Traffic

Rating:
Summary: Gets Better With Multiple Viewings
Review: Beautifully directed and photographed. The acting is wonderful. Benicio del Toro shows an amazing range (including pain, grief, ambivalence, and sensuality). The problem with this movie is the director poses real politicians and personalities to deliver perfect little sound-bites about the drug war. The problem is that these sound bites are delivered in such a scripted and stilted way. You can almost hear the director's cues, and ultimately the effect breaks the mood. You're suddenly thinking, hey, there's Senator so-and-so and he's spouting some fairly obvious platitudes about the drug war. An excellent, if not perfect, movie nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: The war on drugs?
Review: This movie is interesting in the way that it portrays the cross section of real life as opposed to what the government has been putting forth. While it is a timely subject given our ongoing efforts in the area I'm afraid the whole feel of it and the acting just did not work for me.

Douglas does his usual good work and there are good performances by others but perhaps it's more just the way it was directed. It did not strike me as having a feel of authenticity, it was too obviously contrived. It strikes me as not being one of those movies that makes you want to get inside it and believe, it does not create the sort of empathy feeling one might have for a Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan (admittedly a tough comparison of course).

Possibly worth a rental but with all the tens of thousands of titles out there I have to say I would not rate it terribly high. No serious political commentary, no memorable or outstanding theatrical element.

Rating:
Summary: The Drug War?
Review: Ok first of all I thought this was an interesting movie that touches on aspects of the U.S. war on drugs that most probably don't think about. It deals with the effects it can have on families, friends, parents, cops, etc etc but frankly 911 has rendered certain elements of this outdated. The connection of international terror to drug trafficking particularly heroin makes it very import that we continue to fight it. Where I'm critical of this movie is that I think it gives a somewhat skewed vision of reality and it's important that folks remember this is Hollywood and Michael Douglas is not portraying a real life drug czar.

The movie ends on a note that fighting drugs is not worth the trouble despite all the damage that has been depicted throughout the movie. I'm not sure what exactly the people who made this are suggesting, that we decriminalize hard drugs like cocaine and heroin? They seem to suggest that white people who sell drugs should go to jail but don't and that people who buy and use drugs shouldn't be dealt with in the legal system because they are a hapless lot. While this may in fact be a valid point in some respects the movie really does fail to deal with the societal situation in a bigger sense. Basically it's a movie, if you want to know more about the drug problem in America I suggest you read a book or two because they miss a lot here and the view is a bit simplistic.

The movie is also notable for the lack of "dark complexions" in the cast. The only major African American in the movie is a good guy and cop granted but other than that blacks get portrayed as being only marginal players in the drug trade and as shiftless gun toting violent thugs for the most part. In the movie the major bad guys are either white drug dealers or Hispanics and maybe this is true somewhere but to my eyes it seems a bit strange. I'm sure that drugs are tearing up white peoples lives too but this movie does nothing to address the social issues surrounding drug addiction in the black community. It is of course good to note the movie addresses the fact that lots of white people frequent poorer black neighborhoods because they know the drugs can be had there and thereby perpetuate and exacerbate the issue.

Benicio Del Toro on the other had gives a very good performance and the "Mexican" segments in general are the highlights of the movie in my opinion. Bencicio plays a Mexican cop who is drawn into the corruption the drug trade has created south of the border. He plays a willing participant but also a man with a conscience that is not totally at ease with what he's seeing. Is he a good guy or a bad guy(I'm not saying)?

What they are saying overall is that U.S. drug policy is largely ineffectual, corruption is rampant in the police and army in Mexico, and meanwhile addiction is tearing up peoples lives. It does not suggest any firm alternatives except perhaps where they touch on AA and drug treatment options and that is of course a better option than prison in many cases.

It's a serious movie on a political subject that raises important issues but doesn't really address them with any kind of solid alternative vision.

Rating:
Summary: Traffic - The best of the worst
Review: Traffic is a great movie about drugs and how they ruin the lives of people who sell and use them. The movie is devided into three different stories. One of a teenages life using drugs and the steps she takes to quit. I own the movie and i give it 5 stars. i encorage you to watch this movie , because it will change your life.

Rating:
Summary: Gritty crime story about the war on drugs
Review: I like Steven Soderbergh. He is a genius. He directed another good film called 'Ocean's Eleven'. I just love his movies. I'm glad he won best director for this at the Academy Awards. He most likely deserved it. Sadly, he didn't win for best picture. But hopefully, he'll make another classic. It's (most) likely he'll make another brilliant film. Like 'Ocean's 12' or 'Higher Traffic'. It would be so brilliant. I would be much pleased if he made another brilliant, superb film. I hope to see more from brilliant directors like him. And about the DVD...it is great. It has great picture quality, and great sound. It's pretty funny with the German (Or Russian, not sure) trailer. I just laughed so much. But the movie was so intellectual. So...compassionate. Lots of Drama and intensity. Michael Douglas was superb as the Drug Czar. And Erika Christensen is great as Caroline. She is very dedicated to her role and very good at it. Many people are good in their roles as people against drugs and trying to get rid of it, or showing that they like drugs and that they get in trouble for it. So if you want to see this, go see it. But if you don't, go your own way. In my terms, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary dramatization of a terrible social problem
Review: Steven Soderbergh tackles the drug trade of the United States through multiple storylines drawn from various points in the narcotics pipeline. The US drug czar (Michael Douglas) tries to cope with a daughter (Erika Christensen) who is addicted to crack cocaine. A Mexican cop (Benicio Del Toro) gets caught up in the machinations of a powerful general who wants to control the Mexican drug trade (Tomas Milian). Two hardworking DEA agents (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman) try to convict a drug kingpin (Steven Bauer), whose wife (Catherine Zeta Jones) transforms from innocent to hardhearted economic realist while her husband sits in jail. Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan are adept at weaving the various story lines together in a comprehensible and compelling fashion.

For me, this film was very powerful because it dramatized a view of the War on Drugs that I happen to agree with. The war as it is being fought is a failure. The illegality of drugs like cocaine and marijuana serve as de facto price supports and do very little to limit their availability. Some reviewers commend this film on its authenticity and declare it to be like a documentary. I hope they bear in mind that it is not a documentary and that, however much they may trust Soderburgh's intent, they should learn about this issue from non-fictional sources. Then they will be in a better position to judge the film's veracity.

Rating:
Summary: Criterion does it again
Review: In keeping with their excellent standards, Criterion delivers another fantastic Special Edition DVD. Forget the movie-only version that came out awhile ago, this is the version to get if you're a fan of the movie and want more in-depth information on how the film was made.

The first disc contains THREE different audio commentaries -- the best being the one done by director Steven Soderbergh and writer Stephen Gaghan. Soderbergh has got such a dry, deadpanned wit -- it always makes his commentaries funny and interesting. The man knows how to make movies.

The second disc is crammed with some wonderful extras: 25 deleted scenes which flesh out more of Catherine Zeta Jones' character, some interesting featurettes on editing, sound dialogue and so forth that cover aspects of filmmaking that are almost never examined on DVDs.

This is a great set and well worth picking up if you love this movie. Criterion is the best DVD producers out there -- bar none -- and prove it yet again with this top notch release.

Rating:
Summary: dark story
Review: A very strongly crafted story about the drug trade and the war to stop it.
Stephen Soderbergh directs this unique tale focusing on three different
people and how they are affected throughout the story. He uses different
coloring to film all and it works surprisingly well. The story jumps back
and forth between Mexico, California, and Ohio and involves a cop trying to
take down drug traffickers in Mexico, a woman finding out her husband had
been a major supplier in California, and the new Drug Czar finding out his
daughter is a major pot-head.

Acting from all ranges from good to excellent. My only question is the Best
Supporting Actor Oscar going to Benicio Del Toro. While I didn't think he
did a bad job (like Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential) I didn't see him do
anything superb.

This is a very dark movie and doesn't have a lot of hope throughout though
it does end on a slightly upbeat note.

Rating:
Summary: Traffic is worth the watch
Review: With cinimatic triump Traffic delivers! Filled with amzing crafing this film colaborates all the elements there are to make a dramatic movie. You have a father who is standing by the war on drugs(Micheal Douglas) and his very own daughter is taking drugs. A cop who is searching for answers(Benico Del Toro). A mother(Cathrene Zeta Jones) whos husband was taken to custity because he was involved with drug smuggling who will do whatever it takes to get him back. The picture is perfect for this film. In Mexico, the picture is grany,shaky,and brownish while in the U.S. it uses a darker light effect where everyone in the picture looks like a shaded blue. The script is well written. The direction was dead on. Traffic may not be something that you would expect a shoot em' up no brainers type of movie. You really have to be in the mood to watch this 2 1/2 hour flick. Now finally they have relesed this on DVD with a sharp picture and Dolby 5.1. I would get the Criterion Collection because of their 2 disc set and more stuff on Traffic than you would ever want! If you haven't seen Traffic, rent it first. It is what you call an Awards flick. It is on my best movies of 2000 list.

Rating:
Summary: A bleak look at the war on drugs
Review: TRAFFIC is a great film. It showcases from many angles the world of the drug user and trafficker. Director Steven Soderburgh uses a wonderful cast, many different camera types, and many intriguing subplots that all somehow link to make this film great. If you enjoy fine acting, great directors, views from many locations, and just great films in general, buy TRAFFIC today.

TRAFFIC bases around the installation of a new drug czar, superbly played by Michael Douglas. How can he fight a war on drugs when his daughter is a user? This is the question the character seems plagued by throughout the film. This makes for interesting discussion. Meanwhile, two Mexican police officers are swept into helping ward off cartels in Tijuana. Benecio Del Toro is excellent in the role. There are other plots which call for wonderful performances from the likes of Don Cheadle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Albert Finney. All in all, this film is well scripted and acted.

TRAFFIC, like any film, has flaws. It is tedious at certain points, sometimes the language is too excessive, and it seems to offer a negative message to youth. However, for its few flaws, it is still a wonderfully crafted and shot film. It was lauded because of that fact. If you need a great film to watch, I urge you to buy TRAFFIC today!