Traffic

Traffic (2000)

Runtime: 147 minutes

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Starring: Michael Douglas, Benicio del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, Tomas Milian

From: USA Films

Last night on a lark I finally decided to check out this famed movie, based on a 1989 British miniseries known as Traffik. It covers the drug war on both sides of the United States/Mexico border and covers a trio of tales which sometimes intersect w/ each other. I know that some feel this does not accurately cover how the drug war is currently (or even back 20 years ago), and it can be admitted that it does seem naïve at times.

All that being said, at least it was an entertaining near 2 ½ hour film which shows how the teen daughter of the next new drug czar tasked to lead the drug war is actually a rich girl who freebases, a drug lord being prosecuted in So Cal and the impact it has on his family, and a pair of Tijuana police officers who discover an uncomfortable truth when they work for a Mexican general attempting to stop cartels in their city.

The most noticeable aspect is how one of the three storylines was color-graded to be yellow and another was blue. This was done to differentiate the different plots. Perhaps it was just me but it seemed more like a wacky gimmick than anything else; if all three looked the same it would not have been difficult to follow. It's not like the overall story would have required pen and paper & required copious notes or flowcharts to decipher what is going on. It was at least not distracting or any sort of demerit that ruined the movie.

A great ensemble cast certainly helped, along with a nice score and the typical Steven Soderbergh style in terms of filmmaking. How hilarious the duo of Don Cheadle & Luis Guzman was... it was a surprise as I did not know those two would share comedic moments or even be an on-screen duo, let alone one that worked together quite well. Not as much a surprise: what I heard about how tremendous Benicio del Toro's performance was-without having seen all the nominees his win for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars that year seemed well-deserved. He was the highlight among a cast of famous faces.

I won't share my opinion on the Drug War that the United States has waged for decades or its successes... perhaps “lack of success” is a better phrase. I am just glad I am never used any hardcore drugs... or dealt any of the stuff either. The film does make it abundantly clear that it's not a glamorous or stress-free lifestyle despite the crapton of cash that could be made. Anyhow, even if the film is not 100% accurate to real life, it makes for a rather engrossing yarn.