ReelBob: ‘The Traitor’ ★★★

By Bob Bloom

The Italian import, “The Traitor,” is a drama based on a true story in which an individual must weigh his honor vs. his loyalty.

Tommaso Buscetta was a soldier in the Cosa Nostra in the early 1980s who, when a war erupted between Sicilian mafia bosses over the heroin trade, fled to Brazil with his family.

Buscetta takes no part in the fight, even though two of his sons and his brother are killed in Palermo.

Later, Buscetta is arrested for dealing drugs by Brazilian police and, as a member of the Cosa Nostra, is extradited to Italy where, after first refusing to be an informer, he meets with Judge Giovanni Falcone.

Over the course of many interrogations, a bond forms between the two, and slowly, Buscetta begins to break the long-held vow of silence he made to the crime organization.

Buscetta takes the step not to avoid prison nor for being abandoned by his mafia superiors, but because — as a man of principles — he believes the Cosa Nostra has lost its way and degenerated by dealing in heroin.

“The Traitor,” while a compelling feature, becomes a bit confusing because director Marco Bellocchio constructs the film in a nonlinear fashion that jumps back and forth in time, nearly causing you to lose track of events and characters.

While “The Traitor” features several killings, the movie is more a character study than crime drama. Buscetta feels betrayed by those to whom he had pledged loyalty, and believes they no longer deserve his fealty.

The movie also is a cultural story in which allegiance takes precedence over family. The Cosa Nostra has its own moral code, and Buscetta has dared to break it.

When he appears in court to testify against his former bosses and reveal all he knows, he is taunted and insulted — called a traitor, a rat and other epithets to demean his manhood.

The movie’s major asset is the performance of Pierfrancesco Favino as Buscetta. He does not abandon his fidelities lightly. It develops slowly over a long period of time as he is gently, but sternly, prodded by Falcone, for whom the gangster develops a respect.

Favino portrays Buscetta as a man struggling with his conscience, not for the crimes he has committed, but because of the storm he knows will rain down on him for breaking years of mafia tradition.

Favino exhibits Buscetta’s guilt for aiding the authorities but also the bravura and defiance he musters when appearing in court to confront his former superiors. He responds to their invectives with a quiet and righteous determination that bolsters his credibility.

The talks between Buscetta and Fausto Russo Alesi’s Falcone are the best moments in “The Traitor.” Alesi imbues Falcone with a righteous gravitas that impresses Buscetta, who comes to see him as an honest patriot who wants to rid his nation of the criminal element that dominates Italian society.

At 135 minutes, the film is a bit repetitious. Judicious editing could have quickened its pace.

“The Traitor’s” performances elevate it. It’s not a simple gangster feature, but a study of one man wrestling with his soul and the consequences of his actions on his family, friends and society.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

THE TRAITOR
3 stars out of 4
(R), graphic violence, nudity, sexual content, language