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THE WOMEN  (Running Time: 114 min; Rated: PG-13) 

Reviewed by Denise Castillón 

THE WOMEN disappoints as both as a film celebrating female friendship and as a remake of the 1939 classic film of the same title. It might seem unreasonable to expect this women’s film to be as fun and clever as this summer’s earlier release of SEX IN THE CITY, if not for the fact this modernized version was written and directed by Diane English, the creator of the award-winning TV sit-com series, “Murphy Brown”.

From implausible portrayals of women’s friendships and unconvincing performances, despite its talented all-female cast, makes this re-invention of THE WOMEN insignificant. 

The sole highlight in THE WOMEN is the fashion show scene, where beautiful couture designs, courtesy of American fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez, grace the runway. 

As in the original film, none of the story’s male characters appear in this entirely female ensemble, starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing, Bette Midler, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher and Cloris Leachman.

Mary (MEG RYAN) becomes the object of concern by her tight-knit group of New City friends, when they discover that Mary’s husband has been cheating on her. Even more heartbreaking for Mary is the betrayal by her best friend, Sylvie (ANNETTE BENING), bringing an end to their long-time relationship.

Based upon the play by Clare Boothe Luce and the 1939 motion picture “The Women” screenplay by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin. Written for the screen and directed by Diane English. Produced by Victoria Pearman, Mick Jagger, Bill Johnson and Diane English. 

Released by Picturehouse, in Association with Inferno and Double Edge Entertainment, 

a Jagged Films and Inferno Production with Shukovsky English Entertainment

Starring: Don Cheadle, Guy Pierce, Jeff Daniels, Said Taghmaoui, Lorena Gale, Raad Rawi, Archie Panjabi

Directed by: Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Rated PG-13 for intense violent sequences, thematic material and brief language.

By John Delia

Traitor is a well thought out, seriously entertaining film that has a lot of suspense and intrigue.  I kept thinking what if it was real, could it happen today? It’s a must see for those adults that like their entertainment to generate a great conversation.

Traitor follows the plight of deep-seated U.S. Special Operations officer Samir Horn (Cheadle) who gets left out in the cold after the FBI lead by Roy Clayton (Pierce) makes a raid on a Yemen radical cell where he is selling them explosives.  Imprisoned without his CIA lifeline, Horn befriends Omar (Taghmaoui) one of the key members a dangerous terrorist group and they spring him due to his talent with suicide bombs.   Weaving his way deeply into their lair, Horn gives the impression that he has switched sides.  With the aid of a CIA operative Carter (Daniels) Horn sets off an explosion at the American Embassy in France to prove his loyalty to the terrorist group, but in his eyes it backfires.  This sets him up with what seems to be his only choice, an alliance with the terrorists. 

Top-notch acting on the part of Don Cheadle, Said Taghmaoui and Guy Pierce make for a great show.  Cheadle’s character Horn really becomes possessed with a devotion to the terrorists ideals.  Being pulled between the Muslim and his U.S. upbringing, Cheadle makes even the toughest choices very believable.  Playing the part of an FBI agent who cracks terrorist cases around the world is no easy task, but Pierce is up for it as Clayton.  He turns over as many stones as necessary to find his target, but the one stone that can give him the right answer always eludes him.  As Horn’s savior Omar, Taghmauoui provides a very crafty, yet sympathetic Muslim terrorist who succumbs to Horn’s guise.

Direction by Nachmanoff is the key to the success of the film.  Able to control the action so it slows enough to bring out important plot points that give the audience full view of the action, intrigue and deceptions, shows the fine ability of his craft.

The film does contain some brief language and a lot of realistic killing so be cautious when deciding to bring pre-teens.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  Traitor is a captivating film that keeps you wondering throughout.

When straight arrow FBI agent Roy Clayton heads up the investigation into a dangerous international conspiracy, all clues seem to lead back to former U.S. Special Operations officer, Samir Horn. A mysterious figure with a web of connections to terrorist organizations, Horn has a knack for emerging on the scene just as a major operation goes down. The inter-agency task force looking into the case meets with Carter, a veteran CIA contractor who seemingly has his own agenda and Max Archer, a fellow FBI agent. The task force links Horn to a prison break in Yemen, a bombing in Nice and a raid in London, but a tangle of contradictory evidence emerges, forcing Clayton to question whether his quarry is a disaffected former military operative -- or something far more complicated. Obsessed with discovering the truth, Clayton tracks Horn across the globe as the elusive ex-soldier burrows deeper and deeper into a world of shadows and intrigue.