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Can
a film be simultaneously good and
forgettable?
"Traitor" is tense, action packed,
intelligent and occasionally riveting.
I can honestly say that I never once felt
like peeking at my watch. And yet,
somehow, after having left the theater, I am
already starting to forget it. It is
the kind of film that if someone asks you
about it in 6 months, when it hits DVD, you
will vaguely remember that you liked it
without being able to detail the plot.
Don Cheadle plays
Samir Horn, a Sudanese man who lived most of
his life in the USA, but now is suspected of
traveling throughout the middle east selling
weapons to the highest bidder. Guy
Pearce plays Roy Clayton, an FBI agent who
is tracing the clues of an international
terrorism conspiracy -- all of which lead to
Horn.
The film essentially
plays out like a routine cat and mouse
thriller that pits Clayton and Horn in a
race against time -- as it seems a massive
9/11-type strike is imminent.
The pace of the film
is terrific. The performances are
uniformly solid. Even the plot avoids
most of the typical contrivances and
clichés. I was struck by how
thoughtful the film was in depicting many
sides of the terrorist conundrum.
However, "Traitor" never has that memorable
moment... It never delivers that key scene
or climax which could set it apart from
other films in this genre.
"Traitor" is good at
everything without being great at anything.
I can't complain too much I suppose... but I
am not going to go out of my way to champion
it either.
©
Written by TC Candler |
