(NNPA)—“If you’ve killed an innocent person, it is like you have killed mankind. If you save an innocent person, it is like you have saved mankind.”

Tortured, self-righteous ambivalence provides high-octane fuel in this volatile international thriller that captures the exploits of a rogue military operative who consorts with terrorists and is hotly pursued by the FBI.

DON CHEADLE IN “TRAITOR”

As a boy growing up in Sudan, Samir Horn was devastated emotionally the day he witnessed his father being blown up by a car bomb. Years later, Samir (Don Cheadle) is an explosives expert who sells bombs and detonators to whomever has the money and a cause. In Yemen, he is in the process of selling deadly devices to a shady group of Muslim radicals, headed by the very suspicious Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui, “Three Kings”). Mid deal, police swarm and arrest the two. In prison they bond, it’s a friendship that further develops during a jailbreak.

Omar and Samir plot terrorist bombings designed to maim and scare. A diligent FBI Agent, Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce, “L.A. Confidential”), and his colleague, Agent Max London (Neal McDonough, TV’s “Boomtown”), track their fiendish endeavors. With every passing day, Samir becomes more embroiled in a deadly world of terrorism where human life is no more than a prop. From Spain, to London, to the United States—a killing spree evolves that confounds all sense of decency and reason. Seconds away from a catastrophe that will kill many Americans, minutes ahead of the FBI, an ultimate disaster looms…

Believe it or not, comedian Steve Martin concocted the idea for this searing script. First time filmmaker Jeffrey Nachmanoff (screenwriter of “The Day After Tomorrow”) brought Martin’s story idea to fruition with a nail-biting, can’t-guess-the-ending screenplay that attracted the attention of actor Don Cheadle and his production company. Nachmanoff and Cheadle worked together to build a tense global thriller that grips attention from the opening sequence to the final credits.

Terrorism is a topical subject that touches every country—no one can hide from its affects—hence, the film is timely. The central character, both a pawn and a king, is as filled with inner conflict as he is with outer determination. You can’t guess what’s going on in Samir’s head or his motivation until a crucial scene when he meets with a co-conspirator; this moment changes the nature of the entire film. Try as you may, you can’t fathom what will happen scene-to-scene because “Traitor” isn’t a formulaic Hollywood suspense movie. This is a thinking man’s indie film that toys with logic and focuses on an imperfect person who is on a mission that is never neat and tidy. And to complicate matters, he is pursued by an agency that is as soiled as he.

Credit Nachmanoff, a first time director, with making all the right moves. His sense of timing is impeccable. He choreographs the action scenes like a veteran; the film plays like one of the “Bourne Identity” films, only it has more depth. He never gets in the way of the actors, who emote perfectly and dissect their characters with certain precision. If the direction has a blemish, it’s in the scene when Samir and his ghost-conspirator meet; it’s London, it’s raining and yet the sun is shining. The fake precipitation and the bright light nearly spoil a pivotal liaison.

Cheadle, a chameleon and one of the greatest actors of his generation, brings a complexity to Samir that is never less than riveting. Steely, dangerous, sensitive, duplicitous—you can’t pigeonhole his personality and that is testament to Cheadle working all the character’s angles. Pearce as the incessant agent, the son of a preacher, adds vitality. Taghmaoui, as the angst-ridden, fanatical Arab man, gives an intense performance; his Omar is not a cliché. The supporting cast is equal to the task.

The parched lands of Yemen, slick streets of London and greasy mechanic’s shops in L.A. all have a definitive look and a vivid feel thanks to cinematographer J. Michael Muro (“Crash”). Gersha Phillips’ costume designs for African villagers, English urbanites and American blue-collar workers are always well suited. Billy Fox, editor (“Hustle & Flow”), gives the film a break-neck speed that will leave you gasping.

“Traitor” is brilliantly written, directed and acted. It will make you think. It will scare you. It will confuse you. It will challenge your political beliefs. It will make you question why so many wretches get caught up in misguided religious/political movements that wreak havoc and make little sense. As one profound character says, “They used us for our faiths.”