Will Some Traffic Please Run Over this Crappy Film

This is one of the Worst films i have EVER SEEN! The story was so LAME AND DULL- The Acting wasnt all the great, and the Direction SUCKED A$S!!(BIG TIME) what was it with all the wobboling. the camera couldnt be hold straight. AND WHAT was it with the BLUE TINT SCREEN!!!!. The Hispanic/Mexican actors talked spanish liked they learned it overnight.This is a film you definatley want to skip!! WAY TOO LONG AND WAY TOO BORING!!!!

Powerful, Deep, Great

Traffic is a fantastic piece of film making. No movie has ever come close toillustrating the picture this movies forms about the drug war. It involvesthree different stories that are in some way connected that tells how livesare effected by the drug war. This movie doesn't tell you what to think, itlets you make up your mind, but it clearly shows how the drug war, at leastthe way we are fighting it now, is failing. This movie comes from the lineof other great films like Magnolia, and one of the best films of the 90s,Pulp Fiction, in becoming a movie that involves different stories that areinterconnected and works surprisingly well. My only complaint is that it'ssomewhat confusing. It's a movie you need to see more than once. I giveTraffic a 9 out of 10.

Traffic does not pretend to solve the problem of illegal drugs. What it does do is lead the audience on a deeply textured journey through a contorted world with emotion, intellect and style.

Six kilos of separation

A conservative, family-oriented judge is appointed to the post of U.S. DrugCzar. A somewhat corrupt Mexican cop undergoes a series of crises ofconscience. A woman watches as her husband is taken away by the police oncharges of drug smuggling. A 16-year-old golden child dabbles in soft andhard drugs.See the theme? Steven Soderbergh's Traffic is an odyssey painted on a widecanvas, as the general theme of drugs is expressed in how drugs areproduced, how they arrive in the United States from Mexico, how they arebought, who buys them, and what happens to some who use them. It is not apreachy film, however, and that's one of the reasons this movieworks.Michael Douglas plays the new drug czar, and his mission is to win the waron drugs. But how to win such a war? And is it even winnable? This has neverbeen an issue with easy solutions, and Soderbergh is smart enough not togive us a mythical cure-all. Wakefield (Douglas) is a convinced, honest manwho wants to do the right thing - but even with his judicial experience, hehas no idea how to proceed. His job is, in some ways, devoid of actualmeaning. He is a figurehead, a symbol to the people that stands forSomething Being Done on behalf of the government to stop the growing drugproblem.Wakefield wants to bring down the two biggest cartels in Mexico, both ofwhich are smuggling drugs into the U.S. on a magnificent scale. On theMexican side, a policeman named Javier (Benicio del Toro) first turns ablind eye to the corruption and smuggling, since the cartels are beingfought (somewhat offhandedly) by General Salazar, a despot in the making.Javier is recruited by Salazar to join his task force dedicated toeradicating the cartels, and we're given a close glimpse at how such "taskforces" operate. Javier, like Wakefield, is a very conflicted man.Corruption is prevalent in the Mexican police force, according to the movie,but when it comes to more serious crimes, Javier is not sure what to do. Ana (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is the wife of a wealthy businessman (StevenBauer). When her husband is arrested under suspicion of drug smuggling, Anamust learn how to cope - her neighbors and friends want nothing to do withher, and only one trusted confidant (Dennis Quaid) seems to be on her side.But whose side is Ana on?Wakefield's young daughter, a National Merit Scholar finalist and classbrain, is rapidly becoming an addict to serious drugs. Her friends are alsoaddicts, and when they get together it's a lot like those oldexistentialist/philosophical discussions that old-time hippies used to have- only without the profundity. These kids are as deep as a puddle.This beautifully crafted film brings all of these characters together insome way or another - they're not always in scenes together, but what onecharacter does might affect another character's actions. And, of course, theunderlying moral issue of what to do about the drug problem appearsthroughout, no matter if the setting is rural Mexico or SanDiego,California. The cinematography of a film is hardly ever what draws people to watch amovie, but it should be noted that this movie does some interesting thingswith the camera. For example, all of the shots in Mexico are in a grainyyellowish filter, while the U.S. shots are clear and nonfiltered. This mightbe to symbolize the differences in economic viability, or it could be thatSoderbergh simply wanted to make sure people knew each scene's setting.As for the performances themselves, Douglas is aces as the drug czar (ademotion from president, which he played in The American President), andZeta-Jones is fine as the victimized Ana. But it's the Oscar-nominated delToro who's wonderful as the complex Javier, and he stands a good chance oftaking home the statue.The movie itself was nominated for Best Picture (and Soderbergh earned adirecting nod, too), and deservedly so. It's two-and-a-half hours long,though, so don't make the same mistake I did and get to the theater late. Ihad to sit in the first row for 144 minutes. Not fun. My spinetelescoped.

Great Direction, but there's just something missing

In most other years this film would be down as a good film, not a greatfilm. The various plots work well together and the acting is first rate,which is a compliment to those working in front and behind the camera. Atno point does this feel like a film. It draws you in and you end up being abystander in these tales. That is the film's strength, but there's justsomething missing with the various story lines that stops it from beinggreat, but it's almost pulled off with a great ending.

C'est Fantastic!

I thought this movie was incredible. It was so deep and powerful and just amazing. It's the kind of movie that leaves you thinking about it for days. The cast was awesome, I especially thought Topher Grace (Seth) did an excellent job. The different plots interwined beautifully and the hand-held camera work was the perfect touch. This is definitely one of my favorite movies.

Consummate direction leaves audience hopelessly addicted

TRAFFIC, helmed by Steven Soderbergh (OUT OF SIGHT) triumphs in its documentary narration of how drugs have devastated and rooted in America. The 3 simple stories are linked together, each offering different perspective on the critical issue. Benicio Del Toro plays sublimely to effect a Mexican cop who witnesses the death of his buddy to drug syndicate. The power of drugs lead to intense and volatile obsession and violence as greed reign even amongst the politcal kingdom in Mexico. Michael Douglas plays an American senator who has taken over the Drugs Office to raid out drug trafficking, only to ironically discover his daughter has been abusing drugs. Family conflicts and emotions run high in this story and the climax is shattering and most heart-rendering. Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman portray undercover cops who is on the chase for a drug lord and when he is arrested, Catherine Zeta Jones as his wife takes over his business to support their child.TRAFFIC is in fact this year's most outstanding film in terms of direction and acting. The ensemble elevates the intense atmosphere with their seasoned acting and the direction gives it an exciting documentary vision which stimulates reality. The story-telling builds up with a climax and is acutely thought -provoking without preaching morals. It leave the audience to think and dissect the world of drugs, though the insight is not really there yet. However, as a movie, it is unequivocally this year's best - it puts the motion in picture with Soderbergh's direction and leaves the audience hopelessly addicted to it.

Inside look at the war on drugs

This movie interweaves 3 different stories about the war on drugs. The first one concerns a newly-appointed drug czar in Washington D.C. (Michael Douglas) whose own daughter is a victim of drugs. It shows the two sides of his life, the official one and the personal one in which he watches his daughter slide into a hopeless addiction. The second story concerns a Mexican policeman who tries to do is job but who is caught in a web of deceit by law enforcement officers who are on the take from the cartel. The third story concerns a wealthy businessman who is arrested on drug charges while his wife is totally oblivious to the real source of their wealth. She seems helpless at first, but her survival instinct causes her to learn quickly about how to deal with the world of drugs. Different-colored filters are used liberally to depict the different stories and subtitles are used during the portions shot in Mexico. At times this is a bit distracting, but all in all, the film makers have done a good job in depicting this most serious of social ills in America.

Not much to add...

The people who have given this film three stars or less have said pretty much everything I'd want to say ("safe," "condescending," "mediocre," etc.) -- I'd just like to add that there's something REALLY self-important about the way the U.S. consume "issue movies." This was the dominant feeling I was left with, coming out of the theatre -- if something has flickered in the front pages of American newspapers long enough to leave some sort of vague impression in the brains of the masses, they'll love having it all laid out for them, thought out for them, and put in a self-flattering perspective in a movie -- which is all TRAFFIC does, re: the war on drugs. It's a pretty movie at times -- I actually liked the yellow tinting of the images of Tijuana, just because it was interesting to look at -- and the interlacing of plots won't be that much of a problem to any reasonably intelligent viewers, but there's still no reason to see this. Though hey, yeah, Benicio del Toro is shaping up to be one of the finest actors in the business. Fans of his MIGHT find the film redeemed by his presence somewhat. Still, I'd suggest not wasting your time.

Benicio Del Toro is amazing

I saw traffic today, it was the best movie I have seen since SavingPrivate Ryan, and it maybe just as good. Benicio Del Toro is amazing astheMexican cop with a wonderful dream. Catherine Zeta Jones CAN ACT! Whoknew,I thought of her only as window dressing until now. Her hubby MichaelDouglas is great and is Don Cheadle the best working actor today? If heisn't he is right up there. The writing is great and Steven Soderberghdirected this with a masters touch. One small complaint, I would havelikedthem to reduce the level of sepia tone in the Mexican scenes. I know whythey did it and I agree with the decision, but it was a bit over done attimes.The three stories themselves were stand alone movies, each good enoughto have been a great movie on it's own. Steven Soderbergh has done Altmanhere and has done it better than Altman ever has. That is great praiseindeed, as I LOVE Altman.I cannot say enough about this movie. It has something very importanttosay and say's it very well.

Uninteresting and unexciting

This movie was waaaay over-rated. I'm so glad that I never saw it at thecinema. Three not very interesting stories, that would have been betterserved told separately, perhaps. This movie was disjointed and I found ithard to follow the stories, going from one to the other. Especially withnopayoff at the end (ie the stories being connected somehow). Thecinematography was nice and the sepia tones very pretty, giving the filmsome texture. The acting was good, but all in all, the stories were thebiglet down here. Perhaps it should have been called Traffic-Jam. It didn'treally go anywhere new or exciting.

Not as good as they say...

I do not find the movie to have all the metaphysical meaning and powerthe critics claim. I respectfully disagree. I found it to be atentative to accomplish too much at once, that ended up inaccomplishing almost nothing in the end. The director would have wantedto make a thriller, a family drama, a political movie and adocumentary, all in one. He has failed to accomplish that, in myopinion. The movie is to disconnected, following one of the 3-4 plotspresent in the film would have been more than enough, since all of themwhere very promising, and would have been great if fully developed.In other, the movie sports a great cast of actors and great filming(camera). On the other hand, the music by Brian Eno went unnoticeable.I find the Oscar awards that this film received to be fully exaggeratedand unwarranted. I realize that it is "modern" to say that a movie bySoderbergh is good, but... In addition, the film probably got them forbeing so "liberally Hollywoodian" and politically correct (especiallyfor the ending where a conservative judge abandons the war againstdrugs to listen-in at his daughters AAA drug addicts seminars....) Isthis the correct message? Give up the fight? I think not.

What's the big deal?

Just another movie about drugs; selling them, doing them, etc. (Yawn.) What's with all the hype? Don't believe it's a "must-see" just because the ads and the critics say so. They are both bought very easily. The cast is good but how much entertainment value is there in watching a father lose his daughter to drugs and then to prositution? We can see that for free on Jerry Springer. And we are supposed to care about people who are so absolutely stupid? This film, just like real life gives you no reason to care about people who choose to be morons. This film makes you wonder if the producers and writers themselves were high. People on drugs should enjoy it though. It will support their dillusion that they are cool and a rebel. Unfortunately because of this film's success we can expect a dozen carbon-copies within the year. Remember when movies used to be a good experience?

Just remade my all time top ten!!!!

This is the best movie I've seen in probably 6 months. The cinematographyis excellent, I don't know how many different colors of film stock wereused, but customizing the film to the location was awesome! Each characterportrayed a realistic soldier in the war on drugs. My top ten includeScarface, The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing and now Traffic. GO SEETHIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!!

Deserved best picture....

Steven Soderbergh is a sensational director and showed his ability in creating this great movie. I personally believe that Traffic deserved to win Best Picture over Gladiator. This movie has a great cast of actors (personally my favorite Benicio Del Toro), and the great cast is just a little special feature as what this movie has to offer on the war on drugs in America today. I just love the message it sends out about our U.S government..This is a must-own dvd for your collection.

The film's essence are its painfully, truthfully imperfect people, who show how everyone, knowingly or not, in some way becomes a casualty and a perpetuator of the war machine.

No Road Rage Here!

`Traffic' is one of the most intelligent films of the year, and it willstimulate your though-provoking process. The outstanding assembled castproves that the thespians of this film were heros and heroines. The filmtakes an intense look at the never ending war on drug trafficking. Theoutstanding performances by Benicio Del Toro, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, andMichael Douglas did not surprise me because I know they are very giftedactors. However, I felt I was hallucinating when I saw that the usuallynon-talented Catherine Zeta-Jones was outstanding as the unsuspicious druglord's wife. Also, Thomas Millan as the military general was for sure incommand with his performance. The highest kudos should be given to DirectorSteven Soderbergh. He is quickly becoming one of the director lords of themovie business. So rush yourself in the next hour and catch`Traffic.'***** Excellent

Overrated... but worth seeing.

The jungle bunny (black man) is disturbing

I remember when I saw this movie in theaters and thought it was really good, a bunch of different storylines telling various stories about the drug problem. The part that hit me the most was when the spook was having sex with the girl who was Michael Douglas's daughter because she was a junkie. The monkey was doing her while she was wacked out on drugs, on top of her pounding away and sweating like a pig. I could feel the vibe from the audience and how shocked and abhorent they found it. If I recall, some people even walked out. The dark animal seemed very animalistic and savage like they tend to be. It was a very disturbing scene. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to use the "N" word because I really wanted to. It really is the proper word to describe them.

This Movie is All About One Actor to Me

Traffic follows the effective, but not-so-often utilized method ofcrossing over many stories into one central theme. Another movie forreference may be Magnolia. It is a presentation about the institution,effect, and battle against drugs.On one side you have an unknowing wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who musttake over a drug empire once her husband (candidly played by StevenBauer) is indicted on trafficking charges. On the other, is the newlyappointed "drug czar" (Michael Douglas), who attempts to "go to thefront" and attack the enigmatic problem of curbing the demand for drugsin the U.S. Interestingly, all the while, his daughter (a straight Astudent with a seemingly bright future) is falling victim to her ownbattle with drugs.The story does not stop there. Perhaps the most provocative, thoughhardest-to-follow aspect, is the corruption that befalls Benicio DelToro's character, Javier Rodriguez. He brilliantly plays a commonTijuana cop who discovers an army-run drug ring, and throughout themovie, internally battles with himself about whether or not he shouldshare his knowledge with the D.E.A. in the States, all the whilefearing for his life in the process.Although the Mexico sequences seem at first not to correlate with therest of the movie, and the subtitles are difficult to follow (the onlymovie with subtitles that I really enjoy is Seven Samurai), it is DelToro's performance and the fate of his character that make you want towatch. Put another way, he is not the reason I went to see the movie inthe theaters, but he was the reason I stayed. And although it might becrude to say that the whole movie's credibility falls on him, Del Torowas definitely deserving of the Best Supporting Actor Oscar he won forthis role.The movie itself attempts to approach the "drug issue" from anobjective standpoint, and for the most part it does. There are timeswhen the script is lagging, but that tends to appear in many movies. Iwould rate this movie at 4.5 stars, leaving only the landmark films tobecome 5s. For an interesting, thought-provoking film go see thismovie.