By DeWayne Hamby

I had a chance to see the latest film from the comedic mind of that "wild and crazy" guy Steve Martin the other day. I almost could not believe it, but there was one woman in the theater that couldn't stop laughing. She cackled throughout the entire film, but her joy wasn't too infectious. I didn't find the film funny at all and most of the audience didn't either—perhaps because it was a harrowing drama about Islamic terrorists.

Traitor, starring Don Cheadle, was reportedly conceived by Martin while he was making the comedy Bringing Down the House. It's that curious merging of worlds that is more than a little fascinating and probably says a lot about what comedians dwell on when they walk off the stage.

Cheadle delivers a solid performance portraying former U.S. special operations officer Samir Horn, a devout Muslim who, through a series of events, becomes involved with a radical group of militants bent on waging jihad. Guy Pearce, also a standout, and Neal McDonough play FBI agents hot on his trail, and all three keep the audience guessing on their moral leanings.

It's not the political thriller I had in mind when walking in (think Babel instead of The Kingdom, in terms of pacing and perspective), but in the end, it's an enjoyable film. Parts of the film where the story focuses too much on the lives behind the bombers will make some red-blooded Americans very uncomfortable. Surely, that's what the filmmakers had in mind anyway, hitting one provoking topic after another. It's a film and a lesson in world religions, war and world events rolled into one.

But a comedy? What in the world was that woman laughing at? I was just glad she wasn't sitting near me.