REVIEW: Traitor

Just Watched:
Traitor

My Rating:
5 Stars



Every once in a while, there's a really good movie that receives almost no hype but deserves all the hype being given to a film like "Revolutionary Road" (seriously! "Thank you for getting naked again, Kate Winslet! Please take all of these awards..."). "Traitor" is that film.

This is one of those flicks that makes you think while also providing a high amount of entertainment. Mmmmmm, my favorite! The film explores the depths of loyalty, faith & religion, and the geo-political realities of terrorism all while taking you on a thrill ride. If I were to compare it to other films -- hopefully without giving too much away -- I would say that it is "The Departed" meets "Spy Game" & "The Siege" (all of which are also excellent movies, BTW)

There are several twists & turns along the way. Enough to keep you guessing until the very end. And it was one of the most brilliant & fulfilling movie endings that I'd seen in quite a while.

Awesome FBI Guy

I thought that the casting was well done. It heightened the sense of believability of the film. Everybody already knows how awesome Don Cheadle & Neal McDonough are. I was especially drawn to the character played by Guy Pearce (wearing the FBI vest in the picture). HE was awesome. And every little character at every location -- from Washington D.C. to Marseilles, France -- fulfilled important details that just raised the level of believability of the film, allowing you to suspend disbelief & become absorbed in the story.

Another element of the movie that impressed me was their treatment of religion & faith. The makers of this film did not take the hackneyed road of making clowns out of believers. Rather, they showed both sides of the faith & religion coin. On one side, you have sincere devotees of faith who let it shape & guide their life. On the other side, you have manipulative power-mongers who would use people of faith to accomplish their own selfish ends. The film portrayed these realities in stereo as they were emphasized in a major way throughout the story.

Great film all the way around. I couldn't really find any flaws. Five stars.

I Heart Peggy Noonan

Every time I grow a big head & begin to fancy myself as something of a good writer, I read Peggy Noonan's Saturday column in the Wall Street Journal and realize that there is talent far beyond me. If I'm "charmed" by Obama's tech savviness, as I said Saturday, then I'm dazzled by Noonan.

I suspect that there is even a nugget or two here that my conservative friends might appreciate.

What I Saw at the Inauguration; And What 4-foot-tall Americans Learned

It Feels Like the First Time

A National Geographic Documentary was fortunate to capture President Obama's first ride aboard Air Force One, just before his Inauguration. Good stuff...

The State of Churches of Christ in America

Here are some interesting links for my COC brethren that were E-mailed to me today. They are each from the Christian Chronicle:

• The 2009 edition of Churches of Christ in the United States has been released, and we are shrinking. I don't know how much of that conclusion has to do with the following story...

• The Richland Hills Church of Christ of Fort Worth and other churches were excluded from the latest edition of the Churches of Christ in the United States due to conflict over instrumental worship services on Sundays.

• Bobby Ross, Jr. wrote asking the question, What will it take to grow the church? He shared some incisive reflections. Quoting John Scott of the Saturn Road Church of Christ, "We simply have to build more bridges and fewer walls."

I'll See You in Anotha Life, Brotha!

My favorite character, Desmond, and all the rest return on the season premiere of "LOST" tonight! Man, why'd they have to do this on a Wednesday -- knuckleheads!!

These were my two favorite scenes from last season...

Focker's Prayer

Caught a little bit of the National Prayer Service this morning. There's just something odd about public prayer. And listening to one of the prayers, I was reminded of this:


When he pulls out the word "smorgasbord," that's where I start losing it...

I Dream of Pastor Rick

There's not really a dignified way to explain dreams, is there? Well, at least I try here. And if not, I hope you find the experience amusing.

(If you *really* want to laugh, hit the tag at the bottom of this entry & go read about the dream I had with Nick Saban a year ago. That's some funny stuff.)

So, in my dream, I was spending some one-on-one time with Rick Warren out at his church's facilities in California -- picking his brain, asking him questions. The last thing I remember asking was this, pretty much verbatim:

"I'd never heard this until recently, but I understand that you made a 40-year commitment to lead the Saddleback Church. (He's nodding in agreement. And I can sense that he senses where the question is going, so I say...) I know that a lot of folks would like to know what you plan to do after that. What I would like to know is this: will you ever step higher?"

For my HU friends who took Monte's "Missionary Anthropology" class & saw the video of him about to leave Kenya, you probably snickered. But I was serious in my dream.

Pastor Rick hemmed & hawed. But then he said, "Well, if I could ever serve my country as President, that would be pretty high, too."

Is America ready to become a Purpose Driven Nation? Probably not. But we can dream...