Rating: 
Summary: GRITTY AND GRIPPING...
Review: This is a raw and powerful movie on the drug trade and its corresponding law enforcement response. It is a series of riveting, interlocking vignettes that tell the story on all fronts of the war on drugs. It paints a picture that will stay with the viewer for some time, so powerful is the imagery employed and so compelling are the actors in their performances. Michael Douglas plays the part of Robert Wakefield, a newly appointed drug czar, who tries to mount an all points attack on the drug trade. Naive and well meaning, he is, unbeknownst to him, being manipulated by the powers that be in Mexico, who are fighting a turf war over the profitable drug trade. He is so clueless that when the drug war actually lands on his door step, as when his teenage daughter, wonderfully portrayed by Erika Christiansen, succumbs to peer pressure and becomes addicted to drugs, he is initially in heavy denial. He ignores all the standard warning signs, until it is nearly too late. Benicio Del Toro, in the star making role of Javier, an intelligent, decent, and honest Mexican law enforcement officer, who has his own war on drugs going on, is riveting with his quietly powerful performance. He, too, is being manipulated by the powers that be in Mexico. Nearly too late he realizes that the Mexican general, who is ostensibly battling the war on drugs and to whom Javier had given his full support and cooperation, is engaged in some drug action on the side from which he hopes to profit. The only drug war that the general is really involved in is the one that one drug cartel has with its rival. Meanwhile, back in the states, a wealthy and respected San Diego businessman, played by hunky Steven Bauer, is arrested, as it seems that his businesses are really just a front for the drug trade. His assets frozen, this leaves his beautiful and greedy wife, played by the lovely and talented Catherine Zeta-Jones, picking up the pieces of her husband's empire while he is in jail, awaiting trial. As regent to the kingdom, she cold bloodedly negotiates with the drug cartel to restore her and her husband financially. No shrinking violet is she! There are several other subplots that are also of note and move the story along. All of these vignettes interlock with one another in some fashion, serving to bring the story full circle. To find out how they do so, watch this well directed and powerful film. It is certainly well worth watching and a welcome addition to one's personal film collection.
Rating: 
Summary: A film with a message
Review: MY RATING- 6.6 A tough and accurate view of the drug business between the great lords, who have benefits with the misery of drugs.
A great performance from Michael Douglas and Amy Irving as his wife. My personal fave is Catherine Zeta-Jones who is much more than a beautiful woman here, she's a strong-willed woman who tries to take his husband (who is guilty) out of the prison.
We are treated with different points of view, by loving Douglas' ideals yet we root a little for the efforts of Zeta-Jones, knowing his husband is a real drug lord.
I also loved that division (maybe a racist touch!) between black and white for drug dealing parts and color to what seems our nice world.
Not a great mov, by any means, but see it if you can.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark, dreary and spot on.
Review: It was almost too strong for me. The truth can be very, very unpleasant and this movie is filled with plenty of truth. I kind of wish someone will turn it into a musical where the happy druggie kids rise up and teach the fascist DEA agents to relax and be happy. Ah, it will never happen, but we can dream. Isn't that what the cinema is all about?
Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE
Review: This movie is a WASTE of TIME and MONEY. I wanted to walk out of the theatre
Rating:
Summary: One of the most importanf films ever made
Review: Traffic is not a movie that can be easily described. It is pure genius. From the great screenplay to the superb acting, and the real standout: Steven Soderbergh's fantastic direction. The movie focuses on an issue that needs to get more attention. Yes, you are probably saying that drugs gets enough attention. Everybody hears that drugs are bad, but that's all they hear. Nobody sees how it affects everybody surrounding the people wh use them. Totally engrossing, fast paced, and simply amazing. This is #1 on my all-time movie list. Hands down.
Rating:
Summary: Save Your Money and Buy TRAFFIK (The Original)
Review: As remakes go, this isn't a bad flick and there are entertaining parts. Unfortunately the quality acting takes place in smaller roles played by Luis Guzman and Don Cheadle (undercover narcotics officers in CA), and Benicio del Torre and Jacob Guzman (?) del Torre's sidekick in Mexico. They are in fact the only characters that live up to their counterparts in the original BBC Miniseries TRAFFIK. I would highly, highly recommend purchasing the TRAFFIK mini-series prior to buying this diluted version.
Rating:
Summary: AN Acclaimed movie, and rightfully so
Review: I'm embarassed to admit that the first time I saw Traffic I wasn't all that impressed. However, the film stuck with me and when it came out on dvd I bought it, watched it again and was hooked. This is a great film. The way the stories are woven together are superb. However, I do think the weakest part of this film was Michael Douglas's daughter doing drugs. Oh well. Make no mistake, this movie is an epic, and the cinematography terriffic. I love the way Mexico was shot. And the acting includes one of the best ensemble casts in recent years. Don Cheadle, and Benicio Del Toro are at the top of their game, as is Catherine Zata-Jones. Look for Benjamin Bratt in a cameo role.
Rating:
Summary: A good,condensed remake of a much-better miniseries.
Review: My review of "Traffic" is based on what I saw at a movie threatre, not on VHS or DVD. First there was a 6-hour miniseries; "Traffik" set in Europe and Asia, which has been shown on PBS many times. This is an outstanding look at the drug trade as seen through the eyes of the users, the dealers, the police, the parents, and the politians. It was so realistic, it almost appeared to be a documentary. Then a few years later, the 2-hour film "Traffic" set in the U.S. and Mexico, was released. It is a condensed remake of the earlier miniseries, and although it is good, it does not compare to the earlier film. Some scenes in the movie just don't work as well as they did in the miniseries, because, in the shorter film, they just don't make sense. The food delivery to the hotel room in the movie looks like a way to speed up the end of the film, while in "Traffik", the same scene looks right in place. In the movie, at the last minute, we find out there's feud between the drug dealer and his lawyer. It the in miniseries, the rivalary is shown in much greater detail, throughout the film. I liked "Traffic", the movie; but "Traffik", the miniseries, is much better, and is a definite must-see for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: A DVD as complex as the film it presents...
Review: In 2000, Steven Soderbergh, already on a roll with 1998's 'Out of Sight' and 1999's 'The Limey,' made an astounding one-two punch in a year of otherwise lackluster Hollywood filmmaking with 'Erin Brockovich' and 'Traffic.' Indeed, the latter won him the Oscar for Best Director and the film itself was widely recognized as one of (if not the) best film of the year. Indeed, Soderbergh famously went out on several limbs making it -- not only was the multi-threaded Drug War storyline a major hot potato in Hollywood (USA Films literally came in at the last minute with the money needed for principle photography after virtually every other studio passed), Soderbergh served as his own cinematographer, utilizing complex and experimental techniques while shooting on mutiple locations, including the San Diego/Tijuana international border (and this particular reviewer's home town of Columbus, Ohio). And as any DVD fanatic can tell you, the story BEHIND the movie is often just as interesting as the movie itself. Yet the film's intial DVD release was, shall we say, a bit of a bad trip. Fortunately Criterion, on its own roll with its series of bells-and-whistles DVDs of the cinema's best (and, at times, most obscure), has given the film its justly deserved double-disc royal treatment. What's new? For starters, Soderbergh and screenwriter Steven Gaghan are finally on hand with a fascinating and surprisingly frank commentary track. At one point, they even admit that practically every criticism leveled at the film -- Catherine Zeta-Jones' character shift from pampered softie to hardened drug dealer is too abrupt; its take on the drug war is too one-sided; some of the plot twists are too forced; in adapting the British television mini-series 'Traffik' for the big screen, Gaghan truncates too much of the original storylines and gives the subject matter the short shrift -- were all things they also worried about during the course of making the film but felt were unavoidable. (Indeed, Zeta-Jones should especially thrill to this new DVD: all the scenes with her that were cut for the theatrical release, including an extended sequence involving her detainment by U.S. Customs, are included in the extensive deleted scenes content.) Meanwhile, budding "DPs" will enjoy a tutorial of sorts on how Soderbergh achieved the grainy, bleached-out look of the Mexico sequences, while political junkies will drool over a multi-angled look at the outtakes from the Michael Douglas party scene. All-in-all, your appreciation for the movie's sprawling-yet-intimate interweaving storylines; the measured, ensemble-friendly performances; Soderbergh's knack for suffusing every scene he films with a crackling intelligence; and his hermetic respect for his characters and his audience will only increase with this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Years 10 Best Pictures!
Review: I had went to theaters to see this movie. (Mainly because the previews said it was a knockout, brilliant, and in every critics top 10 list). I was a little skeptical at first, but once it starts it pulls you in. From begining to end, this film lacks nothing. Whether you like it for the acting, (Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Torro, or Michael Douglas all do superb, along with most others), whether you like it for the cinematography, (I'm not sure who did it, but watch for the color difference between Washington, DC (Michael Douglas' scenes), Mexico (Benicio Del Torro's scenes), or San Diego (where a bunch of rich kids live), you will be amazed. Another thing is the rock solid story line with snappy dialouge. And not to mention the allstar cast of Benicio Del Torro, (The "Good" Cop), Michael Douglas (Head of the DEA), Catherine Zeta-Jones (A Rich, Pampered, Housewife), Dennis Quaid (The Crooked Lawyer), Don Cheadle (Undercover Cop), along with numerous cameos from Selma Hayek, ect. This film can not be beat. With A+ acting, story, and without a doubt the BEST cinematography ever! You cant afford to miss TRAFFIC. This film is a 2 1/2 hr long drama, which needs to be viewed in FULL. I know of quite a few people who quit watching it half-way through. You will ruin one of the greatest movie experiences ever if you do this. Winner of 5 Academy Awards including: Best Supporting Actor (Del Torro), Best Director (Steven Soderbergh), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Cinematography!
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