Traitor

Don Cheadle stars in this suspenseful thriller as Samir Horn, a devout American Muslim and Special Forces explosives expert working deep undercover to penetrate an Islamic terrorist group planning a series of high-profile bombings. Unfortunately, FBI agent Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce)—unaware of Horn's undercover status—is on the trail of Horn, who he believes is connected with the bombing of an American consulate in Europe. Of course, things really start to go bad when the only CIA contact (Jeff Daniels) who knows about Horn's true mission is killed in a shootout, after which Traitor shifts into high gear, with Horn engaged in seemingly futile efforts to short-circuit the suicide bombings while trying to stay one step ahead of Clayton and his assistant, Archer (Neal McDonough). With such terrific actors as Cheadle and Pearce in the leading roles, writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff's subtle and clever Traitor is a cut above the usual cat-and-mouse thriller. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Jeffrey Nachmanoff and actor Don Cheadle, a five-minute “Action!” featurette on the stunts and special effects, an “International Espionage” five-minute location featurette, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a fine thriller.] (E. Hulse)