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You might have come across me (as ...
Just noticed that I'm almost at the 100-review mark - whew!
You might have come across me (as cswann) on dooyoo
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The movie “Traffic” is based on a mini series (“Traffik”) which appeared on Channel 4 in the late 80’s.
It’s a film about drugs, if you want to sum it up in one word. It’s about pretty well everything you can think of to do with drugs – taking them, for pleasure, as part of an addiction… smuggling them, coming off them, policing them…
The acting is very good throughout. None of the actors is allowed to be seen as the ‘star’ – and when you think we’re talking about actors like Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones and Dennis Quaid, this is some feat.
In this respect I would liken the film to “Short Cuts” or “Magnolia”. Remember Tom Cruise’s brilliant performance, where he appears in a relatively small, but very significant, part of the storyline? These are the kind of roles that Douglas and Zeta Jones have in “Traffic”. So don’t worry if you don’t normally like their movies (that was certainly true of me) – they won’t spoil “Traffic” for you!
Another similarity with these two films is the use of intersecting storylines.
There are basically 3 storylines – One: involving Javier the cop (Benicio del Toro) in Tijuana, Mexico (shot in yellow-tinged film, which makes you really feel the heat!); Two: the Michael Douglas character’s progress as a US ‘drug Tsar’ (blue-tinged scenes: the cool, supposedly level-headed angle). The fact that his daughter is using drugs complicates things nicely; Three: the fate of Catherine Zeta-Jones’ character in San Diego, whose husband (played by Steven Bauer) is arrested for organising drug smuggling.
The use of colours in this way is certainly not new (think of how many films where you get black and white or sepia interspersed with colour), but it really is extremely effective in “Traffic”. The intersection of the storylines is also very cleverly handled. There’s even one scene where two completely separate storylines coincide on screen, with the different characters crossing in the street (when Javier stops his car dead, gets out and walks along in the street).
The film is shot in documentary, news report style, with shaky footage, and very little in the way of glamorous shots. Also, the lines are delivered in a very realistic way – people talk at the some time as other people. It’s all like real life. There is a scene where Douglas’s character attends a cocktail party where there are several senators – and they are all real senators playing themselves, with most of the lines improvised. Overall, it’s as though director Soderbergh is saying “this is how it is – like it or not”. And that’s certainly what seems to be being said as far as the subject of drugs is concerned.
Of course, there are many messages to the movie – whether it’s that ‘taking drugs is bad’ or ‘there’s nothing we can do to stop drug trafficking or the associated violence’ - much of the time it is rammed down our throats. Every time someone has a drink of alcohol or a cigarette, we are definitely aware that even this is a part of it all. And although young kids are shown sniffing coke, and injecting heroin, it is not glorified. At least, I hope it wouldn’t actually persuade anyone to try drugs. Of course, the inevitable squalor and degradation caused by hard drugs are also shown.
There are excellent performances from Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman as the Drug Enforcement Agents – who manage to inject quite a bit of humour, too. Albert Finney appears in what is very nearly a cameo – he’s on scene for such a short time.
The movie won a host of awards. Benicio del Toro in particular came to prominence with Best supporting actor awards at the Golden Globes and the Oscars. He is definitely one of my own favourite things about “Traffic” – his role as a rare good cop in a highly corrupt world is a brilliant one. Having seen the movie it has reinforced for me how very few reasons there really are for such law enforcement officers to take on that role – not only are they totally at risk of losing their lives, it must be almost impossible to resist the riches (and safety) of a corrupt life, where you allow the drug trafficking to continue.
I liked the way that the plot is not entirely resolved at the end – again reminding us that this is real life, the war against drugs goes on and on...
The movie is well over 2 hours long, and does almost start to drag at times, but it avoids it.
DVD extras include deleted scenes, some of which did add to my understanding of the plot, particularly with the Zeta Jones storyline. There’s even a hidden extra – if you go to the “Production Notes” option, choose Catherine Zeta Jones, and press left, until an outtake appears!
Certificate is 18
£13.99 from bensons-world.co.uk On special offer at whsonline,co.uk – only £9.34
I definitely recommend the movie, and the DVD version is well worth getting.
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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]")
Apr 18th, 2004
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