PICK OF THE WEEK: Traitor
Although it opens with a bang, this globetrotting thriller is so low key even the chase scenes lack urgency. Yet this film, produced and starring Don Cheadle, is intriguing because of the moral conflicts it raises about faith and patriotism. Samir (Cheadle), a Sudanese/American Muslim, is arrested and detained in a Yemeni prison for selling explosives to terrorists. In jail, he befriends Omar (Saïd Taghmaoui) who recruits him to work for a terrorist group that wants to blow up 50 buses all at once across the Unites States. Meanwhile, FBI agents Roy Clayton (Guy Pearce) and Max Archer (Neal McDonough) are not so hot on his trail. As Samir goes along with the plan, he also meets secretly with Carter (Jeff Daniels), a high-ranking CIA contact. Is Samir a traitor? And whose side is he really on? Writer/director Jeffrey Nachmanoff wants his engrossing film to unfold like a chess game by keeping Samir two steps ahead of his various rivals, but things only get taut in the last half hour when Samir’s mission is jeopardized and his identity is compromised. Nevertheless, Traitor has enough satisfying moments to make it a passable two hours. If Cheadle turns in a surprisingly restrained performance here, at least Pearce and Taghmaoui give the film some flavor.

What We Do Is Secret
Shane West stars--and sings--as the sexually ambiguous punk rocker Darby Crash of the groundbreaking L.A. punk band the Germs. (West, who sings in the film and toured with the Germs, was coached by the band’s Pat Smear). Alas, Crash’s self-destruction--from his copious, reckless drug use to cutting himself across the chest while performing on stage--generates a big yawn. Germs fans will be disappointed, and those who don’t know him will get a more insightful account of Crash’s life from Wikipedia. Although West gets credit for throwing himself into the role, he deserves a better star vehicle than this. Secret is so underdeveloped it makes a fascinating individual almost irrelevant.