoration by Jaro Dick ["The Tuxedo", "New York Minute" and "30 Days of Night"]; art direction by Rocco Matteo ["Indian Summer", "The Stupids" and "The Sentinel"]; costume design by Gersha Phillips ["Narc", "Are We There Yet?" and "Talk to Me"]; production design by Laurence Bennett ["Modern Guys", "Fire in the Sky" and "In the Valley of Elah"]; edited by Billy Fox ["Hustle & Flow", "Four Brothers" and "Black Snake Moan"]; director of photography 1987 Silver Raven Award winner J Michael Muro ["Roll Bounce" and "Rush Hour 3"]; original music by Mark Kilian ["Tsotsi", "The Bird Can't Fly" and "Rendition"]. Who's Who

Don Cheadle Guy Pearce Saïd Taghmaoui Neal McDonough Alyy Khan Archie Panjabi Raad Rawi Hassam Ghancy Mozhan Marnò Adeel Akhtar Jeff Daniels Lorena Gale Scali Delpeyrat Mehdi Ortelsberg Aizoun Abdelkader Mohamed Choubi Farid Regragui Hamdane Habibe Youness Sardi Joseph Beddelem Alaa Oumouzoune Tom Barnett Simon Reynolds Matt Gordon

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Samir Horn Roy Clayton Omar Max Archer Fareed Chandra Dawkin Nathir Bashir Leyla Hamzi Carter Dierdre Horn Inspector Gilles Ali Ahmed Security Force Captain Wadi Scarecrow Omar's Crew Omar's Crew Omar's Crew Andrew Kelly Ted Blake Simon

Run Time 114 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - Paramount Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.