Traffic

USA 2000, 141 minutes
Dir. Steven Soderbergh
Rating: [M]
Genres: Drama, Suspense/Crime / Policier

Feat. Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Dennis Quaid, Luis Guzman

Aroview: A masterful, suitably complex address of the ‘drug problem’ and how it enslaves consumers, dealers, policy-makers and law-enforcers alike.

Adapted from the excellent ‘80s British mini-series, "Traffik", the weighty material is transformed again in the hands of dir. Soderbergh, who secures his reputation as director-of-the-moment with an extraordinary coherence of vision – commanding all elements of the creative process with breathless detail, restraint and consistency.

The ensemble cast, including many lesser-knowns – all contribute serious work. Dope fiends and dealers may decry the ‘moralising’ but for the rest of us, this has something real to say and finds a consistently innovative and compelling way of saying it.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-3 of 4 member reviews.

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3 stars (Good Enough) Good script, high production value, well acted, but at the end of the day, Traffic feels like it is missing something, whether it is a true sense of identity, or perhaps a real sense of direction. ~Tom H
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4 stars (Very Good) An homage to the great directors of the late 1960's. Pay attention; there are three films running in parallel here. Brilliant cinematography. The corruption surrounding the "drug problem" is laid bare but there is no happy ending here. ~Anon
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3 stars (Good Enough) Del Toro takes the acting honours in a well casted film. The story telling is sometime done in documentary style which helps to get the anti drug message across. Uneven overall but worth the watch. ~Tubbs