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Last Updated: Oct 8th, 2008 - 07:27:40 |
Actor Don Cheadle and his new film “Traitor” deliver a knock-out blow in a story about the so-called “war on terror.” The strength of the film, which takes us from Africa, to the Middle East, to Paris and then to the U.S., is a narrative that includes Muslims and Islam in a manner that is not simplistic or stereotypical.
But this rare Wednesday release for an artistic film, coming during the historic Democratic Convention that is expected to nominate the first African American as a presidential candidate, makes “Traitor” also a player in the high-stakes game of signs and symbols of the election season. In New York City, large-scale posters advertising the film featured a huge image of Cheadle’s face with the word “Traitor” in large type. As star of the film, Cheadle introduces the idea of Black people as Muslims who may be conflicted about allegiance to the United States, which has killed upward of a million Iraqi civilians and is considered to be the military might behind aggression toward Palestinian people. All of these ideas and images come at a time when the team backing Sen. Barack Obama is struggling mightily to convince some Americans that the first black presidential party nominee is not a “secret Muslim,” or a high-level operative of Al-Queda, or not “American enough,” or whatever gossip is being broadcast by the likes of Fox News or Rush Limbaugh.
Thankfully, “Traitor” does not play into our worst expectations of Hollywood. It offers a look into the worlds of Islam and terrorism and makes it clear that these are two separate worlds. When we first meet Samir Horn (Cheadle), he is a boy who lives with his father, a devout Muslim, in Africa. After Horn, who has an African-American mother, witnesses the murder of his father, we flash forward to the present when he is an adult with a web of associations with known terrorist organizations. Because of his involvements, he draws the attention of an FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce), who tracks him to locations across the globe, where Horn seems to be connected with a series of deadly bombings. But things aren’t always what they seem.
“Traitor” deserves high marks for not vilifying all Muslims or, on the other hand, making all American law enforcement officials into automatic heroes. Director-writer Jerry Nachmanoff, who wrote the screenplay for “The Day After Tomorrow,” once again shows his knack for exploring timely issues. His direction, in an on-the-ground manner with a variety of creative camera angles, draws us into a series of riveting scenes with explosive action.
This story does not give us all the answers and Horn’s character could be more fully drawn so that we better understand his motives. In spite of the script’s shortcomings, Cheadle carries the film well, while playing a complex man with a complex identity who is living a complex life. While Horn is not squeaky clean, he is not the 2008 Black boogie man. On the other hand, he is not a Black man who will be unrecognizable to Black people on the big screen.
This review also appeared on Tom Joyner's BlackAmericaWeb.com,/i>
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