Traitor (film)
Encyclopedia
Traitor is a 2008
American spy
thriller film, based on an idea by Steve Martin
who is also an executive producer. Written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff
, the film stars Don Cheadle
and Guy Pearce
in the lead roles.
) is an Arabic
-speaking Sudan
ese-American and devout Muslim
. His Sudanese Druze
father was killed by a car bomb when he was a child. As an adult, Horn is first seen operating as an arms dealer. While negotiating a deal with Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui
) in Yemen
he is arrested and thrown into a Yemeni jail. Later, Samir and Omar become friends and when Omar's people arrange an escape, he takes Samir with them.
Joining the Islamic Brotherhood, Samir uses the skills he learned as a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant with the U.S. Army Special Forces to bomb the U.S. consulate in Nice
, France
. The group then devises a plot to place suicide bombers on 50 buses in the U.S. during Thanksgiving
. Meanwhile, in London, the Islamic Brotherhood finds out Fareed is being targeted by the FBI and he escapes by a source in the FBI headquarters. It is revealed that Samir is working under deep cover for an intelligence contractor, Carter (Jeff Daniels
), with the United States government against terrorism. The FBI agents pursuing him don't know this, and Carter is killed by Omar.
Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) pursues Samir through numerous countries, resulting in their final confrontation in Halifax, Nova Scotia
, Canada
. While on board a cargo ship to Marseille, France, Samir learns the identity of Nathir and kills Nathir, Fareed, and when Omar is about to kill him, he tells that he switched the bombers' emails and he placed them all on the same bus so all of them died without victims. Canadian police, with the FBI, breaks in and kills Omar and injures Samir.
Later, under an El
bridge in Chicago, Samir tells Agent Clayton he feels guilty for killing innocent people. Samir tells Clayton that the Qur'an
says that to kill an innocent person is to kill all mankind. Clayton responds by noting that the Qur'an also says that by saving an innocent person, you have saved all mankind, and tells Samir he is a hero. The movie ends with Samir praying at a mosque.
(through Touchstone Pictures
), but was dropped owing to management change. But it was picked up by Overture Films
. Principal photography
started in early September, 2007, in Toronto
, Marseille
and Marrakesh
.
reported that 61% of critics gave positive reviews based on 155 reviews. Another review aggregator, Metacritic
, gave the film a 60/100 approval rating based on 29 reviews.
Cheadle's performance was praised. Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
gave the film three stars out of four and wrote in his review, "The movie proceeds quickly, seems to know its subject matter, is fascinating in its portrait of the inner politics and structure of the terrorist group, and comes uncomfortably close to reality. But what holds it together is the Cheadle character."
and the United States
and $2.2 million in other markets, including $800,000 in Australia, for a total $27.6 million worldwide.
, a 2010 Malayalam Indian film was an uncredited remake of Traitor.
2008 in film
This is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
American spy
Spy film
The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy . Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, John Le Carré, Ian Fleming and Len Deighton...
thriller film, based on an idea by Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
who is also an executive producer. Written and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Jeffrey Nachmanoff is an American screenwriter and director. He wrote the screenplay for the 2004 blockbuster film The Day After Tomorrow. He wrote and directed Traitor, which was released on August 27, 2008.-Filmography:-Unproduced work:...
, the film stars Don Cheadle
Don Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
and Guy Pearce
Guy Pearce
Guy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
in the lead roles.
Plot
Samir Horn (Don CheadleDon Cheadle
Donald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
) is an Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
-speaking Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese-American and devout Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. His Sudanese Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
father was killed by a car bomb when he was a child. As an adult, Horn is first seen operating as an arms dealer. While negotiating a deal with Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui
Saïd Taghmaoui is a French actor and screenwriter. One of his defining screen roles was that of Saïd in the award winning 1995 French film La Haine directed by Mathieu Kassovitz...
) in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
he is arrested and thrown into a Yemeni jail. Later, Samir and Omar become friends and when Omar's people arrange an escape, he takes Samir with them.
Joining the Islamic Brotherhood, Samir uses the skills he learned as a Special Forces Engineer Sergeant with the U.S. Army Special Forces to bomb the U.S. consulate in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The group then devises a plot to place suicide bombers on 50 buses in the U.S. during Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
. Meanwhile, in London, the Islamic Brotherhood finds out Fareed is being targeted by the FBI and he escapes by a source in the FBI headquarters. It is revealed that Samir is working under deep cover for an intelligence contractor, Carter (Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
), with the United States government against terrorism. The FBI agents pursuing him don't know this, and Carter is killed by Omar.
Meanwhile, FBI Special Agent Roy Clayton (Pearce) pursues Samir through numerous countries, resulting in their final confrontation in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. While on board a cargo ship to Marseille, France, Samir learns the identity of Nathir and kills Nathir, Fareed, and when Omar is about to kill him, he tells that he switched the bombers' emails and he placed them all on the same bus so all of them died without victims. Canadian police, with the FBI, breaks in and kills Omar and injures Samir.
Later, under an El
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
bridge in Chicago, Samir tells Agent Clayton he feels guilty for killing innocent people. Samir tells Clayton that the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
says that to kill an innocent person is to kill all mankind. Clayton responds by noting that the Qur'an also says that by saving an innocent person, you have saved all mankind, and tells Samir he is a hero. The movie ends with Samir praying at a mosque.
Cast
- Don CheadleDon CheadleDonald Frank "Don" Cheadle, Jr. is an American film actor and producer. Cheadle rose to prominence in the late 1990s and the early 2000s for his supporting roles in the Steven Soderbergh-directed films Out of Sight, Traffic, and Ocean's Eleven...
as Samir Horn - Guy PearceGuy PearceGuy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
as Agent Roy Clayton - Saïd TaghmaouiSaïd TaghmaouiSaïd Taghmaoui is a French actor and screenwriter. One of his defining screen roles was that of Saïd in the award winning 1995 French film La Haine directed by Mathieu Kassovitz...
as Omar - Neal McDonoughNeal McDonoughNeal P. McDonough is an American film, television and voice actor.-Career:In 1991, McDonough won the Best Actor Dramalogue for "Away Alone". McDonough has made many television and film appearances since then, including Band of Brothers, Boomtown, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report and The...
as Max Archer - Jeff DanielsJeff DanielsJeffrey Warren "Jeff" Daniels is an American actor, musician and playwright. He founded a non-profit theatre company, the Purple Rose Theatre Company, in his home state of Michigan...
as Carter - Archie Panjabi as Chandra Dawkin
- Mozhan MarnòMozhan Marnò-Personal life:Mozhan was born in Los Angeles, California and received her M.F.A from the Yale School of Drama.-Career:Marnò is best known for her role as Soraya M...
as Leyla - Lorena GaleLorena GaleLorena Gale was a Canadian actress, director, and writer. She was active onstage and in films and television since the 1980s...
as Dierdre Horn - Alyy Khan as Fareed
Production
The project was in development since 2002, and was originally set to be produced by Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
(through Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
), but was dropped owing to management change. But it was picked up by Overture Films
Overture Films
Overture Films, LLC is an American film production and distribution company. It is a subsidiary of Liberty Media ....
. Principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
started in early September, 2007, in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
and Marrakesh
Marrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
.
Critical response
Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 61% of critics gave positive reviews based on 155 reviews. Another review aggregator, Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, gave the film a 60/100 approval rating based on 29 reviews.
Cheadle's performance was praised. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
gave the film three stars out of four and wrote in his review, "The movie proceeds quickly, seems to know its subject matter, is fascinating in its portrait of the inner politics and structure of the terrorist group, and comes uncomfortably close to reality. But what holds it together is the Cheadle character."
Box office
The film opened #5 with $7 million on its opening weekend. As of November 23, the film has grossed $23.5 million in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and $2.2 million in other markets, including $800,000 in Australia, for a total $27.6 million worldwide.
Related films
AnwarAnwar (2010 film)
- External links : * * at Oneindia.in...
, a 2010 Malayalam Indian film was an uncredited remake of Traitor.