
Traitor
2008, Action/Mystery and thriller, 1h 53m
170 Reviews 50,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Despite another reliable performance from Don Cheadle, Traitor suffers from too many cliches and an unfocused narrative. Read critic reviews
You might also like
Where to watch
Traitor Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Samir Horn
Roy Clayton

Omar
Max Archer
Fareed
Chandra Dawkin
News & Interviews for Traitor
Critic Reviews for Traitor
All Critics (170) | Top Critics (58) | Fresh (110) | Rotten (60)
-
Quote not available.
February 18, 2012 | Rating: B | Full Review… -
Much harder to see coming is the film's denouement, but that's only because of its extreme silliness.
March 31, 2009 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review… -
Traitor has its faults. It's overlong, contrived in parts and ultimately resorts to some predictable tactics. The irresistible question is whether the US would be making films like this if 9/11 hadn't happened.
March 27, 2009 | Rating: 4/5 -
More carefully measured than many of its American contemporaries, Traitor doesn't match the heights of Syriana, but sits comfortably above, say, The Kingdom for mapping out the complexities of its issues .
March 27, 2009 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Once the pieces fall into place, it loses momentum, meandering towards a contrived climax in which all ambiguity is swept aside and the forces of righteous democracy prove reassuringly triumphant.
March 27, 2009 | Rating: 3/6 | Full Review… -
The moral maze is not quite as murky as it should be, a suspicion that we may have misjudged the hero whisks the film back into the realms of fiction, and detracts from the issues it raises.
March 27, 2009 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Traitor
-
Jan 06, 2012Not bad...just really generic. There's just nothing that noteworthy about Traitor, which is exactly what I believed when I first heard about it. So this movie lived up to my expectations lol.Stephen S Super Reviewer
-
Sep 14, 2011A very hit or miss action/suspense film that stars Don Cheadle who I think is a decent, albeit boring, actor and he can very do little with the script and in the end we are left with a rather bland film. While there are some good chase sequences and well done action scenes the majority is rather underwhelming cohesively. A decent rental or lazy afternoon film but one that I wouldn't highly recommend.Chris B Super Reviewer
-
Jan 09, 2011More than halfway-decent, Traitor attempts to tell an objective tale, the struggles of an extremist from his side of the story. Don Cheadle delivers a magnificent performance, as the troubled Samir, unsure of where his loyalties truly lie. Traitor is mostly formulaic, but the intensity of the performances from Cheadle, Said Taghmaoui, Guy Pearce and the other actors definitely draws one in. The action sequences are definitely not thrown in for the sake of some random thrills - when something does explode, the effect is startling and even thought-provoking.Jedd Y Super Reviewer
-
Oct 01, 2010Below average movie. I didn't hate it or anything but I didn't really like a whole lot about it. Sure Don Cheadle is completely fine in this movie, but it's not like this script is really a showcase for him to show off his talents. Like I said, he's fine but it just felt like a very uninspired performance. It's like Don Cheadle probably knew this movie wasn't going to be good so he didn't even try. I don't necessarily BLAME him per se, but it's not something that I would do if I was an actor...a good one at least. I'd at least try to give it my all, to hopefully raise the quality of the movie a little bit. The thing also is, while it does deal with a very timely matter, the movie doesn't feel new at all. I feel like I've watched this movie millions of times before with a different actor as the lead. The story also muddled. There plot isn't exactly the most coherent, so that dragged the movie down. The entire movie just felt really uninspired, there was really no reason for this movie to be made other than...well I'm not exactly sure what the executives expected from this movie. It wasn't well promoted, it didn't have a huge star, and it got average reviews. It kinda sucks for Don Cheadle, because I would guess that if it was Will Smith or Denzel Washington in the role, more people would have watched it. Don Cheadle has never been a proven box-office draw so that hurt the movie's appeal. So I don't know, this movie is really just a failure on all grounds. I didn't hate it, butt there's absolutely no reason for why this movie was ever made. I'm going to forget about this movie a week from now.Jesse O Super Reviewer
Traitor Quotes
Samir Horn: | We're in prison in Yemen for terrorism. I wouldn't make any plans. |
Movie & TV guides
About Tomatometer
The percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given this movie a positive review
About Audience Score
The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher.
Verified