I went to see Traffic on Saturday and I was a bit bored and I didn’t really think that it should have been nominated for so many Oscars. The film follows Robert Wakefield a Drugs commissioner who is newly appointed to the post and is on a trial period. The movie look at the different ways the police deal with drugs and the issues relating to drugs.
Without giving to much away it seems as if there’s a few different stories going on all ... ...device to keep audience interest by the Director Steven Soderbergh but I would have preferred of the story was a bit more linear. I thought Michael Douglas was good in this movie and the supporting cast of Catherine Zeeta Jones (Helen), Luis Guzman (Ray Castro) were worth mentioning. It was a good film but I have seen better and I did think it dragged on a bit, but some good acting and worth watching just too see what the hype was about ...
begum 08.03.2001
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Advantages: Quality acting, photography and understated soundtrack. Disadvantages: Not enough development of the street sellers scene.
If you want a brainless all-action movie, go rent a Wesley Snipes release. If it's quality entertainment you're after, filmed in a challenging style, saddle up and check this out.
With more threads than a 6" self-tapping screw the picture attempts to show the many and varied aspects of drug culture in North America, concentrating particularly on the effects of cross border trafficking between Mexico and USA.
Michael Douglas turns in a masterful ... ...anti-drugs lobby, attempting to work through problems of hard drug use in his own family. This is matched by Catherine Zeta-Jones as the wife of a premier player in the US drugs trade.
Of special interest is the relationship between two Mexican DEA agents, introduced in a crucial scene at the beginning of the film, and the differing ways in which they react to close exposure to the trade.
Left me breathless - it's a must see. ...
qubric 20.04.2001
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Advantages: cast great performances Disadvantages: none
This is a real, energetic, hip film. This film should win an Oscar. Based on the 1980's Channel 4 series, this film has some good things in it. It starts with honest Mexican cop Javier Rodriguez(Bincino Del Toro) and his partner Monolo(Jacob Vargas) have caught a vanload of coke only to be impounded by slimy General Salazar(Tomas Millian). While Justice Robert Wakefield is about to become the president's new drug czar in Washington, his daughter ... ...Grace). This is real bad when you're a teenager. Catherine Zeta-Jones is great. As Helena Ayala, she is unaware that two cops, Roy Castro(Luis Guzman) and Montel Gordon(Don Cheadle) are pulling a sting to nab Eduardo Ruiz(Miguel Ferrer) and her drug kingpin husband David(Alec Roberts), who she thought was a respectable businessman. Director Steven Soderbergh works the viewer's expectations- a character who is a merciless killer becomes a pathetic ...
jonesmon 02.04.2001
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Advantages: You feel like you've seen a real film afterwards Disadvantages: It's a bit long and a bit confused
...Everyone says that "everyone says Traffic is amazing but in fact it's rubbish". Well, it's not rubbish, either, but arguably a bit pointless.
I'm sure you know the salient features already: multiple, semi-connected stories; informative not just entertainment; arty cinematography. All true, and it's worth seeing for the visuals alone (although the extreme colour filters for Mexico and Ohio may do your head in after a while).
But the central problem ... ...from a vapid lunching lady to an unscrupulous employer of contract killers, despite professing disgust at her husband's drug-trafficking? Why do we need to see all these stories together? Sure, they're inter-related - the Californian dealer, the Ohio drug czar (Michael Douglas) and his crackhead daughter, the Mexican cartels - but only slightly and inessentially. There could be an argument for including any other number of extra storylines which ...
Daniel 15.02.2001
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Advantages: Superb Acting Disadvantages: Neee to concerntrate avidly
Steven Soderbergh’s follow up to the hugely successful Erin Brockovich promises much, landing on our shore with 5 Oscar nominations and a big name cast. However straight from the outset the film is different as it is uses a documentary style approach which includes frequent captions at the bottom of the screen to explain the numerous location changes from the USA to Mexico.
The main story line is that Catherine Zeta Jones is the pregnant wife of ... ...she learns earns his vast sums of money from drug trafficking from Mexico. But meanwhile in Mexico Benico Del Toro plays Javier Rodriguez, the honest Mexican police officer who is doing his best to stop the drugs cartels flooding America. Michael Douglas plays the newly appointed American drugs Czar Robert Wakefield . He eventually finds out how drugs may be a problem closer to his own family than he thought as his 16 year old daughter reveals a ...
Aj2001 23.04.2001 (28.01.2001)
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After hearing lots of reviews about this being an potential Oscar winning film I decided I would like to see it.
There are three stories going on. The first is the Michael Douglas storyline which was the weakest. Probably meaning to be ironic he was a drugs tsar with a daughter with a drug problem. However his character seemed to have no policies his relationship with his family was not explored. This part could probably be missed out completely ... ...quite a long film at over 2 hours.
The second story is the Catherine Zeta Jones one, again fairly superficial but slightly more interesting in that it portrays her as a very strong determined woman in a desperate situation.
The third section is actually the most interesting part. Set in Mexico is looks at drugs trafficking and cartels and corruption. It blames alot of America’s drug problems on Mexico, probably reflecting a popular American view ...
saskia 07.02.2001
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I went to see Traffic on the 26 January after I heard about the really good ratings is was given . The film was given 5 stars. I went in expecting to see a really good film. By the end i was really disapointed it was nothing like it said it was on the reviews. The story lines (3) were very hard to keep up with as they kept changing every 10 mins, one of the story lines was in Mexico and it was in spanish. You had to read it and this was not what ... ...so the only good thing i got out of the film was knowing that i knew some of what was going on without having to read the writting. I would not recommend anyone go and see it. Although on of the story lines on its own would have made a good film i think all three made it really boring. ...
Jayne 29.01.2001
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Lots of great filsm such as Reservoir DSogs and Trainsporting have been made about the drugs insdustry. And dodgy dealings. I went to see this becaus e I like the tohers. I make it clear now that I don't smoke any drugs myself I just find it intgeresting as there is always loads of action in the films.
Unfortunately this is not so good as others like it. It was a bit long for my liking, and not enough going on all the tume which I t got very bored ... ...found that they annoyed me more than got my attention.
They were also not very believeable, just like the storyline really. THe good thng is it does feature Cathy Zeta Jones who is qttarctive, it also features her real life boyfriend and husband Mike douglas. But they don';t play those roles in the film. She sometimes is his daughter in films such as the jugnle one abot the ruby.
The film makers try to be cool by doing strange things with the camera ...
bobreviews 07.02.2001
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Advantages: Good acting and plot, orignal and hard hitting Disadvantages: slow and heavy
Good film, challenging and orignial. There are three story lines to it and each one knits with the other without ever joining completely. Some of the scenes are definately heart renching, seeing how the effect of heroine of a girl who has it all was an image that definately lasted with me. The almost documentary style, is different, and in some ways increases that hard hitting nature of the film, without ever reducing the story lines. The acting ... ...role well. I am not a fan of Catherine Zeta Jones, and nothing she did in this film has led me to change my opinions.
The film can not claim to tackle the drugs problem, as it focuses specifically on tiny incidents, leaving the bigger picture slightly empty. The documentary style also makes the film seem slow.
If you are looking for a fast flowing action aadventure, this is not the place, but for a thought provoking insight on America's drug problem ...
tom_anderson 05.05.2001
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Advantages: The caharacters felt real Disadvantages: Don't watch this if you are feeling down!
I went to see this film on the spur of the moment and hence all I knew about it was that it was about drugs.
When the film started I thought it was going to be another standard format film, but I was pleasantly surprised. The film was over two hours long, although I did not notice. I was mesmorised by the way the story unfolded throughout. All the characters were believable and hence it made the story more real.
The film is definitely worth watching, ...
Helenp59 13.02.2001
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Advantages: great story, cast, moving plot and action. Disadvantages: i don't think so!
...Ferrer) and her drug kingpin husband David(Alec Roberts).
Director Steven Soderbergh works every viewer's expectations. A character that was a merciless killer becomes a pathetic figure. Each character is exploited by Soderbergh. So go see Traffic in theaters or wait for it on video or DVD. ...
kagito 13.05.2003
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A dazzlingly complex film, `Traffic' takes a hard, unflinching look at the so-called `war on drugs' that is perfectly clear and uncompromising. Director Steven Soderbergh takes the various viewpoints of the drug culture -- the users, the dealers, the police, and the politicians -- and weaves their differing stories together into a single story that is both deep in its ideas but very simple to understand. In terms of story, direction, and characters, ... ...of the best films made in recent years, period.
`Traffic' takes a look at the world of drugs through the stories and lives of different characters. Some are loosely connected to one another; some are not. There is the story of Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro), a Mexican policeman struggling to keep his distance from the corruption that seems to follow him everywhere; there is the story of Ray Castro (Luis Guzman) and Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle), ...
chilledbudwei2er 06.10.2001
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...takes a second viewing of Traffic to pick up on its nuances. The movie, a crosscut triptych of melodramas, is pleasurably packed: One story line finds the U.S. drug czar (Michael Douglas) grappling with his own daughter's habit; another tests the heroism of a Mexican cop (Benicio Del Toro); in the third, a jailed kingpin's wife (Catherine Zeta Jones) takes over the family business. Another viewing clears up intricacies while allowing you to relish ... ...Steven Soderbergh's been honing since ''Out of Sight.''
But the second look also prompts as many questions as it answers. Why, say, does the preppie addict whore herself for junk when she could cop it from her boyfriend? How far, exactly, does the cosseted wife's quick shift to swaggering felon stretch credibility? Taking such shortcuts in the service of a polemic -- the familiar argument that the ''drug war'' is a farce -- the filmmakers do us ...
WEBDOCneo 04.08.2001
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Featuring a huge cast of characters, the ambitious and breathtakingTrafficis a tapestry of ... more
three separate stories woven together by a common theme: the war on drugs. Bold in scope, it showcases Steven Soderbergh at the top of his game, directing a peer...
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Featuring a huge cast of characters, the ambitious and breathtakingTrafficis a tapestry of ... more
three separate stories woven together by a common theme: the war on drugs. Bold in scope, it showcases Steven Soderbergh at the top of his game, directing a peer...
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A high-ranking judge with a vendetta against drugs learns his own daughter is a cocaine ... more
addict - a San Diego housewife must suddenly take over her husband's drug dealing business when he is arrested - a Mexican police officer struggles to do the right ...
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Traffic is the Academy Award winning thriller set in the world of drug trafficking, from ... more
the cartels in Mexico to the wealthy dealers across America. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Traffic evokes the high stakes and high risks of the drug trade, as see...
Production Year: 2000 - Drama - Director: Gregory Hoblit - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Andre Braugher, Jim Caviezel, Noah Emmerich, Dennis Quaid, Shawn Doyle, Elizabeth Mitchell
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