Rent Traitor (2008)

Lacking spark - Traitor review by CP Customer

Another entry in the burgeoning Middle East bombing genre, with the extremists and government agencies trying to outfox one another. Traitor promised to be more in-depth and tries to show Islam in a more favourable light. There certainly is more emphasis on Don Cheadle's character, who as a former US army volunteer finds what he sees goes against his religious beliefs. Although his backstory is never shown in any detail, only via dialogue. Before too long he is the number one suspect as semtex begins to appear in ever increasing frequency in the news headlines. He is the new bomb maker for a terrorist group that aims to strike fear into middle America itself. Compared to some of the more lavish and higher profile releases (Body of Lies), Traitor does a better job of explaining the roots of fundamentalism and the scenario of someone who is not an extremist. Yet it fails badly on other fronts, with supporting characters lacking depth and the talented cast including Jeff Daniels and Guy Pearce being under utilised. The ending is poor, with the last bombing being particularly unintentionally hilarious.