For the first time, a Muslim is not a victim. Review on Traitor Movie

It is a complex movie. Not so much because of the story but because what it tries to argue. And the argument is the same. Not all Muslims are terrorists. But are all terrorists Muslim? Not necessarily. Christianity has shown its dirty face to the world – Ku Klux Klan. Hinduism has shown its militant face to the world time and again. Therefore, perhaps the FBI agent Roy Clayton(played by Guy Pearce) says – “… seems like every religion has two faces”.

Traitor is the story of a deep cover CIA agent Samir Horn played by Don Cheadle. He is so deep cover no body but his handler knows that he even exists. His job predominantly is to track down terrorist cells. His cover is that he is a renegade US Army Special Forces Staff Sergeant who fought in Afghanistan and Bosnia and after watching the atrocities committed by the US Army turned against them. But he is no ordinary renegade. Now he works only for money – he sells explosives of all types and kinds to anyone who wants to buy and teaches them how to use them without blowing themselves up ‘unintentionally’. For which he charges decent sum of money. So ex Staff Sergeant Samir Horn(born of Sudanese father and American mother), who saw his father blown to bits before his very eyes in Sudan, has now turned his back to every cause and doesn’t care who kills whom as long he gets paid.

But while selling explosives to terrorists in Yemen one fine morning, he gets arrested by Yemen police and is thrown into a prison. There is gets in close contact with Omar and decides to infiltrate the terrorist group growing close to Omar and thereby gaining access to higher up terrorists who plan all the bombings. After this happens things start going other way and now the FBI’s looking for him with the only person who knows what Samir Horn really is, is dead.

The action and suspense sequences are good and while entertaining the audience there are episodes where the clash between hardline interpretation of the holy Quran and other Islamic texts against the actual and true interpretation comes into debate. As is obvious, the hardline interpretation is self serving and incorrect. Now, have we seen this before? Of course we have.

But this is the first movie I saw (Traitor) *where a Muslim is working as a deep cover agent for the CIA infiltrating terrorist outfits of his own brother Muslims so that anti-terrorist authorities can take them down. Here, Samir Horn is not a victim of the atrocities. He is actually taking part in terrorist activities with terrorist to establish his credibility. And in the end, he is the guy who takes down the terrorists himself. There are no passionate dialogues, no heated debates in the movie about what is the correct interpretation. Samir Horn knows what is right from what is wrong. It is the strength of his convictions that enable him to do what he does. One passionate episode in the movie was where the CIA handler reminds Samir to remember who he answers to Samir walks away and says, “I answer to God”. Such is the courage of this man.

I was extremely pleasing to see that there is no rhetoric in this movie. The dramatic elements are missing. There is no high pitched drama and passionate exchange of words between the two elements – one representing good and the other evil. There is a silent exchange of ideas between people. The thrill and suspense remains and the action is there. But there is much more behind and between the lines that is not said.

No religion teaches to murder yet some of the most horrible atrocities ever committed have been in the name of religion. Every religion teaches peace and brotherhood yet whenever religion is politicised or used as a vehicle for promoting politics people have died, in great number and great misery. And what does it take to prevent it. A man with a good heart and clear mind who can easily see through deception; a man who has to courage to say what is right, who has the courage to do what is the right thing no matter what the consequences. Samir Horn is that man who, “… has seen enough death to understand the value of life.” There is a Samir Horn inside every one of us. All of us have seen enough death and violence and atrocity committed in the name of religion.

Can we stop it? Do we have the courage to do what it takes to stop it?

Only time will tell.

(This is a shorter version of the review. For the original detailed version, that includes reference to various other similar movies please visit the following my blog. The following the address of the web page(either click on the link below or copy paste the same in your browser window -

https://khagesh-gautam.blogspot.com/2010/01/for-first-time-muslim-is-not-victim
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