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"TRAITOR" (2008) (Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Moderate Extreme Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Minor Extreme None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Moderate Moderate Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Dramatic Thriller: Faced with a Muslim-American bomb maker working with foreign terrorists, U.S. Government officials race against the clock to find and stop him before his work is used to kill and create terror across various locations in America. PLOT: Having seen his father die decades ago in a car explosion, Muslim-American Samir Horn (DON CHEADLE) is no stranger to the world of bombs, detonators and such. He now sells such materials and his expertise to terrorist organizations, with his latest client being Omar (SAID TAGHMAOUI), a radical Muslim who works for suave businessman Fareed (ALY KHAN) and their big terrorist boss, Nathir (RAID RAWI). This is unsettling news for FBI agents Roy Clayton (GUY PEARCE) and Max Archer (NEAL McDONOUGH) who once interrogated but got nothing from Samir following a raid on a terrorist stronghold. With Fareed's men staging a prison break, Samir and Omar are back on the streets again, and the FBI is understandably anxious to stymie their efforts, while the likes of Carter (JEFF DANIELS), a CIA official, also have a vested interest in the men. With word that Nathir now has operatives in the U.S., Roy races against the clock -- and keeps an eye on Samir's contacts, such as former girlfriend Chandra Dawkin (ARCHIE PANJABI) -- hoping to find and stop the terrorists before they strike. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Unless they're fans of someone in the cast or dramatic thrillers about terrorists and such, it doesn't seem too likely, especially among pre-teens. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DON CHEADLE plays a foreign born, Muslim American who, for reasons revealed later in the film, sells bombs and detonators to interested terrorist parties. He ends up getting involved with Omar and his superiors, supplying them with such goods, all while operating from an ulterior motive that puts him in an awkward middle-ground. A highly religious man, he also smokes and uses profanity. GUY PEARCE plays the FBI official who's trying to find and stop him and the other terrorists, but is less hard-line than his partner, Max. He uses some profanity. SAID TAGHMAOUI plays the terrorist who befriends Samir and appreciates the dedication the latter brings to their endeavor. Operating from the belief that their actions will free their people, he sees death and collateral damage as necessary evils stemming from their cause. JEFF DANIELS plays a CIA official who's covertly working with Samir, although no one but the two of them is aware of that. NEAL McDONOUGH plays Roy's old-school partner who'd prefer to beat information out of all the suspects rather than talk with them. He does some of that, and uses profanity, some of it briefly strong. ALY KHAN and RAID RAWI play Omar's superiors, terrorist masterminds who want to kill to inspire fear in the hearts and minds of their enemies. ARCHIE PANJABI plays Samir's former girlfriend, a photojournalist who draws the attention of the feds. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this dramatic thriller that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue is present, while male nudity is blocked or just out of the camera shot, and a few women are briefly seen in bikinis. Violence consists of people being killed by various means (explosions, gunfire, being thrown off a bridge, etc.), while there's also some fighting. Some of those scenes and moments of potential peril might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers, and some of that violence has bloody results, but nothing entering R-rated territory The bomb-based terrorism and other behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Some characters drink and/or smoke, all sorts of bad attitudes are present, and there's brief tense family material. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of handheld camera movement in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Miscellaneous people drink. Samir, Fareed and Omar have champagne in a restaurant where miscellaneous people drink. Miscellaneous people have drinks. Archer has a drink on a plane. BLOOD/GORE A car suddenly explodes, killing Samir's father and slightly bloodying, from a distance, young Samir's nose. Archer says that Roy is outside "taking a piss." Samir has a bloody lip. We see dried blood on Samir's sleeve from where a prisoner earlier sliced him. A terrorist has some bloody scrapes on his face and bandages elsewhere from being wounded. We see photos of a dead terrorist teen, with a few bloody scrapes on his head. We see a pool of blood next to a man who's just been shot and killed. We see a slightly bloody bullet hole in a dead terrorist's head. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We initially learn that Samir is an equal opportunity salesman of custom made detonators to be used in terrorist bombs. Later, he poses as a worker to plant a bomb in the U.S. Consulate building. He then walks away and detonates it (we hear but don't see the explosion), and then hear that a number of people were killed (to Samir's shock as he thought the building was supposed to be vacant). We later see part of the damaged building. All of the terrorists obviously have bad attitudes for their deadly actions. Samir won't confess or discuss anything with Roy and Max (with the latter punching Samir in the gut to try to force and/or intimidate him). Omar is initially mad at Samir, thinking he led the raid to their terrorist location, but they soon become allies. A prison bully tries picking on Samir who avoids the man's shiv a few times, and then fights him and others. The bully tries this again later. Omar, Samir and others are allowed to escape from a prison by either corrupt police or someone impersonating the police. Some students talk of having been subjected to ethnic profiling. It turns out an FBI employee is an inside man for the terrorists. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material, particularly regarding terrorism. A suspicious terrorist readies his handgun when Samir shows up selling detonators. A terrorist drives up to a tourist area, but panics when his car bomb won't detonate. He then gets out and runs, and when a person walks up to the vehicle, it then explodes, with many people blasted backwards, and at least one being on fire (we hear that 11 died). There's talk that Nathir has sent operatives into the U.S. for an attack. We hear that the terrorists' plan is to simultaneously detonate bombs on 50 buses in the U.S. Samir grabs Roy and the two fight and struggle. Samir eventually disarms Roy, holding his handgun to his neck before striking him over the head to knock him out. Some viewers may worry about Samir when his only contact (who could confirm what's really been happening) is shot and killed. The same holds true when Fareed expresses doubts about Samir's judgment and possibly being involved with the feds. For a moment, it appears that Omar (under orders from Fareed) is going to kill Samir, but that's called off. Samir hurries to send email in a cyber cafe before Omar returns and realizes what he's really doing. Viewers may worry when they see the various terrorist operatives in the U.S. prepping their bombs and then boarding their buses to carry out their terrorist acts. Roy and Max race to find Samir and the others somewhere around a port before the terrorists pull off their strike. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Missiles/Bombs/Shiv Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. Various men carry various sorts of weapons in various scenes. A suspicious terrorist readies his handgun when Samir shows up selling detonators. Samir demos a bomb vest to others, but warns them of the dangers regarding it. We see Samir assembling bombs. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Bad f*cking news for you," "Your pee shooter ain't worth sh*t," "Sure as sh*t," "Piece of sh*t," "Crazy sh*t," "We can't play around with this sh*t," "Can we please dispense with the horse-sh*t?" "I don't give a sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Don't bullsh*t me," "You gotta be sh*tting me," "You haven't stopped sh*t," "Get laid," "Outside taking a piss," "The only difference between you and him is he knows he's an asshole," "What the hell is wrong with you?" "You're a persistent son of a bitch," "Because I didn't try to beat the crap out of him like you did" and "What the hell /happened/are you talking about?" It's possible the film could inspire some kids to attempt copycat terrorist actions. A miscellaneous man has several ear piercings. We see miscellaneous graffiti in several scenes. Samir has a tattoo on his shoulder. We hear that the terrorists' plan is to simultaneously detonate bombs on 50 buses in the U.S. We see miscellaneous tattoos. JUMP SCENES A car suddenly explodes. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 12 "s" words, 1 slang term for sex ("laid"), 3 hells, 2 asses (1 used with "hole"), 1 crap, 1 S.O.B. and 1 use of "Good God." SEX/NUDITY Samir, Omar and other prisoners stand in a line, presumably fully nude, waiting for a shower (we only see their bare chests and backs). Later, we see Samir shirtless in his cell. We see miscellaneous women in bikinis. Archer sarcastically comments on the terrorists and their belief of meeting virgins in the afterlife, saying they'd blow themselves up "to get laid." Chandra shows a little cleavage. We see a miscellaneous shirtless man. We may see a nude man seated in a chair (but nothing explicit is seen due to the camera angle and objects in the way), while another man is bare-chested while shaving. SMOKING Samir smokes at least 5 times, Omar smokes at least once, and a few miscellaneous characters smoke. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Young Samir sees his father killed when the latter's car suddenly explodes. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Terrorism and terrorists. Omar's chess metaphor about his cause, saying one should be willing to sacrifice pawns to win the "game." He also states that tactics always change, and that you don't defeat the empire by playing by their rules. Omar stating that Americans were the equivalent of terrorists to the English during the American Revolution. The fact that Samir was in the U.S. Army. Samir stating that he doesn't feel home anywhere. Archer sarcastically comments on the terrorists and their belief of meeting virgins in the afterlife, saying they'd blow themselves up "to get laid." The comment that every religion has more than one face. The tactic of living like your enemy to blend in and thus allow you to defeat them. Terrorists who use religion as the justification for their acts. Some students talk of having been subjected to ethnic profiling. Omar and Samir spreading propagandistic beliefs to newcomers. Omar saying their terrorist actions are about setting their people free. Roy's comment that nobody gets dragged into a street fight. The comment that terrorism is theater performed for an audience designed to evoke fear everywhere. Carter's comment that this is a war and you do what it takes to win. Samir's comment that everyone answers to God. VIOLENCE Young Samir sees his father killed when the latter's car suddenly explodes. Armed soldiers raid a terrorist location, shooting at and hitting various people there (but with very little in the way of bloody results), while Samir is struck with the butt of a gun. After that, one captured prisoner is manhandled and hit by guards. Max slaps Samir and then punches him hard in the gut. A prison bully tries picking on Samir who avoids the man's shiv a few times, but finally gets sliced in the arm while delivering and taking various punches from the bully and others. During this, Samir appears to break the bully's arm and head-butts another person, but is then punched and kicked repeatedly by others. That same prison bully slaps Samir on the head and pushes him, but Omar intervenes, verbally threatening that other prisoner who then backs down. A terrorist drives up to a tourist area, but panics when his car bomb won't detonate. He then gets out and runs, and when a person walks up to the vehicle, it then explodes, with many people blasted backwards, and at least one being on fire (we hear that 11 died). A missile is fired into a prison wall, followed by machine gun fire. Another missile hits and explodes, and we see some bodies on the ground, while Omar, Samir and others rush through the chaos to escape. More veteran terrorists chase after a younger one when it's learned he told someone of their plans. They catch and push him down, followed by throwing him off a bridge and down onto a passing train (we hear but don't see the impact). Samir is mad about this and pushes one of those men who pushes him back. We later see photos of that dead teen, with a few bloody scrapes on his head. Samir poses as a worker to plant a bomb in the U.S. Consulate building. He then walks away and detonates it (we hear but don't see the explosion), and then hear that a number of people were killed (to Samir's shock as he thought the building was supposed to be vacant). We later see part of the damaged building. We see two raids where armed officials go after terrorists and one man is shot with machine guns. Samir grabs Roy and the two fight and struggle. Samir eventually disarms Roy, holding his handgun to his neck before striking him over the head to knock him out. To avoid blowing their cover, Samir fakes a fight with another man, punching him and then firing his gun into the air and then at the fleeing man (purposefully missing). A third man, however, shoots and downs the fleeing man, and then walks over and shoots him again to make sure (we then see a pool of blood on the ground next to the dead man). Samir grabs a terrorist guard and bangs his head onto something hard twice, knocking him out. He then shoots two terrorists dead, while Omar shoots back at Samir. Samir then puts down his weapon and Omar aims his gun at him, but officials then storm in, shoot Omar and hit Samir. A bus explodes, presumably killing everyone onboard it (mostly terrorists). Reviewed August 4, 2008 / Posted August 27, 2008

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