A bit about me - I love the cinema. From the latest blockbuster (dragged along by my 15 year old so...
A bit about me - I love the cinema. From the latest blockbuster (dragged along by my 15 year old son), to my preferred arthouse films, I just enjoy the experience.
Update (May 2005) - my son is 19 and at Uni now! How time flies...
Member since:12.02.2001
Reviews:49
Members who trust:4
“Traffic” is a film that I most definitely want to see again. It’s well over 2 hours long, and there is so much going on it, a bit like in Altman’s “Short cuts”, or even “Time Code” (where there’s the added similarity of documentary-style hand-held camerawork), so I’d be sure to pick up on details I hadn’t noticed the first time. And it’s the kind of film where the details matter…
The ‘traffic’ of the title refers to drugs, of course, but there’s also the intersecting storylines, and plenty of symbolism relating to the more literal kind of traffic – busy roads, crossroads, and so on. Yep, it’s the kind of film that makes you notice things, and think a bit.
The acting is very good throughout. The big names are Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, but neither is portrayed in leading actor ‘star’ fashion – they are just actors in this movie, along with everyone else. There are plenty of other familiar faces – some only appear for a very short time, such as Dennis Quaid, and Albert Finney only gets a couple of scenes. Benicio del Toro has already won awards for his role as Javier, the Mexican cop, and he really should get an Oscar, too. I also enjoyed watching Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman as the undercover Drug Enforcement agents – they have some funny lines, and their situation (hidden in a van, spying on subjects, who are aware of your presence) allows for a lot of humour.
The three narratives are shot in distinctively coloured segments. 1. Tijuana, Mexico - yellow-tinged film, with the bright cropfields and deserts, and the harsh sun. 2. USA – blue-tinged film, for courtroom scenes, (Michael Douglas as a judge-cum-drug Tsar), highschool parties (his daughter, making merry and getting addicted to drugs). 3. San Diago - Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character, whose husband is arrested for organising drug smuggling, and who is subsequently followed by DEA.
This use of colours is, I think, very effective, and I especially liked the way the film changes over from one to the other, sometimes within the same shot. The camerawork – shaky, handheld – was apparently done mostly by director Soderbergh, using a pseudonym. It makes some of the scenes seem like a news report, and none of the shots look like they’re elaborately staged. The dialogue is also realistic (people talking on top of other conversations, like in real life!) although it doesn’t come across as entirely improvised.
The subject matter of the film is very serious, and there are some scenes which are hard to watch – as you would expect with the realism – drug traffickers are violent people, and hard drugs can lead straight to the low life. Sometimes is does feel like we are being lectured, subtly – yes, the high school kids are sniffing coke, chasing the dragon, and we are shown addicts injecting heroin, but this is neither glorified nor shown as totally repugnant. It’s as objective view of drug-taking as you’ll see on the big screen. We see evidence of both the pleasure and the destruction caused by drugs. But, in any scene where an actor is smoking, or drinking alcohol, we are most definitely being told THESE ARE DRUGS TOO – plainly and clearly. Ultimately, though, the film asks questions rather than saying any one way is right. Questions like does a crack down on drug cartels actually make the situation worse?
Even the film is quite long, it really didn’t seem that long, and I would recommend it... especially to anyone who’s tired of the usual Hollywood slickly produced, awful-soundtrack-ridden, big star vehicles that we get so much of nowadays.
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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
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 ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Traffic [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78540259.jpg "Traffic [DVD] [2001]")
Feb 22nd, 2001
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