Rendition and Traitor, film reviews
Beyond Rambo
A wide gulf separates Rambo from the new terrorist thrillers. In Rambo movies, the disaffected (and slightly tweaked) Vietnam vet John Rambo dispatches terrorists with guns and explosives, all extensions of his — and America’s — manhood. The terrorists drop like flies, he gets the girl, and all is right with the world. Until the next time.
Far easier to make a Rambo movie than any nuanced thriller, and let’s face it, Rambo goes better with beer. He also lends a certain logic to a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Thankfully, the new terrorist thrillers offer a staggering leap of creativity beyond this Manichean, good-versus-evil viewpoint.
Our obsession with terrorism in the 21st century can be directly traced to the attacks of September 11th. Before the attacks, our former president played golf and chainsawed wood on his ranch, and Hollywood was producing a delightful coterie of the next great threat — aliens.
But terrorism has shaped American policy in this decade more than any other single issue. So it is with relief that two films have transcended Rambo’s bandoliers, and taken terrorism seriously. Rendition (2007) and Traitor (2008) aren’t perfect but they make a real effort to address terrorism head-on, while still letting you reach for the popcorn.
