 |
This Islamic-terrorist thriller takes us halfway around the world — from Yemen to Marseilles to the south of Spain — before landing on our shores to introduce us to the terrorists in our midst: your barista, the female college student, the country boy. Writer/director Jeffrey Nachmanoff (not to mention Steve Martin, who gets a story credit) isn’t above preying on our fears. Traitor, however, is never as exciting as an episode of 24, or even as believable. Still, it has a hell of a lead character, thanks in large part to Don Cheadle’s locked-in performance. Cheadle plays a Sudanese-American who may be a devout Muslim, may be a rogue weapons salesman, may be working for the US government — or may be all three. In a gimmicky first hour, all we know is that he’s working with the bad guys, the FBI is after him (there’s a bit of Jason Bourne in him), and he’s played by Don Cheadle, so things will probably turn out okay. 114 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Somerville Theatre + Circle/Chestnut Hill + Suburbs
