At a crucial moment in the movie, the racist militia group that is the focus of the movie robs a bank, and one of their own are killed by an FBI agent. When asked shortly thereafter how he felt about the killing, the agent says that it was no more than wiping dirt off of his shoe. We often like to think of those people who engage in hatred and violence as being completely "unhuman". We want to believe that they are without emotions, without humanity, without integrity and mostly without love. In short, we want to believe that those with monstrous attitudes are only monsters and nothing else. And it is not so, which is I think the point of "Betrayed". People who adhere to what mainstream society judges as dangerous prejudices are in fact much more complex and often have more of humanity than we would like to believe.

The story centers around two characters: Gary Simmons, played with much tact and depth by Tom Berenger, a leader of a local white supremacist militia group, and Catherine Weaver, alias Katie Phillips (played with complete believability and subtleness by Debra Winger),the FBI Agent who infiltrates the group. Her goal: to link Simmons and his group with the slaying of a leftist shock-jock who is slain at the beginning of the film, an incident which closely resembles the real-life assassination of Denver radio talk show host Alan Berg, a leftist personality known for hanging up on callers and other on-the-air rudeness. (In real life he was the most popular and simultaneously the most hated radio host in his geographic area.) The FBI also wants to undercover any future plans the group may be concocting that might involve assassinating celebrities and/or politicians.

At first, Phillips believes the FBI have targeted the wrong people since despite their use of the N-word and occasional racist jokes, they appear to be peaceful friendly and neighborly, they appear to respect women, and they often give a helping hand to those in need. Gary Simmons is a loyal father, a model citizen who speaks his mind, a hard-worker, and a straight-shooter. He always tries to do the right thing. He is low key and doesn't speak often about his political views. And Phillips also finds herself quite taken with his two beautiful children who are innocent while simultaneously being indoctrinated with prejudice that may manifest itself later as hate and violence. To add to the confusion, Phillips finds herself falling for Simmons, wanting to believe that he is the wrong man.

But as Phillips sinks deeper into the family and friends of those around Simmons, she learns she is very wrong. After Simmons takes her "hunting", a deadly game in which a captured African-American is then hunted by a group of whites like a British Fox Hunt with automatic weapons, she realizes there is more to this group than her initial observations would indicate. Then a camping trip reveals that it is true, that Simmons and his close associates are members of a complex supremacist group with connections all over the country to people who believe that Jews, African-Americans, Gays, and Lesbians, and almost any other non-white ethnic group are intending to exterminate their livelihoods if not their lives. They have rationalized that they have to fight back. And these groups are their targets for not only hatred but for proposed violent engagements.

Phillips' other world is her FBI associates that keep pushing her to stay the course and complete her mission by staying within the family. Unlike her mid-west "family", the FBI team are emotionless, less sympathetic to the traumatic toll the assignment is taking on Phillips, and rather cold about what they are really doing. The government agents have little understanding that despite racists' destructive attitudes, they are real people who love, who grieve, and want happiness. While the FBI wants to put the racists into a convenient stereotypical box, Phillips realizes there is much more to these people than their hate. But she does find that their flawed perception of reality lies within a complex myriad of rationalizations that serve to construct their world-view. They have convinced themselves that only their hate and violence can save them.

The movie becomes a struggle between these two worlds, and at one point, Phillips begins to question which side is the "good" side, and ultimately she must make a choice between the two. The irony is that if we want to "fight" prejudice we can't "fight" the people, as it only fuels the next generation of racists and proves their point. Maybe we can't even fight the attitudes. Maybe we need to love them despite their attitudes and maybe that would foster more love as it appears that hate only breeds more hate regardless of which side we are on.

FBI agent Debra Winger is assigned to a truly tough case, infiltrating a Texas community where white supremacy is the way, and efforts to eradicate blacks, Jews and gays are top priority. There's a disgusting game where an innocent young black man is taken to the woods, given a gun with 10 bullets, then chased by a group of men with more than 100 bullets. Guess who survives. Winger witnesses this, and is even given the opportunity to shoot the young man, but of course, she can't go through with it. She has ethics. She's also in love with one of the white supremacist, Tom Berenger, and as her cover is blown, she finds her more torn between right and wrong, especially after finding out some of the methods of the agents she works with aren't all that ethical either.

It's one of wenger's most powerful rolls, and she is excellent, a character of great ethical background who is disgusted by the hatred that she sees, but must live among it as if she accepts it. Berenger is a widower with two children, and it's pretty disturbing to see the young girl saying very racial comments about things she doesn't even understand herself. There is a sign of hope with the young girl cool listen to intently when Winger tells her how all the things that she's been taught are wrong, and you can understand how the whole Community has been brainwashed, hearing these hate-filled rants even in her own local church. Veteran actress Betsy Blair ("Marty") plays Berenger's mother, a so-called Christian woman who doesn't do anything to change these use. I'm surprised in the final scene she didn't come up and slap Winger across the face. She's that type of hypocrite.

This is a disturbing film to say the least, yet it is a necessary film to show the evils of bigotry. It shows how seemingly kindly Christian people can be distracted by something so rancid in their brain, and some of the men involved in these crimes are war heroes. A very disturbing scene shows men and women in this community singing Christian hymns while dressed in Klan outfits. The direction by Costas-Gavras is very good. The use of the song, "The Devil's Right Hand", gives an emotional touch to the finale that truly makes a huge impact.

I remember seeing Betrayed when it came out in theater and I was blown away by how powerful this film was. Over the years and given the climate of this country right now this film by Costa-Gavras is more relevant now than when it came out. The right wing hate groups of which Tom Berenger is part of are now more open and feel they have arrived.

Debra Winger is an FBI undercover agent and she meets farmer Tom Berenger who is thought to be part of a group that murdered a radio talk show host in Denver. She finds a widower father with two kids and his mother Betsy Blair helping to raise them. She falls for him, he seems like a lucky catch.

It's only then she learns about his right wing politics and his rage at the world when he and his hood wearing pals have their own version of The Most Dangerous Game with a random black man. Later on these well harmed terrorists bring Winger along on a bank robbery to finance their cause.

Berenger got a career role in Betrayed and he made the most of it. Charming and easygoing one minute, he moves in a flash to hating everything and every one who has disrupted his well ordered rural world. He's not a stupid man by any means, but he sure hasn't thought through a lot of issues. In fact his very ordinariness is what makes him so scary.

Costa-Gavras got a couple of fine supporting performances from Ted Levine who is one of Berenger's more psychotic pals, but who has Winger spotted as as an informer. And John Mahoney who has a really well played scene with Winger where he tries to articulate his rage and just can't.

This film ought to be required viewing for everyone. These rightwing militia groups are terrifying.