Production Year: 1999 - Drama - Director: Justin Kerrigan - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: John Simm, Lorraine Pilkington, Shaun Parkes, Danny Dyer, Nicola Reynolds, Dean Davies, Justin Kerrigan, Jan Anderson, Carol Harrison, Andrew Lincoln more
The Ecstasy-fuelled youth culture of England is examined in this buoyant, good-natured film from 25-year-old newcomer, Justin Kerrigan. A group of young Welsh revellers, including... more
lightweight slice of pop-cultural ephemera from debut director Justin Kerrigan. Cardiff is the city, and hardcore partying, clubbing and pubbing is on the menu as Jip (...
Human Traffic DVD
The real story of youth in the nineties is this : chemicals clubs bars pubs pushing ... more
the vinyl blagging the guest list mobile phones trainers combats care-less monged mashed sorted safe. And here it is in all its pupil-dilated teeth grindi...
Human Traffic
Featuring an all-star British cast, including John Simm and Danny Dyer, the award-winning ... more
Human Traffic is the real story of youth culture and club life. The film focuses on the lives and loves of five British twenty-somethings, who spend their week working mundane jobs, waiting for the weekend so that they can immerse themselves in a whirl of pubs, clubs and parties.Revolving around a single meticulously planned and titanically drug-addled night out in Cardiff, Human Traffic is the first and last word in club-culture. The weekend has well and truly landed.
Human Traffic
The real story of youth in the nineties is this: chemicals, clubs, bars, pubs, pushing the ... more
vinyl, blagging the guest list, mobile phones, trainers, combats, care-less, monged, mashed, sorted, safe. And it's right here in first time writer-director Justin Kerrigan's Human Traffic, in all its pupil-dilated, teeth-grinding, club-hopping glory. The film focuses on the lives and loves of five individuals, who spend their week working mundane jobs, waiting for the weekend so that they can immerse themselves in a whirl of pubs, clubs and parties.Revolving around a single, meticulously planned and titanically drug-addled night out in Cardiff, Human traffic is the first and last word in club-culture. With Pete Tong's soundtrack and featuring FatBoy Slim, Orbital, The Chemical Brothers, Underworld and Armand Van Helden, and cameos from DJ Carl Cox, comedienne Jo Brand and 'Mr Nice' Howard Marks, Human Traffic treats you to one night out you won't want to miss.
Human Traffic DVD
The real story of youth in the nineties is this : chemicals clubs bars pubs pushing ... more
the vinyl blagging the guest list mobile phones trainers combats care-less monged mashed sorted safe. And here it is in all its pupil-dilated teeth grinding club-hopping glory. The weekend has well and truly landed... Featuring a soundtrack including artists such as Fatboy Slim Orbital Carl Cox Primal Scream and many more!
Human Traffic (Remixed)
The weekend has changed forever. Totally re-cut with new scenes, new CGI effects and new ... more
tracks, Human Traffic Remixed is the definitive version of the ultimate movie for the chemical generation.Revolving around a single drug-addled night-out in Cardiff, follows the fortunes of Jip, Lulu, Koop, Moff and Nina. Together they set out to escape their mundane McJobs and create their largest weekend yet!
Human Traffic [DVD] [1999]
Five best friends, 48 hours and a bucket-load of ecstasy pills make for an enjoyably ... more
lightweight slice of pop-cultural ephemera from debut director Justin Kerrigan. Cardiff is the city, and hardcore partying, clubbing and pubbing is on the menu as Jip (John Simm) and his renegade band of McJobbers clock off and head out for a weekend of debauchery. Among Jip's hedonistic posse are the cheeky cockney drug-dealer Moff (Danny Dyer), the terminally jealous boyfriend Koop (Shaun Parkes), and the bad-boy magnet Lulu (Lorraine Pilkington).And that's pretty much it. Our heroes meet in a pub, get drunk, take drugs, go to a club, then to a party, then home, and then meet up in another pub, just in time for the closing credits. Along the way there's a shamefully lethargic attempt to establish character back-story: Jip is temporarily sexually impotent because his mother's a prostitute; Koop's father is institutionalised; Lulu has nasty boyfriends; and Moff has conservative parents. But generallyHuman Trafficis happier at the heart of the party, celebrating the intoxication of club culture--which it does in style. Kerrigan pulls out all the formal stops with an energetic melange of jump cuts, slo-mo, and speeded-up "smudge" motion camerawork. There's also direct addresses to camera, fantasy sequences and some self-conscious cameos from DJ Carl Cox and former-drug dealer Howard Marks, author of Mr Nice. Wall-to-wall music from the likes of Fatboy Slim, William Orbit and even Primal Scream help paste over the occasional cracks in the veneer, which include some particularly duff lines ("We're gonna get more spaced than Neil Armstrong ever did!") and a drawn analysis of drug references inStar Wars, a nod to the films of Kevin Smith, such asClerks,MallratsandChasing Amy. And if the whole project already feels dated and empty, well that's because it perfectly captures an essentially 1990s moment, and one gloriously empty weekend. --Kevin Maher
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1995 - Drama - Director: Ang Lee - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Greg Wise, Hugh Laurie, Robert Hardy
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A review by Pumpkin on Human Traffic (DVD) June 7th, 2004
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Indifferent to it
Story
Satisfactory
Characters / Performances
Good
Special Effects
Standard
How does it compare to similar films?
Good
Advantages:
Funny, creative
Disadvantages:
Not clear what the viewer is supposed to think !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Human Traffic is a weekend in the life of a group of Cardiff-based clubbers. The film follows the group as they prepare for a drug-fuelled Friday night out clubbing, which goes on long into Saturday morning and then the comedown of the rest of the weekend and gives us an insight into the “chemical generation” of the late 1990s.
The central character in this independent, British-made film is Jip, played by the excellent John Simm. Jip works during the week in a clothing store. He hates his job and lives for the weekends, counting down the days until he is free to meet his friends once again and hit the clubs. Jip’s best friend is Koop (Shaun Parkes), a budding DJ who works in a specialist record shop and has the gift of the gab when it comes to selling music to impressionable teenagers. Nina (Nicola Reynolds) is Koop’s girlfriend. She works in the fast food cafe of a cinema, after failing her interview to do Philosophy at college. Nina hates her job, not least her lecherous boss. Lulu (Lorraine Pilkington) is at college and has just come out of yet another bad relationship. Jip gets on better with Lulu than any other girl he’s ever known, and puts this down to the fact that they don’t fancy each other. But it appears that this is changing, and unbeknownst to each other, both are developing feelings. Finally, there is Moff (Danny Dyer). Moff is unemployed, lives with his parents and makes his living by dealing drugs to his friends. Moff is the archetypal bullsh*tter and can talk his way into or out of just about every situation.
And so, the five friends begin their night out together, accompanied by Nina’s seventeen year-old brother, Lee, who is planning to take drugs for the first time that night. Nina’s view is that he is going to do it anyway, and she would rather he was with her than with his friends and the group are happy for him to join them. The evening gets off to a slightly ropey start when Moff realises that the extra ticket he had for the night club, promised to Lulu, who otherwise would not have been joining them that night, has disappeared. Jip takes matters into his own hands and manages to blag his way into the club on the pretext of interviewing the manager (played by DJ Carl Cox) for Mixmag magazine. Then the evening is back on track and the group can get on with enjoying themselves.
The main body of the film follows the events of that one night, from the girls getting ready for the night out right through to the club and beyond, when they go on to a party that lasts until the early hours. At times, I struggled to identify the perspective of the film. I was not sure whether it was taking an ironic look at club culture (some of the conversations and situations that the characters take completely seriously are so absurd that I am sure there must be a hint of irony in there. However, at times I felt that I was supposed to think that the characters were “really cool” and people to admire. I guess it can be taken either way, and it depends on your own perspective. If I was a serious clubber myself then perhaps I would simply enjoy the film for portraying a great night out. As I am not, I enjoyed it more from an ironic perspective than anything else. I am sure that serious clubbers would also see the humour in certain situations, particularly on the morning after the night before as the characters struggle to make polite conversation with their relatives over Sunday lunch.
The movie also explores the relationships and insecurities of the characters. Many of them have issues: Jip is suffering from sexual paranoia after an abortive attempt at sex with a girl he met on a previous night out; Koop can’t stand other men looking at Nina and his jealousy is threatening to ruin their relationship; Moff has nagging doubts (made worse by his father) that he is wasting his life – and of course there is the newly realised sexual tension between Jip and Lulu.
We are given further insights into the characters’ lives by brief moments of fantasy (as an example, Nina’s lecherous boss literally slobbering over her as he makes innuendo-filled comments to her at work, and Jip receiving a literal “corporate shafting” from a manager at work). Also we are party to their innermost thoughts as they think out loud in certain situations. I never used to like this sort of thing in films, but recently as I have become more open minded to the use of creative direction, I find that – when used sparingly and correctly – this kind of sequence can be quite funny and clever.
The film is well cast and it does help that the majority of the actors (with the exception of John Simm) have not been seen in huge numbers of other films or TV shows, making them more believable as anonymous clubbers just like thousands of other young people on a Friday night out. Danny Dyer was my personal favourite, simply for the super-confident, cocky manner that he portrays perfectly, whilst still letting us see the occasional insecure side of Moff. There are also a couple of notable cameos in addition to the aforementioned Carl Cox: Andrew Lincoln (This Life, Teachers) puts in an appearance as Felix, another clubber on the periphery of the group, who shares a particularly funny meeting with Jip in the pub, and Jo Brand as the voice of Reality.
The film inevitably brings to mind other British movies in the same vein, most notably Trainspotting, for its heavy drug references, but this is on the whole a much less dark, much more upbeat film with some very funny moments. The frequent drug taking, and the fact that it seems wholly acceptable amongst the characters in the film, will probably offend some people and the film is certainly not for everyone. In fact, in a scene where Lulu and Nina find themselves interviewed by a news reporter making a documentary on club culture, there is a subtle jibe at people who say that such films encourage drug taking (Lulu and Nina say they have given up taking Ecstasy since they saw Trainspotting, as that made them want to take Heroin instead). Indeed, the drugs are not portrayed in a negative light at all, although we do get to see a little of the paranoia and comedown experienced by the group the following day.
Unsurprisingly, the movie has a great soundtrack (Pete Tong is credited as Music Supervisor) which will particularly appeal if you were into the club scene of the late ‘90s.
I wanted to really like this film, as my overwhelming impression was that it was an ironic look at club culture in the late 1990s, which – as someone who has never been more than an occasional clubber, but probably did most of my clubbing around this time period – appealed to me and did make me laugh in many places. However, I had a nagging feeling all the way through that I was somehow missing the point and perhaps I should have been admiring the characters for how cool they were, rather than laughing at the insularity of their existence. As I have been writing this review I hace come to the conclusion that perhaps it is designed to appeal to both types of audience – and if so, I think it has done a fairly good job and is cleverer than I originally gave it credit for. Although I would lean more towards the ironic perspective, I am sure that big names in the clubbing world like Carl Cox and Pete Tong would not have associated themselves with it had they felt it was too much of a mickey take. If you have never been a heavy clubber, you will laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. If you have, then no doubt some of the situations will strike a chord and raise a smile.
The DVD is currently available on Amazon at £5.97 so is certainly not going to break the bank. It is – unsurprisingly - an 18 certificate due to the huge amounts of drug taking portrayed in the film.
Advantages: funny, real life, easy to watch Disadvantages: none in my opinion
...now, my ops is about Human Traffic.
When I speak to most people about this film and ask them if they have seen it they seem to stare at me blankly probably thinking I’m speaking of some Economics video talking about the problems of traffic. Well I can assure you now this film is not about Economics and people who think it is might be a little disturbed as to what it actually is.
Plot:
I think all good film reviews must start with the plot ... ...probably didn’t) and here it is. It is pretty hard to explain what this film is about but I will try my hardest. To sum it up in one word I would probably say “Drugs”, do not however get put off by this. Although this film is about drugs it is not as graphic and mellow as other films such as Trainspotting for example. It actually had me laughing all the way through and I don’t think anybody could not laugh at some of the parts ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: You can see what the drug culture is like Disadvantages: Hard to follow
This movie is suppose to be about the real youth of the ninties; the drug culture. Five best friends, 48 hours and a load of ecstasy pills.
Having watched the movie a number of times now, i still do not completely know what was going on. The film is rather hard to follow as it keeps jumping, like the minds of those that are on drugs. It is a movie I find you have to watch in order to follow it.
The movie is based around a group of 5 friends and ... ...We as the viewers are taken on a ride to see what it is like to be this group of friends. We are shown what they do and think when they are sober, drugged up and on a come down.
Although it is a druggy movie, it is for everyone. It allows people to see what the drug culture of Britain is like and it one of the best drug movie made to make people realise the true affects of drugs. It is hard to follow as when on drugs you do not know what is going ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Getting to watch the film over and over Disadvantages: Getting tired and having to go to sleep
...time you've really done it. Human Traffic is going to upset the majority of film critics who will view the lack of plot, the drug induced dialogue and the futile outlook on Nineties Youth culture as a miserable and desperate view of how weekends are spent by ravers and clubheads across the UK. Moreover, they will spot camera work borrowed from Boogie Nights and even try and associate the whole film with 'Trainspotting' theme (because, lets face it, ... ...thing, right?)
Well wrong. Human Traffic has landed - along with one and a half quality hours of clubs, drugs, pubs and parties - and its time to leave behind your preconceptions of what a film should be like (where's the plot? I want a plot!) and instead delve into the lives of Jip (John Simm) and his mates, Nina (Nicola Reynolds), Koop (Shaun Parkes), Lulu (Lorraine Pilkington) and Moff (Danny Dyer). There's nothing special about these five friends; ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
...but... Ok, we'll go for Human traffic. Neither of us know what it's about but Channel 4 had rated it so we'd give it a go.
Bored shop worker Jip enjoys clubbing with his four friends, Koop, Lulu, Nina, and Moff. It's Friday so they have a whole 48 hours to hit the Cardiff club scene (should I say 'tidy' now? My Welsh sarcasm is lacking so please bear with me). And...
...Well nothing actually. That's the plot - 5 people go clubbing. Err, did I miss ... ...hitting imagery. It's obvious that Human Traffic tries to follow the same trend but it's watered down and almost sanitised - There are no after effects, no consequences, and it has nothing new to say.
Clubbers may get the terminology (although it doesn't come into the big picture very much) but even they would probably prefer to be elsewhere. The rest of us mere mortals will be bored, disappointed, and maybe hope that the British film industry gets ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Energetic, hilarious... Disadvantages: Sometimes tries too hard to be cool.
...Some were horrified by Human Traffic's portrayal of drugs - yes, it does glamorise drug use, but slating the movie for this would be missing the point. Human Traffic is about going out and enjoying yourself with your mates, whether you gobble pills like Pacman, or are a tee-totalling abstainer.
There is no plot. A group of mates go out clubbing, take some pills, dance, then come down the next day. The credits sequence threatens to make a political ... ...at all, and a cameo by drugs guru Howard Marks gives you the feeling Kerrigan wasn't sure if his movie was cool enough, so chucked Marks in for good measure.
Human Traffic makes it okay to go out and have a good time with your mates again. Essential. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Great acting, unforgettable characters and awesome production Disadvantages: Plot wavers a little in places
...Being a new found fan of John Simm, I was eager to get my grubby mitts on anything starring him; I now credit him as one of the finest actors of the generation, his eye for a good script meaning that he wouldn't appear in any old rubbish just for the sake of a job.
'HumanTraffic' director, Justin Kerrigan, did a hugely fantastic job in creating a low budget, British film master piece. He used a lot of solid imagery to get his point across fully, my favourite part being the sexually paranoid Jip (played by Mr. Simm) seemingly wearing a t-shirt advertising his, uh, little problem for the whole world to see. Perhaps it is just with me being a media student (now overly susceptible to effects used in films) but I found these parts a great way of really getting to know the characters and having the ability to sympathise with them through...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
...As a massive Danny Dyer fan, I always tend to buy DVD's that have him in, not because they are all fantastic but purely because he is in it and a girl needs some eye candy in her life when chilling out at home.
HumanTraffic has become one on my recently acquired DVD's and even though it is a relatively old film, featuring a very young Danny Dyer, which if I had watched it when it was first released I don't think that attraction would have been there then as he has very much matured over the years into what I consider an extremely good looking fella, however still having those boyish looks about him and that cockney bad lad charm.
HumanTraffic is set in Cardiff and has five main characters, all best of friends who join up over the weekend purely to get completely and utterly wasted on whatever substances are available. The film...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Classic film, can be watched many times and enjoyed by all Disadvantages: Few extra features, doesn't vary a lot to the normal edition of the film
...unforgettable but I suppose I was expecting a bit more from the special features. Compared to the original film there is 2 scenes I think which are added into the film which don't really make much difference. Also there is a "making-of" which I don't think was on the original dvd. Apart from that it is pretty much the same as the normal HumanTrafficdvd.
So I recommend if you want to buy this film, go for the normal edition. Unless of course the remixed edition is cheaper or the same price then you might aswell get the remixed edition! I only paid £5 for this edition. Bargain!...
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Plot: The story of five individuals who spend the week working in mundane jobs, waiting for the weekend. Then they find themselves in a world of parties, pubs and clubs. An outlook on nineties youth culture. Soundtrack by Fat Boy Slim, Armand Van Helden, Orbital and Underworld, mixed by Pete Tong.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): PRISM LEISURE, IN2FILM; PINK ENTERTAINMENT; SONY DADC
The Ecstasy-fuelled youth culture of England is examined in this buoyant, good-natured film from 25-year-old newcomer, Justin Kerrigan. A group of young Welsh revellers, including Jip (John Simm), Lulu (Lorrain Piliongon), and Koop (Shaun Parkes) endure their mundane jobs all week, and then cut loose on a typically wild Friday night of dancing, drinking, drugging, shagging, and then recovering in order to deal with their parents come Sunday. The film's guileless pro-drug stance may prove off-putting to more jaded and conservative audiences, but as a "peak" at England's thriving 1990s counterculture, it's a fun, fascinating document, and a cheery companion to TRAINSPOTTING (which was obviously a huge inspiration). Kerrigan fills the film with lots of surreal and fantastical digressions, direct addresses to the camera, and quote-worthy bits of slang. Energetic electronica pulses throughout for a dynamite score, which combines with the high-spirited performances of the cast and makes for good time, whatever your "buzz" may be. Its honesty about the good, great, and not-so-great aspects of the lifestyle should ring true to those familiar with the scene, and provide others with a thrilling, propaganda-free glimpse into club-kid nightlife.
Technical information
Special Features: Trailer, Cast And Crew List, Cast And Crew Filmographies, Interactive Menus
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 English
Professional reviews
Review: "...HUMAN TRAFFIC rings sweet and true....Good acting gives [the film] its soul..." (Sight and Sound, p.46-7, 01/06/1999)
"Well cast, engagingly played and directed with a stylistic pedal to the metal..." (Variety, p.34, 14/06/1999)
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