Movie-Traitor

Don Cheadle continues to take on roles that challenge viewers expectations. He does it again in Traitor (2008). It sounds like a fairly typical CIA thriller, but it turns out to be more than that, part thriller, part religious examination and part moral fable.

Cheadle plays a man born in the Sudan, a devout Muslim living in Chicago, who apparently has become an arms dealer selling to terrorists, per the FBI. What the FBI doesn't know, is Samir Horn (Cheadle) is working for a CIA handler to get closer to the leader of this terrorist cell than anyone ever has. But the CIA handler is killed about 2/3 of the way into the movie, and he is the only one that know Horn is not a terrorist.

Horn is working right next to killers, he must make bombs and have them be successful, but tries to limit the deaths the bombs bring. But each innocent that dies weighs on his soul, even though he saves many more lives in the process.

This is a very good movie, but just a small step away from being excellent. Like all thrillers, it sometimes relies just a tad too much on being in the right place at the right time. And it all wraps up a litel too neatly. But the movie itself does not denigrate from Cheadle's performance, which is great.