Can a film about drugs and it's affects ever be done well? In other words be realistic and have commercial success. Unlikely. But Steven Soderbergh has made an arresting film that will keep most hooked until the end. The film, in the genre of so many films lately, has several loosely related subplots all concerned with drug trafficking in one way or another: The drug csar who has yet to discover his daughter is on drugs, the cops who have to keep their star witness alive so that he can testify aginst the drug baron; the wife of the drug baron trying to comprehend that her fairytale lifestyle has been funded by her husband's drug smuggling business and the two Cops from Tijuana, Mexico trying to survive on $360 a month, who become unwittingly involved in the exploits of the local drug cartel.
Confused, don't worry. Soderbergh employs varying shades of sepia to colour the different aspects of his tale along with plenty of on-screen info to keep you up to speed. Micheal and Catherine Zeta Douglas, Don Cheadle and Benico DelToro are all more than able in their parts and the stories aim to show how drugs pervade and pollute society at all levels and in a multitude of different ways. Sure, real life is always alot uglier but there are no real happy endings in this story except maybe for one. I found it enjoyable because it is not a cops & robbers flick, a boy meets girl gig or any other tried and tested formula. It works because it is not attempting to gloss over what does happen in the world of drugs and goes just far enough to keep us watching and to start us thinking. Enough for movie I think.
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Production Year: 2002 - Drama - Director: Todd Haynes - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Viola Davis, James Rebhorn, Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson
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
I agree, it must be very hard to direct a film about drugs which is realistic. This was a good attempt, but the movie going public are not used to this style of film and have been spilt by unrealistic films. I personally didn't like the film, but it seemed very realistic... :-)
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...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon...
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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Advantages: Variety of characters. Strong theme. Performances by Del Toro, Cheadle, Christensen & Douglas. Good support. Disadvantages: Heavy going in places. Quite long.
MrRPriest 08.03.2001 ·
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Review of Traffic (DVD)
![Traffic [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78540259.jpg "Traffic [DVD] [2001]")
Feb 14th, 2001
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