Overview
A former Mafia member's choice to testify against his own leads to a seismic shift in the criminal underworld.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- somber
- morally ambivalent
- serious movie night
- crime film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the fact-based mafia drama energetic and entertaining, with strong performances and direction despite limited psychological depth.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story traces Tommaso Buscetta's life as a mafia member, fugitive, and cooperating witness.
Buscetta's disclosures to Giovanni Falcone become central to exposing Cosa Nostra and transforming the legal response to the organization.
The plot begins amid war between criminal clans and follows the consequences of Cosa Nostra's internal conflict.
Buscetta is both a mafia participant and a traitor whose cooperation challenges simplistic ideas of loyalty and justice.
Films like The Traitor, and why
Goodfellas
fact-based mafia drama centered on betrayal, criminal power structures, and moral compromise
The Godfather Part II
stylized crime epic depicting organized crime, shifting loyalties, and the corrosive cost of power
The Day of the Owl
serious anti-mafia drama combining political history, investigative testimony, and institutional violence
Gomorrah
intense true-crime drama about criminal networks, witness testimony, and state confrontation
Movie Details
- Director
- Marco Bellocchio
- Release Date
- 2019-05-23
- Runtime
- 151 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (1447)
Cast
- Pierfrancesco Favino
- Maria Fernanda Cândido
- Fabrizio Ferracane
- Fausto Russo Alesi
- Luigi Lo Cascio
- Bruno Cariello
- Giovanni Calcagno
- Rosario Palazzolo
- Nicola Calì
- Vincenzo Pirrotta
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Traitor about?
- A Sicilian mafioso becomes the pivotal witness whose betrayal exposes Cosa Nostra and alters the course of Italy's anti-mafia struggle.
- What is The Traitor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Traitor as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Traitor violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Traitor as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Traitor?
- Critics broadly found the fact-based mafia drama energetic and entertaining, with strong performances and direction despite limited psychological depth.
- Which films are like The Traitor?
- Films with a similar feel include Goodfellas, The Godfather Part II, The Day of the Owl, and Gomorrah.
- How long is The Traitor?
- The Traitor runs 151 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Traitor?
- In United States, The Traitor is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
