Having had a look at the film review ops I've wrote so far, I've noticed I've only wrote about films I've liked. In order to redress this rather lopsided stance, I've decided to write about a film that I'd looked forward to seeing, but which left me immensely disappointed. The film that best fits the bill just has to be Traffic.
I'll give you a (very) brief synopsis of the story, as to go into it in any great depth would take me hours! There are 3 main story lines. Number 1 involves Michael Douglas as a government-appointed drugs "Tsar" whose job it is to try and stem the tide of drugs entering the US, who discovers shortly after his appointment that his daughter is fast becoming a junkie. Thread 2 involves Benicio Del Toro as a Mexican policeman who is about the only incorruptable cop in all of Mexico, and his battle to beat the drugs barons and their corrupt puppets who just happen to be his superiors. The third and final strand involves Catherine Zeta Jones (proving that she
can actually act) as the pregnant wife of an american businessman who just happens to be a drug baron (unknown to her). Upon his arrest she discovers his true line of business, and has to take over. The whole thing is a remake of the Channel 4 Mini-series Traffik, and substitutes the Pakistan / Afghanistan / UK locations for Mexico and the US.
The problems with Traffic are many, and I'll try and list them. Firstly, the 3 storylines. While fine for the longer time-scale of a mini-series, trying to fit in 3 stories into 1 film is a non-starter. Each thread could have made a good film on its own, but lobbing the 3 together just doesn't work. It shows quite prominently that this film was adapted from a mini-series, and you feel that perhaps a remake of the mini-series AS a mini-series, or perhaps as a film and a sequel, would have worked better. The 3 storylines also do not conclude - only one of them, the one set in Mexico, comes to any sort of conclusion, and the 3 tales just don't tie up. There are occasional moments of cross-over, but these are of no consequence. As a result, you feel you are watching three completely different films, and just as you get into one, it cuts to another. At the end of the film, after sitting struggling with it for nearly 3 hours, you are left with a feeling of "is that all? Where's the ending?" Hugely disappointing.
As I've just mentioned the length of the film, I'll expand on that slightly. I quite like long films, so long as they are exciting, and move along at a fast pace and don't let your attention wander. Not only is Traffic painfully slow, it is painfully dull, and 3 hours (give or take) is far too long for this kind of film. My girlfriend Kirsty actually fell asleep! As I stated above, perhaps 2 films of around 1 hr 45 mins would have enabled a more exciting and entertaining telling of the story, instead of the slow-yet-rushed feel we have here.
Thirdly, I feel the direction was poor. Yes, I know Sodernergh won an oscar for it, and I know everyone raves about it, but it left me flat. The shooting of the 3 threads in different colours (yellow tint to the Mexico bits, steely blue for Douglas' section, "normal" for Zeta Jones' adventures in California) was totally unnecessary, and in my opinion detracted from the visual impact of the film instead of adding to it. To quote Star Trek's Scotty from STIII: The Search For Spock - "The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain." Seems to sum this up quite well - Soderbergh gets so carried away with his own innovative colour use that he forgets to actually DIRECT the film.
There are a couple of good points, of course. As has been pointed out by various reviews in the media and here in Ciao, the acting is excellent. While Mike Douglas and Benicio Del Toro were rightly applauded for their efforts, I found the acting of some of the lesser characters to be better - in particular Dennis Quaid as Zeta Jones' scheming lawyer, and Miguel Ferrer as an ill-fated state witness. Both make you really believe in the sleaziness of their characters, while portraying a vulnerability about them that is very hard to carry off well. Also, the actual idea behind the story is a decent one, and it is a welcome change to see Hollywood try and tackle a subject like this. Thought-provoking films are rare in Hollywood, and even though I didn't like the result here, at least it was attempted.
So, on the whole, a big disappointment. It's a major achievement to make a film that can be accused of being too slow yet feels like the story was rushed, but it's carried off here. Over-long, over-directed, over-dull and appallingly ended, Traffic could have been great. Unfortunately, all it is is a great waste of effort.
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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
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...
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
Advantages: Fantastic acting, original incite into the drug trafficking world. Disadvantages: Not that entertaining. Catherine Zeta Jones looking awful and unconvinving.
Alex1226 26.02.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Traffic (DVD)
![Traffic [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78540259.jpg "Traffic [DVD] [2001]")
Aug 20th, 2001
(Aug 21st, 2001)
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