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Traffic - Criterion Collection

Traffic - Criterion Collection

List Price: $39.98
Your Price: $35.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Traffic jam
Review: Please people, get over this movie. Just because the director uses a "neat" tint to the film and runs around with a hand cam does NOT a great picture make. Think of Godfather III, looked like a Godfather film, smelled like a Godfather film, but it was terrible. Don't be tricked into this ridiculously average film. I'll give you the fact that Benicio does his best to save this picuture (he is always great), but it's more than even he could overcome. First of all, some spoiled rich kid would not go to the "hood" to buy dope. They'd have some guy like James Spader's character in Less Than Zero to buy from. Also please explain how Ms Zeta-Jones goes from a naive tennis club wife to Don Corleone in a span of 2 minutes? Lastly, the speech between Michael Douglas and his daughters friend in the car almost tossed my red vines. Possibly the most overrated film of the last 10 years.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Well, I don't speak Spanish..
Review: Unfortunately, I had seen the British TraffiK which was great. I suppose if I could understand the language the American Traffic might have been OK, but I couldn't really stay up with the subtitles. I think about 60 per cent was in Spanish. I need new glasses or a larger tv, or quick enough to hit the pause....Oh, well, the British film spoiled me so I'm a bit grouchy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Merging for "Traffic."
Review: Eye-opening film about the drug trade led by a fine ensemble cast. Benicio Del Toro richly deserved his Oscar as the underpaid Mexican cop; Catherine Zeta-Jones holds her own as a mother whose husband suddenly gets busted for his shady dealings with drug smugglers; and Michael Douglas shines as the politician who initiates an anti-drug campaign while his teen daughter gets hooked on crack right under his nose. Fine camerawork, great performances, and a wittily-written screenplay makes this gritty drama worth not only a viewing but a purchase.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: 1 out of 3 aint bad
Review: after a lengthy discussion with a freind about this movie i thought id come and see what other people thought about the film.
i for one find i vastly overated...the only strong plot line being bencio del toro's...first off...the colored washes gimmicky, easy..and artsy for art sake not needed nor do they add anything to the film except to make you realise youre now watching "character x's" story line.

now the idea of catherine zeta jones rich suburban wife taking over her husbands business while not impossible is highly improbable and lends an air of unbelievabilty to that part of movie..but that pales in comparison to the problems with michael douglas and his story in the movie..
1. yeah ok got it even the drug czar can have a kid hooked on drugs..wow..shocking..
2. um ok so none of these super rich kids deals drugs they all travel to the ghetto to get it?..please..what world do these film makers live in find any high school in any neighborhood in america and you will find a kid that sells drugs..
3. ok now the "drug czar" needs to find his little girl..who he cant believe is on drugs..so he takes to the streets no gun no cop no nothing..again ridiculous..a judge that prominent doesnt know one cop in his state he can trust or one person to bring with him to navigate the dangers and could the national drug czar not think a gun might be needed?..or could he not get one?...totally unbelivable
4. it just flat out doesnt happen that way in 99.9% of the cases
you dont go from your first taste of a drug..crack..to the level she got to in the span of what?..a week...give it a 6 months then maybe...and the imagery of the evil black drug dealer sleeping with the poor white confused girl is beyond sickening and racist..what she didnt have anything to sell to get some cash before she became a hooker?..none of her friends could loan her 10 bucks...
5. michael douglas is just not a very good actor..and the boyfreinds little speech to him about blacks and whites and the drug trade was such an obvious " i know what you liberals are gonna say and here it is to cut you off at the knees" bit of dialouge its funny

ok enough ranting...im a big movie fan and after one too many people trying to tell me that this was such a classic i needed to vent a little : )

ok so i get it drugs are bad..gee thanks

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: WORST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This was the worst movie I have ever seen in my whole life! It had no plot, jumped around at a psychotic pace that no body can follow. The only people that could possibly like this movie is someone that has no attention span. Do not watch or buy this movie. Del Toro must of thought, hey I have a bad movie so I better put in a whole cast of star actors to make my bad movie good.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Heavy Movie - Light DVD
Review: I saw this movie for the first time tonight, and as a matter of fact, it was the very first movie that I watched on the new DVD player I bought today (my first). I was enthralled by the movie. It was a heavy, sometimes-hard-to-follow movie. Make sure you are not looking for a light-hearted comedy. The movie was a mix of many stories, all interwoven. The scale and scope of the various plotlines vary from family life to international negotiations. The characters are sometimes confusing, but overall I am glad I saw it.
The DVD however was a slightly different story. Since it was my first DVD experience, I loved the basics (picture and sound quality, chapter skipping, easy navigation, zoom, picture-perfect pauses, etc.) However, I was not overly impressed with this perticular DVD's features. It seemed there were few and uninteresting features. The trailers are fun, but you could just watch them online. I would like the DVD to have seen more cool features. Overall good, but not excellent (3)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great movie
Review: Traffic is a movie about the reality od drugs, their trade, and other factors in between. I think the director has done a remarkable job setting tone and mood throughout the three storylines. he uses different colors and contrasts to depict a certain storyline and to help portray a particular feeling. For instance, he uses dark blue contrast in i think "chicago" where mike Douglass daughter has develepoed her drug habit. Overall, i thought great acting combined with very intelligent, direct filmaking, this movie is a real winner!! buy the DVD today!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Stunning movie
Review: Traffic is one of those movies that you've definately got to have time to sit down, concentrate and really follow the plot. There are a number of different story lines that all start leading off at the same time, but they are all really related to the same main theme, which is the drugs trade in North America. The movie is not just based in the US, but nearly half of it is also set in Mexico, and so this part is all in Spanish language with English subtitles. It deals with many different aspects of the drugs trade, such as those who are dealing drugs (eg drugs cartels in Mexico and the dealers in the US), those who are using drugs (youngsters in the US) and those who are trying to clamp down on the drugs dealers(on both sides of the US-Mexico border). The movie also doesn't just give you one view of what the drugs trade is all about, as it deals with a number of different aspects and lets the viewer decide what to think. I think this is a great movie because there aren't any big punch lines and not everything works out in the end, and in reality that's the way the world is. Sometimes the 'bad guys' do get their way. There is a great cast of actors for this movie, and I think that Michael Douglas is brilliant in his role. Steven Soderbergh is a top director and I'll definately look out for his films in the future.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Flawed but compelling viewing
Review: I thought this could be the movie that would offer some gritty commentary on the drug 'war', but it isn't. It's directed by Stephen Soderbergh, which means it's stylish and tautly-paced. Three stories are held together by the common theme of drugs, but the only one worth mentioning is the one set in Mexico, a place where "law enforcement is an entrepenurial activity". Benecio Del Toro plays a police officer in a force where kickbacks are perks of the job, while corruption keeps the cartels in power. When he has the chance to turn those tables, pay close attention to his motivation, and the closing scene of the movie. It just adds another dimension to his character. "Traffic" blending of fact and fantasy is too much to digest. Some outlandish turn of events left me shaking my head. The film is depressing, but was interspered throughout with some wry humour and snappy banter. Different colour tints are used in various scenes, effectively establishing the mood and setting but it also made it easier to distinguish between each story. Despite some gripes I enjoyed this movie and recommend it.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This was partially filmed in Cincinnati
Review: This movie really reinforced my concern of Hollywood trying to depict realistic areas of the country. I know Cincinnati was portrayed in such a way to add drama to the film, but it really made me squirm to sit and watch a movie that was supposedly showing what life was like in downtown Cincinnati. I know a lot of good folks who come from urban areas of our city, and although it isn't the easiest place to live I don't think everyone there is the scum of the earth. Unfortunately the scenes in the movie made me feel like thats what they are supposed to be in the eyes of the audience. Maybe I've been very naive in the viewing of my surroundings, but I felt like my town was made uglier than it is. Just like any other major city, we have poverty and drug problems that need to be remedied. But I've never seen High school students in blue blazers and I've never seen drug dealers yell out like ticket scalpers to passing cars. I would assume anyone who wants to stay on the street more than a week has to be a bit more subtle when peddling illegal wares.

Some may think I'm being nitpicky, and I admit that its been a while since I've seen the film. But I guess it was more of an eye opener because the film was shot in my backyard. It makes me appreciate the reality of documentary as opposed to Hollywood interpretation.


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