Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:625
Members who trust:55
The Steven Soderburgh crusade for actually making decent films in Hollywood continued with Traffic. The film's origins are set in a Channel 4 mini-series and taken across the Atlantic to America. Here we see a number of stories all surrounding the drug trade. We have a Mexican policeman caught up in corruption. A suburban housewife whose husband's business is in the drug trade, a newly elected drugs czar whose daughter is on drugs and a pair of DEA agents who work undercover to combat the trade. All the stories have some sort of connection and all are brilliantly realized.
The acting is of a high standard with Benecio Del Toro rightly taking away an Oscar while Soderburgh's Oscar nod is not just for his ability to tell a good story with some many characters but they way he tells it. He also shot the film himself under a different name and created a unique style. Traffic runs for 2 1/2 hours and some opinions on this site have not liked it for that and accuse it of being boring. Well not every film has epic battles, explosions and gunfights. They are called movies, this is a film.
But we are not here to talk about the film, we are here to talk about it's silver disc incarnation. Quite often I advocate in favour of Region 1 releases because they are superior in terms of extras and sometimes presentation. For those that don't know, a company called Entertainment In Video have the rights to the film in the UK. This company's dvd reputation isn't very good in the UK with poor presentation a main factor. It was with this in mind that I opted for a R1 release a few months before the R2 was released. In this instance the R2 is better than the R1........DOH!
The film is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. First thing some may comment on is the film grain in the image. Well it's not an error, it's intentional and due to the film stock used. Overall the image is quite good with the shifts in colour tone causing no big problems.
Sound wise there is a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, this film is mainly dialogue based so there's not a great deal of rear action but there is an ambience created. The main thing is that the dialogue channel is mixed well and occasionally some Bass effects come into use.
Now for the extras. Buy the R1 and you get some stuff that basically amounts to an EPK (Electronic Press Kit).
'Inside Traffic' is a 20-minute featurette that features standard interviews about the film and the characters. There is occasional behind the scenes footage but mainly this is promo stuff.
Other than that what you get is the trailers, TV Spots and a bland photo gallery.
For a film that got some acclaim and good box office this is extremely disappointing. But then again Soderburgh seems to not stop working and went straight onto the next film so he probably didn't have time to devote anything to the dvd. That's a shame because his commentary tracks are very good.
Of course if you get the R2 then there are a few more bonus bits. There is some raw B-Roll footage of behind the scenes but the main bonus is a collection of deleted scenes. Personally I haven't seen them so I can't comment and if anyone has perhaps they could let me know if it's worth getting the R2 for these scenes.
Of course what this dvd cries out for is a commentary track or at least a comprehensive documentary on the film and the drug trafficking problem as a whole.
I suppose Traffic is one of those dvd's that you buy for the film itself. as it stands it's a case of great film, shame about the dvd which makes the rating lower overall. Because in my opinion the film is a 5-star rating.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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: 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: 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...
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 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...
![Traffic [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78540259.jpg "Traffic [DVD] [2001]")
Sep 25th, 2001
very helpful by (86%):
helpful by (14%):
