Terrorism is such a nervously topical subject that "Traitor" definitely grabs your attention, but whether it consistently holds your interest is another matter.

As thematically muddled as it is technically accomplished, this political thriller never fully ignites in terms of either its politics or its thrills.

For all its action sequences, pyrotechnics and terrorist-spawned intrigue, the movie essentially is a character study. That's a potentially smart move on the part of writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff (co-writer of "The Day After Tomorrow"), because it promises to tackle complicated international issues through the focus on the psychologically conflicted mind of a single terrorist.

What also makes the strategy promising is that the terrorist is played by a fine actor, Don Cheadle, who proved in "Hotel Rwanda" and "Crash" that he's able to play characters whose intense integrity is being put to the test.

The complexity of the situation in "Traitor" starts with the biographical background of Cheadle's character. A Muslim born in Sudan, Samir Horn grows up with political violence all around him. He moves to the United States, where he learns to speak fluent English and seems like he's more or less assimilated into American culture.

For murky reasons that are glossed over in the script, Samir eventually is employed by the U.S. government in covert special operations overseas, uses his munitions expertise in countries like Afghanistan, and seemingly has become overly friendly with the Islamic fundamentalists he's encountered along the way.

The real explosions presumably are going off inside Samir's multicultural head, because he's a devout Muslim trying to decide on the current ethical course of action. In the American government's war on terrorism, which side is he really on? And even if he makes a firm choice by way of loyalty, can he justify engineering explosive operations that may kill innocent civilians along with intended targets?

"Traitor" effectively launches its martial forces and moral considerations, and the busy editing generally succeeds in its "Syriana"-like jumping around from one international hot spot to another. Viewers are pulled into this hectic scenario and stick with it in hopes that something resembling clarification and resolution eventually will appear.

Although these crucial elements are all in place, the filmmakers don't seem certain of how to pull everything together. The main problem is that Samir remains as much of a mystery man to the filmmakers as he does to other characters and presumably to himself.

Cheadle understandably can't quite get a handle on a role that has too many scenes in which Samir wears a worried look and yet remains largely silent as he's engaged in the slightly confusing spy vs. spy business.

What should be a fascinating character study instead degenerates into something that's just plain frustrating. Insight is lacking just when it's needed most here. Perhaps the movie wants to argue that it's plausible to present Samir as a genuine mystery man; then again, perhaps the movie isn't sure exactly what to make of him or do with him.

While you're trying to sort through the bits and pieces of psychological evidence, it's fortunate that the script is well-grounded when it comes to the mundane details of its byzantine espionage plot. The strategy sessions involving Islamic terrorists have a lived-in feel; likewise, the assorted CIA, FBI and other American governmental figures are convincingly portrayed.

The FBI agents, played by Guy Pearce and Neal McDonough, are men with a mission, and that sort of concentration deftly complements Samir's dedication to his more mysterious mission. Although Jeff Daniels is a puzzle as a CIA agent, his blank performance admittedly is the expression worn by a character whose motives are meant to be a mirror image of Samir's ambiguous operations.

When these various branches of the American government, the shadowy network of Islamic terrorists, and Samir are violently dealing with each other, it's not surprising that things get really messy really fast. What's mildly disappointing is that you're basically watching a series of explosions on the street and would rather at some point have a deeper understanding of the implosion inside Samir's head. Grade: B-

"Traitor" (PG-13) opens Wednesday, Aug. 27 at area theaters.

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