I have been waiting for the DVD/video release of Traffic for some time. Having done well at the Oscars and having been universally acclaimed in the press, I was keen to see what all the hype was about. In this day and age, it makes a change for a film without dinosaurs, superheroes or computer ... Read review
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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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...
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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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!
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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 peerless ensemble cast in a gritty, multifaceted tale that will captivate you from beginning to end. Utilising the no-frills techniques of the Dogme 95 school, Soderbergh enhances his handheld filming with imaginative editing and film-stock manipulation that eerily captures the atmosphere of each location: a washed-out, grainy Mexico; a blue and chilly Ohio; a sleek, sun-dappled San Diego. ButTrafficis more than a film school exercise. Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (adapting the British TV miniseriesTraffikto the US) seamlessly weave the threads of each separate plotline into one solid tale, with the actions of one plot having quiet repercussions on the connected narratives. And if you needed more proof that Soderbergh takes unparalleled care with his actors, practically all the members of this cast turn in their best work ever, the standout being an Oscar-worthy Benecio Del Toro as the conflicted moral conscience of the film.Trafficregistered eight Oscar nominations (winning four, including Best Director for Soderbergh). --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
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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
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Drugs were just the beginning... Going beyond the Oscar-winning film this is a forceful ... more
and shocking miniseries which takes an inside look at the highly lucrative world of illegal trafficking in a world in which supply and demand isn't just for drugs: it extends to goods weapons and even human bodies. This is an explosive exploration of the dark inner workings of these illicit trade organizations as well as the secret agents that risk their lives to apprehend the elusive criminals who are a part of it. Here the lives of three Seattle-based men become intertwined until they're all in over their heads...
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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
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: 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
...for the DVD/video release of Traffic for some time. Having done well at the Oscars and having been universally acclaimed in the press, I was keen to see what all the hype was about. In this day and age, it makes a change for a film without dinosaurs, superheroes or computer game heroines to receive so much attention.
Traffic is without a doubt an excellent film. It is thought provoking, well crafted and well acted and makes for two ... ...content.
Traffic is a social commentary on the modern day drugs issue. It attempts to share the perspective of the police with that of the politicians, as well as providing an insight into the lives of the dealers and the users. Given the magnitude of the issue, two and a half hours seems like an extremely short period of time in which to do this, but the film makers have crafted a well-considered story that manages to combine all ... more
I have been waiting for the DVD/video release of Traffic for some time. Having done well at the Oscars and having been universally acclaimed in the press, I was keen to see what all the hype was about. In this day and age, it makes a change for a film without dinosaurs, superheroes or computer game heroines to receive so much attention.
Traffic is without a doubt an excellent film. It is thought provoking, well crafted and well acted and makes for two and half-hours of engaging viewing. Nonetheless, having awaited the release with some anticipation I must say I was slightly disappointed with the end product.
The film is essentially a pseudo-documentary, containing three sub-plots that are all ultimately connected. To give you a decent overview of the plot(s) would be time-consuming and to be honest somewhat unnecessary – it will not be the story that attracts the viewer, but the style and content.
Traffic is a social commentary on the modern day drugs issue. It attempts to share the perspective of the police with that of the politicians, as well as providing an insight into the lives of the dealers and the users. Given the magnitude of the issue, two and a half hours seems like an extremely short period of time in which to do this, but the film makers have crafted a well-considered story that manages to combine all these elements. Traffic ultimately asks a lot of questions – how the viewer anticipates the answers is a very personal thing.
Michael Douglas provides the politician’s view. A high court judge, who has been seconded into the National Drugs Task Force, Douglas thinks he has all the answers – until he is suddenly confronted with the reality of drugs, when he discovers that his daughter has a serious addiction. Mr Douglas has carved something of a niche for himself in Hollywood, with his portrayal of wealthy businessmen/political figures, but he is ultimately very convincing. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the wife of a wealthy businessman who is arrested upon suspicion of being involved in drugs trafficking. During the film, Jones’ character undergoes something of a personality change – switching from helpless to ruthless virtually overnight. Benicio Del Toro plays a Mexican law enforcement officer who treads the line between right and wrong throughout the film. Del Toro becomes caught in a web of political intrigue and is a subtle, yet striking character throughout the film. A large supporting cast adds an array of colourful and intriguing characters who allow the plot to flourish through clever dialogue.
Where Traffic really excels is through its stylish direction. Many of the film’s sequences are filtered to enhance the location and mood – Mexico is portrayed through gritty, sandy colours whilst in complete contrast, Michael Douglas’ world is portrayed through a cool, stylish blue filter. When the film first started I found the switching between scenes uncomfortable, and difficult to focus upon, but the techniques employed very quickly made the piece more fluid. There are obvious touches of documentary throughout the film, with on screen annotation for location, and one sequence is actually filmed in reportage as though the events we are seeing are part of the evening news bulletin.
Traffic is certainly an adult movie – strong language and violence are relatively frequent but it is probably the images of drug taking and substance abuse that makes the film so hard-hitting. Where this film sets itself above its peers is that the main addict/user is a bright, successful, wealthy young girl as opposed to the stereotypical homeless person or prostitute. Traffic challenges ideas and conventions and tries to show the drugs issue in a new way – and is generally very successful.
Nonetheless, as I stated in my original paragraph I was still a bit disappointed. Having seen the main theatrical trailer I can confirm that Traffic is not like the action/thriller that you may have been fooled into thinking it was. At times, Traffic is very slow – you certainly need to concentrate throughout – and some viewers may never make it past the first twenty minutes. Large sequences of the film are subtitled because the characters speak in Spanish (a feature that I did not particularly appreciate). Furthermore, some of the plot elements are handled as clumsily as any other “dumb” Hollywood movie. The Police attempts at witness protection are as amateur as they possibly could be – which I am sure the US force would be unhappy with. Zeta-Jones transition from clueless to ruthless is rushed and some of the characters are grossly under used (Dennis Quaid’s slippery lawyer springs to mind).
These things aside, Traffic certainly deserves a good share of the praise it has received. It tries hard to be innovative and original and certainly provokes thought and debate when the final credits roll.
Don’t expect an exciting movie – expect something that will make you think.
...the films I got was Traffic (expect a few movie reviews in the coming weeks!), having heard good things about it from the movie media, and knowing that Benecio Del Toro won an Oscar for his supporting role.
The story, in simple terms, revolves around drug trafficking between the USA and Mexico. Michael Douglas plays a hotshot judge who is given a position similar to that of the drug czar that that Halliwell guy has in our country. Douglas goes into ... ...bit of effort and money would solve all sundry when it comes to the ever increasing drug problem in American society. What an ironic twist of fate it is when he later finds out that his own daughter is a drug addict.
Del Toro, in the meantime, plays a Mexican police officer who is genuine in his purpose and method of addressing Mexico’s own drug problems, while Catherine Zeta Jones portrays herself as the wife of a powerful narcotics lord ...
kleft 07.09.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Traffic (DVD)
Advantages: Its Excellent Disadvantages: quite graphic
...The Concept
Traffic is a really intelligent look at the world of drug trafficking and offers a broad scale of insight. We see the trafficking process from its beginning in Mexico where attempts at its deterrence are much beleaguered by corruption, through to America's infinitely more constitutional attempt at tackling the problem. We are also the given the chance to see the happy upper class lives of those responsible for the drugs distribution ... ...the street and its effect on individuals and their families. The film involves countless harrowing scenes of habitual drug use and lacks the glamour with which drugs are all too often associated with these days. The flagrant snorting of cocaine and disturbing scenes involving both the smoking and injecting of Heroine are intensely compelling and the audience is not patronised or guarded from the rawness of these acts in any way. This makes the film ...
j22o2 20.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Traffic (DVD)
Advantages: a lot better second time round Disadvantages: may need to watch it twice
This film won a lot of awards when it was released, 4 Oscars and 5 Golden Globe Awards, and was also in receipt of much critical acclaim. The first time that I saw this film I was disappointed and certainly did not feel that it deserved the praise that it received. However, having recently watched it for a second time I have changed my opinion somewhat.
The film deals with the drug problem in the United States, however where it differs from other ... ...the story though three interlinked mini stories that serve to portray the impact of the drug trade on suppliers, users and those in place to prevent the trade. There are some big name actors in this film but no one stands out as the star as each storyline is given equal picture time.
The director Steven Soderburgh, who won a best director oscar, switches between each storyline shooting each in a different colour. Time to own up but I only realised ...
atticusuk 21.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Traffic (DVD)
TRAFFIC (US 2000)
directed & cinematographed by Steven Soderbergh
written by Stephen Gaghan
based on the miniseries “Traffik” by Simon Moore
produced by Laura Brickford
Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick
composed by Cliff Martinez
edited by Stephen Mirrione
starring Benicio Del Toro
Jacob Vargas
Michael Douglas
Thomas Milian
Luis Guzmán
Don Cheadle
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Miguel Ferrer
Steven Bauer
Amy Irving
Erika Christensen
... ...and smart and the editing is good, but it drags too often in overlong “inner thoughts” shots, which stresses the patience. At the Oscars Traffic was nominated for Best Picture and won prizes for adapted script, editing, support Del Toro and director. Overrated, yet quality stuff.
Rating: B – ...
marselluswallace14 04.11.2001 (06.11.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Traffic (DVD)
Advantages: The acting is very impressive/ editing is brilliant/ good use of colours Disadvantages: Drags on a bit/ not as original I some would have you believe
--------Introduction--------
The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh (Out of Sight/ Erin Brockenvich) and contains many high profile actors. This was a film nominated for some 8 Oscars and eventually winning 4 including 'Best Director' for Soderbergh. It is a film largely based on a mini series 'Traffik' which was on Channel 4 over 10 years ago. More information on this is contained on the 'Extra Features' of this DVD. We will be reviewing the ... ...film about: The Storyline--------
There are 3 separate interrelated stories with 3 distinctive looks. Each has an overriding theme - that being the war on drugs.
In one story we see Michael Douglas play Robert Wakefield. He was an Ohio Supreme Court Judge and since has been appointed by the US President to be the new drugs czar. This story deals with himtrying to tackle the drugs problem for his country, yet at the same time sees his 16 year old ...
MrTink12 25.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Traffic (DVD)
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Advantages: funny, real life, easy to watch Disadvantages: none in my opinion
Hello again,
It has been over a year since I have last written one of my DVD ops and I had planned writing quite a few so I thought it was about time to get my fingers flexing and right a hardcore review on one of my favourite DVD’s. Well as you’ve probably realised by 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 (however don’t quote me on that because my other reviews probably didn’t) and here it is. It ...
cortex101 30.09.2002 (20.11.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Human Traffic (DVD)
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.
'Human Traffic' 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 ...
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.
Human Traffic 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.
Human Traffic 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 ...
Intertwining tales of America's war on drugs. One story touches on the man appointed to control the programme only to find that his daughter is a heroine addict. Another finds the wife of a jailed drugs baron trying control a business her husband had hidden from her...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
BOULEVARD ENTERTAIMENT; PINNACLE VISION
Release date
23/07/2001
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
EDV 9107
Screenwriter
Stephen Gaghan, Edward Zwick, Simon Moore, Steven Soderbergh
Barcode
5017239191077
Production Designer
Philip Messina
Editor
Stephen Mirrione
Composer
Cliff Martinez
Executive Producer
Graham King, Andreas Klein, Mike Newell, Cameron Jones, Richard Solomon, Steven Soderbergh
Deleted Scenes, Theatrical Trailers, B Roll, Soundbites
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Award information
OSCAR
Best Actor In A Supporting Role 2001 (Benicio Del Toro)
OSCAR
Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced Or Published 2001 (Stephen Gaghan)
OSCAR
Best Director 2001 (Steven Soderbergh)
BAFTA
Best Screenplay (Adapted) 2000 (Stephen Gaghan)
BAFTA
Best Supporting Actor 2000 (Benicio Del Toro)
Professional reviews
Review
"...Soderbergh deftly weaves together four stories depicting the causes and effects of the illegal drug trade..." (Box Office, p.66, 01/02/2001)
Ranked #3 in Entertainment Weekly's "Owen Gleiberman's BEST MOVIES OF 2000" (Entertainment Weekly, pp.106-17, 22/12/2000)
"...A mosaic of heightened reality....A picture fascinating in its complexit....The technical contributions are adroit and stylish..." (Hollywood Reporter, p.26, 12/12/2000)
"...Complex and ambitious....Yet another indication of how accomplished a filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has become..." (Los Angeles Times, p.F1, 27/12/2001)
"Steven Soderbergh's great, despairing squall of a film [infuses] epic cinematic form with jittery new rhythms and a fresh, acid-washed palette....The performances, by an ensemble from which not a false note issues, have the clarity and force of pithy instrumental solos insistently piercing through a dense cacaphony..." (New York Times, pp.E1-E12, 27/12/2000)
"...The whole thing feels remarkably fresh, vibrant and new....The movie is adult, intelligent, sweeping yet intimate, nail-bitingly suspenseful, buoyed by an impeccable, uniformly powerhouse cast, and it provides a real perspective on a real issue..." (Premiere, p.18, 01/02/2001)
"...Its vigorous, unjaded rush of imagery and story makes for an exciting visual experience..." (Sight and Sound, p.53-4, 01/02/2001)
"...Multi-layered plotting and plenty of pleasing technical flourishes....Douglas is superb..." -- 4 out of 5 stars (Total Film, p.88, 01/02/2001)
"...[A] consistently credible drama..." -- 3 out of 4 stars (USA Today, p.4D, 27/12/2000)
DVD Description
Steven Soderbergh followed up his critical and commercial smash ERIN BROCKOVICH with this wildly exhilarating exploration of the complex, multilayered international drug problem. The film tells three seemingly disparate stories that loosely intersect and overlap, unfurling at a frantic, relentless pace. In the first, a well-intentioned Mexican police officer, Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro), comes face-to-face with the hypocrisy and hopelessness of his situation after he learns that his superior, General Salazar (Tomas Milian), isn't the law-abiding officer he claims to be. In the second, Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), a conservative Supreme Court judge from Ohio, takes a position as the president's new drug czar. What he doesn't realize is that his teenage daughter, Caroline (Erika Christensen), is falling prey to the dangerous narcotics that he has been hired to eradicate. In the third section, federal agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman) are baby-sitting Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer), a drug smuggler who is about to testify against the wealthy Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer). When Ayala's pregnant wife, Helena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), learns of her husband's illegal activities, she takes her family's future into her own hands. Soderbergh's bold decision to photograph the film using three strikingly different visual schemes adds even greater punch to TRAFFIC, which stands firmly as one of 2000's most stirring motion picture events.
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