Traffic Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
No One Gets Away Clean
A modern day look at America's war on drugs told through four separate stories that are connected in one way or another. A conservative politician who's just been appointed as the US drug czar learns that his daughter is a drug addict. A trophy wife struggles to save her husband's drug business, while two DEA agents protect a witness with inside knowledge of the spouse's business. In Mexico, a corrupt, yet dedicated cop struggles with his conscience when he learns that his new boss may not be the anti-drug official he made himself out to be.
| Benicio Del Toro | Javier Rodriguez |
| Jacob Vargas | Manolo Sanchez |
| Michael Saucedo | Desert Truck Driver |
| Tomas Milian | General Arturo Salazar |
| Jose Yenque | Salazar Soldier |
| Emilio Rivera | Salazar Soldier #2 |
| Michael O'Neill | Lawyer Rodman |
| Michael Douglas | Robert Wakefield |
| Russell G. Jones | Mark |
| Lorene Hetherington | State Capitol Reporter #1 |
| Eric Collins | State Capitol Reporter #2 |
| James Lew | CalTrans DEA Agent |
| Steven Soderbergh |
7.80 out of 10 (56634 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Soderbergh's grand pedantic excercise
posted on 25 Aug 2009(Possible Spoilers)"I'm not only a director but I can operate a camera,too". That statement must have been going through Steven Soderbergh's mindwhen he decided to color code his film so that audiences would "get it".
"Traffic" is one of the most overrated films of recent years. It's stereotypical(white kids go to a black neighborhood to get drugs, unbelievable(Michael "chin tuck" Douglas is clueless about his daughter's drug problem,Catherine Zeta Jones reads some micro film and suddenly she's a player who would give Pablo Escobar a run for his money)and it also offers us some wonderfully inane dialogue as icing on the cake(Douglas' daughter is confronted about her problem, looks at her toes and says "I guess I'm angry"). What a hoot!
Many people have wondered why the film is out of focus so much of the time and that's simply because if Soderbergh stopped waving hiscamera all around and stayed in one place in focus we would see the only things that he had to say were probably in the press junket to begin with and were taken by gullible critics as brilliance.
Overrated, Contrived Average Movie
posted on 21 Aug 2009I know the vast majority of people think this is a great movie, but I am not in that camp. The movie was filled with plot holes and the Mexico film scenes were filmed in an annoying yellow grainy style that I found unnecessary.The movie would have us believe that Michael Douglas the drug czar of the United States has to go looking for his lost teenage daughter by himself and when her drug supplier tells him to get lost he just leaves. Not for one second do I believe it. This guy has enough power to have law enforcement all over this drug dealer, but he just walks away. And his wife, she just sits there and says the daughter has to find herself.A contrived movie hoping to make the point that the fight against drugs is hopeless. It might be hopeless, but should the government do nothing? The movie never answers that question. I will say the performances were good and the movie had a style not frequently seen, although the Mexico scenes were overly annoying.When the movie was over I for one was disappointed.
Soderburgh
posted on 17 Aug 2009This is a great film. Being a film student now, and being taught about everything film proper, this film breaks the mold, Soderburgh spent 50 mllion bucks on a hand held no lighting shoot and pulled it off. It used the film medium to tell the story, it is told using sound and pictures. Good films allow film to tell the story, not have the story have to be told on film. This was such a great movie, the acting was tremendous, especially by Topher Grace and Erika Christensen. I really liked how Soderburgh did not insult the audience by using too many unnecessary cutaways and ended the movie basically in the middle. The drug war will never be won, why not watch a game?
'The Godfather' of New Generation Films
posted on 13 Aug 2009A great storyline and intersecting stories which kept me interested throughout the whole film. Great performance by Benicio Del Toro as Javier and Michael Douglas as the Drug Czar for America. I think if Douglas had gotten a couple more scenes in- he would've been nominated for best supporting actor too. Ah, anyways- Del Toro changed a lot throughout the whole film- speaking spanish for a little, then english, then spanish- no, actually, Del Toro changed a lot because of the tragic occurences that happened because of drug wars and his inability to stay alive and worry about what could happen to him. Del Toro played the role as a cop well and in my opinion, deserves an oscar. Unfortunately for me, I'm posting this a day before the Oscars so I can get my point across. I promise this movie will get BEST PICTURE- why? Because not only does it have Godfather traits to it but its the most realistic film in the category and does not really have an ending- for drug wars still continue even today. This movie also shows the hardships for teenagers and drugs and what it does to families. Frankly, I think drugs should just be eliminated- but if the government makes money from it, why take away something that kills humans each day?As for Steve S- the director of this nominated film and Erin Brockovich- he did an outstanding job. The reason why was because the two films were entirely different and so was the editing and effects. You have to give this guy an award or *two* for best director. If he doesn't get it this year in 2001- trust me, he'll get it later on in his life.Great movie and there is nothing in the movie that won't get your attention. Rating out of 10- 9
Mostly good, some shakey parts though...
posted on 01 Aug 2009Spoilers in here of course!What's Good: the acting-though Zeta Jones is to this what Sharon Stone is to Casino-average, over-wrought in places, easy as hell on the eyes, etc. The others were better but she is okay. I liked Del Toro, Mike Douglas, Ferrer, Cheadle, etc etc all fine. Even Orrin Hatch delivered his lines alright!(though he later disavowed this due to it's 'violence'-duhhhhhh, a DEA flick has violence Orrin? NAHHHHH!). Del Toro did a nice job, though nothing that Bronson in his better days couldn't have pulled off(in English, of course...)...I liked the revolving door plotlines, places where various characters pass each other by on the streets-Zeta Jones and Del Toro, for example, etc, I liked how you get to see Del Toro sitting right beside Douglas, etc. Things like that were fine.And the odd changes in color, camera work and etc was very much outta 'Three Kings', arty, somewhat distracting but giving the flick a sense of itself that others don't have. I liked that.I didn't buy for a second that the Drug Czar(say William Bennett) would go running through downtown Cinci looking for his kid alone, without bringing a phalanx of ATF types with him. C'mon guys, SOME believablity eh? (And was it me, or did you have a hard time telling Erika Christianson from Leelee Sobieski and Julia Stiles? Are they hiring all lookalikes now? Paging Reese, Alicia S and Britney...).I also had a little trouble sorting out some of the twists of the Drug lord vs Drug lord plotting, you would think that the sniper would be after Ruiz(Ferrer) not Freddie Flowers. Only so many turncoats can fit into a plot at once guys.And yeah the bogus Waiter bit/along with 'let's walk back to the hotel' was pretty KooKoo too. But those holes aside, I did like the rest of the flick. It makes some good points about treatment vs. prevention, and I thought it treated the Mexicans at least a little better than yer average Vice episode did the Cubans.This was deserving of Oscars seems to me despite its few flaws.***1/2 outta ****.
Genius? Not quite.
posted on 26 Jul 2009Academy Member 1: Ok, it's time to vote for best director.Academy Member 2: I'm voting for Ang Lee.Member 1: No! Vote for Steven Soderbergh.Member 2: Why? Watching Traffic is like watching NYPD Blue with blue and yellow tint.Member 1: We can't vote for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It has kung fu in it and people may think we're less intelligent. Besides ... it's foreign and we can't let foreigners take over the Hollywood crap market. Ang Lee can have his best foreign film, but he can't have director.Member 2: So what you're saying is that even though Traffic is not that good of a movie, boring as hell and has direction that makes you feel like you just got off a roller coaster while standing on your head, eating liver and onions and watching the Blair Witch Project, we should vote for it so we can pat Hollywood on the back?Member 1: Exactly.Member 2: That makes sense.
OK, but one enormous flaw
posted on 26 Jul 2009The story of a conservative judge appointed to head US drug policy, intertwined with sub-plots involving his own daughter's drug-taking and the criminals actually producing narcotics at the other end, with a sub-plot of an initially innocent woman gradually taking over her husband's drug business. Most people seem to think this film is great. The reason I don't is because I've just seen the European version of Traffic, a TV movie made a year earlier, and it is SO much better. It's impossible not to make comparisons. Michael Douglas is excellent as always in the lead character and so was Peter Reigert (wasted in a small role) but that's about it. If only Catherine Zeta-Jones' talent could match her ambition. Her Welsh/South American accent is laughable. The worst aspect of this film is the superficial "Disneyesque" way it deals with Douglas' daughter's drug-taking. It's a joke. We don't see anything "nasty" and at the end she simply comes back to Daddy and gives up drugs. The Euro version really does show the filth and the squalor and the utter despair of a junkie as the young Oxford student drops out and descends into a life of thievery and prostitution to feed her habit. SO much more convincing. I'm annoyed by this movie because it was made later than the European version and had a much higher budget so it should have been better, and it simply isn't.
Hollywood Mush
posted on 22 Jul 2009The film has been widely promoted and hyped on this side of the pond.
Frankly I was a bit disappointed. I'm not sure the different colour filters for each of the plotlines was necessary. Michael Douglas was playing his 'victim of events' role that he does very well but his wife (Catherine-Zeta) seemed tired and lacklustre.<SPOILER> The redemption type ending was disappointing Hollywood mush. Erika Christianssen could at least have come down with an attack of crabs or something after selling her butt for a quick fix... Aids would have been a better outcome but I guess that would have been too derivative of Kids. The teenagers played their roles very well however. </SPOILER>The Mexican story track was engaging if a bit disjointed. The Senators acted very well too.
I will always carry a torch for the John Wayne Kirk Douglas Robert Mitchum trio.
posted on 12 Jul 2009Some of my favorite Kirk Douglas's movies have to be "The War Wagon", " The Villian", and "Final CountDown"with that other father Martin Sheen. Some day I will watch" Spartacus". He was a very handsome man, also "Gunfight at OK Corral" with Burt Lancaster, another one to add to my list. I see were the" Jewel of the Nile "has not lost its shine, and gets better with age. Michael still has it. I buried my head in my date's chest during "Basic Instinct"."Traffic" will make one think about one's role in the problem. Each one of us can do something. Some one at work has changed from her wild partying, and part of that has been due to looking at me as a role model. She was hung up on a man that did not love her. I said on Valentines Day that one has to love themself first.Also saw "Wonder Boys"."Final Countdown" modern tech to stop Pearl Harbor attack.
Visually outstanding cinematography manages to distract everyone from the fact that Traffic is as dull as dishwater.
posted on 12 Jul 2009Traffic is an important social realistic film. How do I know this? Because this movie is more boring than church. You can stuff it full of as many fancy filmic techniques as you like, but you're never going to get a good film out of it.And stuff it with fancy filmic techniques they do. Traffic looks fantastic. The colour filtering makes it visually striking. And the editing – the editing is excellent. I didn't realise editing could be this good; I just thought that editing was editing. But that's the thing – I don't go to the cinema to be stunned by the editing. The last thing I want to be focusing on in a movie is the quality of the editing, but it's just so much more interesting than the plot and the dialog.And in retrospect I wonder how I can have found the plot as dull as I did – it's a movie about drugs, with lots of guns and raids. It is, in fact, quite an achievement to make this movie as dull as it is. And it's not the achievement of the actors. Everyone puts in good performances, extremely good in some cases.You can understand the critics being full of praise for the film, because cinematically it is wonderful. But whilst falling over themselves to congratulate Mr Soderbergh and worshipping him as their one true god, what the critics have all failed to notice is that as a piece of entertainment, TRAFFIC SUCKS. 4/10
Somewhat Mixed
posted on 26 Jun 2009***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** Soderbergh`s interpretation of the British mini series just about works , but why shoot yourself in the foot by making it arthouse ? Like THE LIMEY Soderbergh doesn`t seem to believe an audience will watch a film where characters walk about without any visual gimmicks . Why does the director have to shoot in sepia in order to show us where the story is located ? I`d have absolutely no complaints if the camera work was done in a fly on the wall style but that wouldn`t be enough for this director.The other problem I had was the screenplay adaption . ( !!!! POSSIBLE SPOILER TO ORIGINAL MINI SERIES !!!! ) In the original Channel 4 show the story starts with a British politician meeting a Pakistani politician and a German businessman . As the story develops it turns out the Pakistani politician is growing opium , turning it into heroin , selling it to the German businessman who distrubutes it all over Europe and indirectly sells it to the British politician`s daughter who is a smack addict ( END SPOILER ) In this film there`s little connection between the stories , I think the closest we get is when Zeta Jones character walks past Javier . Another minus is the fact that if you`ve seen the original you`ll know what happens next plot wise because - despite the switching to an American location - much of what happens is identical to the mini series .Maybe that`s why I enjoyed the Mexican sequences so much which is total invention on the part of the screenwriter and has no equivilent in the British original . Javier is an incorruptable Mexican cop superbly played by Benecio Del Toro and very understated . Is he gay ? He lives on his own but look at the way he picks up the suspect at the bar . Always good to see an Oscar for acting going to a non English speaking partAll in all a fairly good film that`s worth watching once . But be warned if you`re looking for a typical Hollywood thriller or have seen the original you may be somewhat disappointed
Overrated
posted on 24 Jun 2009Yes I saw the movie because of all those glaring reviews from all the film critics around the country. What did I get? Overall the movie was entertaining to watch, it held my full attention till the last minute, when I realized there wasn't even a legitimate ending. Maybe Soderbergh was trying to leave the viewers to think about it, but at least he should have given us something to think about? The separate stories are interesting, especially with Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman and Del Torro on screen. However the US parts with Michael Douglas and his daughter are rather shallow. I don't really feel a connection between me and those characters. Some parts, especially with the daughter are just used for the shock factor instead of actually being meaningful.The cinematography is definitely unique, the different looks are great.Overrated, definitely overrated.
A beautifully crafted,intelligent and mature piece of film making.
posted on 20 Jun 2009This Review Contains Spoilers. As a voluntary substance misuse counsellor and an individual that does drug awareness lectures this films subject matter and the fact that I like Soderberghs body of work was of great interest to me. The story is a intricate pattern of plots woven around the world of drugs and looked at its effects in all walks of life. Douglas plays a high ranking Drug Czar in the american goverment who quickly becomes disillusioned when he sees the unstoppable force that he is up against. Abely supported by a fine cast including Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro (breathtakingly good) and Dennis Quaid Tarffic adequatelly illustrates the so called 'war on drugs' is a fruitless exercise that nobody but the traffickers seem to be winning.Soderbergh directs masterfully and leaves us with no dilemmas...prohibiton does not and cannot work. Intricatelly weaving the stories around each other we see the effects of the war..the winners and the clear losers. Using a mixture of grainy film stock and hand held cameras the film has a documentary style feel about it..making it's impact even more effective. Its pace falters in places and can become to overstylish...particularly some of the mexican sequences..but overall the films length is not that noticeable. He ellicits fantastic pefromances from all concerned particularly Del Toro (if he doesn't win an oscar for this then it's daylight robbery). The film is flawed...witness the sudden change of character for Zeta Jones, from mild mannered distressed innocent wife to ruthless smuggler...which I found hard to believe. The pace of the film appears to be slightly rushed towards the end...but apart from this Soderbergh has adequatelly shown us, his best is yet to come...and what's he done so far is VERY impressive.
What's all the hooplah about?(spoiler-sort of)
posted on 20 Jun 2009This was a good film but I saw it the same month I saw Cast Away, Snatch, Crouching Tiger, and Shadow of the Vampire and it was to me easily the least of these films. The Mexican portions were exceptional and are probably the film's most impressive elements, but Michael Douglas playing the utterly impotent "Drug Czar" was unbelievable and that whole portion of the film could have been left out. It was like we had this excellent film and they spliced in sections of a Turner Television Movie of the Week. I can't take seriously the image of a Judge and a senior government official wandering through the poorest section of town asking drug dealers where his daughter is. Would the Secretary of State do this? Maybe if he is Joe Acountant I could see him doing this alone and desperate but Douglas' actions are not those of a man in power.
Not quite state of the art film making.....
posted on 12 Jun 2009I greatly admire the tone and message of this film. Steven Soderbergh is a director with the good instincts to avoid the trappings of Hollywood visuals. 'Traffic' has an extraordinary documentary style look to it.
Example, one scene has a car bomb going off and instead of editing it from a zillion angles, Soderbergh mutes the sound and shows it looking natural in such a way as you might see in an A&E documentary on crime. He uses grainy photography when filming many of the scenes in Mexico and sharper images when contrasting it to the United States. A very subtle approach to such a powerful subject as drug trafficking and addiction and it works. There are great uses of hand held photography also. The cast is in good form although I must disagree with many who say that Benecio Del Toro will win the best supporting actor Oscar. He is good but his performance is not great.
Michael Douglas plays a judge appointed to the position as head drug czar for the U.S. government. Douglas plays his part in the same way he did in 1983's 'The Star Chamber'. A family man caught in a moral dilemma, this time when he finds out his daughter is a drug addict. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays her part as a cross between a hapless and unsuspecting wife and a spider about to devour the fly caught in its web. The actor who really impressed me in this film was Don Cheadle. He plays a stake-out cop who knows his job well. Writer Stephen Gaghan's script has a few holes in it but it works. Finally, having said all of this, 'Traffic', for some unknown reason lacks that touch of greatness. It's simply in the way you feel it after you leave the theatre. You feel as if the story and final cut has been under played and it may require a few viewings to truly appreciate it.
Traffic? Terrific!!!
posted on 12 Jun 2009Traffic is a terrific movie. A masterpiece. A triumph for Soderberg. He proved that he's a natural born director. It's amazing to see him also in charge of the Director of cinematography. Del Toro was magnificent. Stephen Gaghan mixes three impressive stories in a remarkable script of the most magnificent movie of the year. And I think it's a beginning of a successful career for new couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Jon Monsarrat review: good though loose ends
posted on 12 Jun 2009I enjoyed "Traffic", especially the performance by can't-fail actor Michael Douglas. Although there's plenty of drama and art in the film, you can view it as a pure thriller if you want to, which makes it similar to "Training Day". That's important to a guy like me who normally avoids dramas.However, unlike "Training Day" the plot was close but not perfect. The two main characters (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas) have separate plot lines that never touch. So it's almost like two separate movies. I didn't feel the ending wrapped up the story, either, even though I "get it" that the USA's "War on Drugs" isn't wrapped up and may be unwinnable. I quite liked Luis Guzman, who was hilarious. The film's about drug trafficking, but it isn't glorified so that didn't bother me -- although the filmcertainly speaks out against the current USA anti-drug approach.Who should see this film:-- action / thriller movie buffs who won't mind a little dramaand the plot not really coming to a bang closing-- drama buffs who don't mind the topic of drug traffickingI'll give "Traffic" a 7 out of 10.
Preachy and contrived garbage
posted on 10 Jun 2009"Traffic" is a movie that features three characters -- a Mexican Cop (Benicio Del Toro), a Senator who is the head of the DEA (Michael Douglas) and the wife of a drug baron (Catherine Zeta-Jones)-- and their three stories in the drug business in the US and Mexico. There's also a fourth story concerning two US cops but it's more of a sub-feature. The stories are connected, but don't overlap and the characters don't meet each other.Although this movie is intended as a "serious" look at the "drug problem" it comes across as a pathetic joke. Aside from the story featuring Del Toro, few of the situations, characters or resolutions are even remotely connected to reality. In addition, the themes and commentary are preachy and contrived. To me, this movie is a parody of Hollywood "message" movies. The more I think about it, as I am writing this review, the movie is... what's the word?... oh yeah, stupid.Here's just one scene that is so idiotic that it defies description. The Senator's teen-aged daughter has become a drug addict, run away from home and is living with a drug dealer in the ghetto. The Senator finds out where she is and shows up at the ghetto tenement to get his daughter back. Threatened by the dealer, the Senator breaks down and begs the dealer to turn over his daughter, and then meekly leaves when the dealer says no. Is there any father in the world, especially one who is a US Senator, who would act like this when his daughter's life is at stake???This movie was written and directed by a crew of idiots. And ironically enough, they were probably on drugs when they did it.
Face Time with Significant Others
posted on 23 May 2009Greetings again from the darkness. And this time I do mean darkness. The overrated Steven Soderbergh takes us into the belly of drug dealers and trafficers. Sorry, it is a somewhat fascinating topic, but sure seems difficult to relate to. The scenes in the Mexico desert seem cleaner than they should. I enjoy overlapping story lines, and Soderbergh's use of grain/filters/lighting/color to dramatize the different worlds is a nice touch. However, there are 15-20 minutes of the movie that could be lost and the pace would improve drastically. Michael Douglas, with his strange amber dye-job, sleep walks through his role. Face it, he is not the strong, silent type. He is much more effective when he wears his emotions on his sleeve. Two actors steal the movie: Benecio Del Toro and Don Cheadle. Del Toro is marvelous! Talk about quiet explosiveness - this guy has IT.
Cheadle continues his string of strong support roles, both serious and funny. The craziest thing about this picture is noticing how many of the actors are affiliated with real-life significant others or family members.
Of course, there are newlyweds Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones; Benjamin Bratt (Julia Roberts); James Brolin (Barbra Streisand); Miguel Ferrer (son of Jose Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney); Dennis Quaid (ex of Meg Ryan); Amy Irving (ex of Steven Speilberg), and Selma Hayek (OK, no famous relatives, but she is gorgeous!). My tidbit on this one is Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers lays down a wonderful bass line for the soundtrack, and check out Topher Grace from TV's "That 70's Show" as drug addict Seth.
Interesting story, good acting, horrible filming.
posted on 29 Aug 2009Went to see this tonight with very high expectations and the acting lived up to my expectations. The story was choppy and at times hard to follow but after about 1 ½ hours and lots of sub-titles the stories started to slowly come together and make sense. What just about destroyed the entire movie was the way Soderbergh shot the movie. I think half of the movie was shot with a 8mm hand held video camera and a cheap one at that. There was so much unnecessary camera motion it totally distracted me from the good acting and interesting story. And if a hand held cam was not enough we had close in shots with the main characters face out of focus and at times off the top or the side of the screen. It looked like a ten year old with daddy's old super 8 video shot 1/3 of the movie. What was Soderbergh thinking? I gave it 6 out of 10 and that's generous.