Now I know this film has received blindingly good reviews in all the top magazines, receiving infinite grammie awards, baffa awards, oscar awards, lets give this film every sodding award in the book even if it’s not eligable for it awards etc etc. BUT, and here’s the big, big but – Traffic is actually quite good. Based upon the wheeling, dealing, cut throat business of the drug trade, this film covers a broad range of issues along the drug trafficking spectrum.
The plot focuses along three main storylines, of which I’d love to go into but you’d just end up getting bored – and at the end of the day, it’s a film you’ve just gotta see. However, as you’re twisting my arm I will, reluctantly of course, scratch the surface.
Storyline 1 - Mexico. Two police officers [one of which is excellently portrayed by Benicio Del Toro] are at the centre of a major drugs bust, the credit of which is taken solely by the Mexican army. The Mexican police officers end up working in tandem with the Mexican army in what they think is a bid to take down one of the major drug cartels of Mexico. However, things are not as they may seem.
Storyline 2 – Wasington D.C. The President of America has employed a new drugs Czar and has handed him the task of “waging war upon the drugs trade”. This politician [played very convincingly by Michael Douglas] adopts what he thinks is a very open minded approach to his work, attending political functions, and listening to what the “people in the know” have to offer. Soon he finds the drug trade an impossible obsticle to negotiate, with it being closer to home then he could ever imagine.
Storyline 3 – California. Two DEA officers arrest a middle level drug criminal who has ties and connections right to the very top of the drug trade. Faced with a lengthy sentence, he reveals names to the police and states that he will testify in a court of law against his organisation in return for immunity. In turn, a drug lord is arrested and charged with conspiracy of importing drugs. His wife [Catherine Zeta-Jones] is quite convinced that her husband is a legitimate, law abiding citizen and successful businessman. Her husband’s arrest reveals dangers and revelations that she must square up to very quickly if she is to save him from a sentence that would surely cost both of them their lives. This leads to the DEA’s main rat being placed in immediate danger of his life. If the rat does not exist, there can be no hope of a successful prosecution against Zeta-Jones corrupt husband.
Another major point in this classic in the production. For instance, when we are whisked off to the bustling, dust filled streets of Mexico, there is a different camera lense used – possibly to make the atmosphere look hectic and unpredictable. Absolutely cutting edge stuff. All in all, Traffic hits all the right notes for me. A film that is excellently produced, well directed, and unfortunately all too believable.
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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...
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]")
Oct 15th, 2001
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