Traffic - Criterion Collection

Starring:Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Vargas, Andrew Chavez, Michael Saucedo, Tomas Milian, Jose Yenque, Emilio Rivera, Michael O'Neill, Michael Douglas, Russell G. Jones, Lorene Hetherington, Eric Collins (III), Beau Holden, Peter Stader, James Lew, Jeremy Fitzgerald, Russell Solberg, Luis GuzmÃ¡n, Don Cheadle, Don Snell
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com essential video
Featuring a huge cast of characters, the ambitious and breathtaking Traffic is a tapestry of three separate stories woven together by a common theme: the war on drugs. In Ohio, there's the newly appointed government drug czar (Michael Douglas) who realizes after he's accepted the job that he may have gotten into a no-win situation. Not only that, his teenage daughter (Erika Christensen) is herself quietly developing a nasty addiction problem. In San Diego, a drug kingpin (Steven Bauer) is arrested on information provided by an informant (Miguel Ferrer) who was nabbed by two undercover detectives (Don Cheadle and Luis GuzmÃ¡n). The kingpin's wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), heretofore ignorant of where her husband's wealth comes from, gets a crash course in the drug business and its nasty side effects. And south of the border, a Mexican cop (Benicio Del Toro) finds himself caught between both his home country and the U.S., as corrupt government officials duke it out with the drug cartel for control of trafficking various drugs back and forth across the border.

Description

Intertwining vignettes frame this tale of America's escalating War on Drugs. Ohio Supreme Court judge Robert Wakefield has been appointed the nation's Drug Czar, his new position made more daunting by the discovery that his teenage daughter Caroline is a heroin addict. Meanwhile, DEA agents Montel Gordon and Ray Castro are pursuing Helena Ayala, wife of jailed kingpin Carlos Ayala, as she seeks to the control the business that her husband had kept hidden from her. South of the Border, duplicious local constable Javier Rodriguez is fighting the battle with his own jaded, questionable ethical code.

Customer Reviews:

Incredibly rich and provocative story with a very important message.......2006-07-03

Steven Soderbergh's Traffic is, in my opinion, a well put-together masterpiece. It is a film that truly shows off the talent of its director and its stars in a completely interesting way. The acting is top-notch (be sure to look for Don Cheadle and Louis Guzman as two DEA agents and Steven Bauer as a California drug lord) and the cinematography is excellent. I would easily recommend Traffic to anyone interested in learning how to make a movie. 5 Stars

Traffic is good........2006-05-14

This is a great film, all comparisons to other projects aside. Luis Guzman is a god!!! Drugs are bad, mmkay? Don't do drugs, cause they're bad.

An excellent film.......2006-05-11

Sure, the brits may have done a fine job on there show, but Traffic is one of the better films to come out since 2000. The film has a haunting quality that is starting to resonate more and more in today's society.

poor adaption of excellent British product.......2006-05-11

Compared to the British series of the same title this is a very bad rip off. The acting is of poor quality as well as the dialogue. I would not waste my dime on this, instead I would get the original.

Average customer rating:

Remarkable
At times gripping, at times kind of slow
Knowing all about drugs and feeling superior in our knowledge: is the method educators and entertainers use to keep us off them
Great film - wrong HD image to show-off
Very real drug life

Traffic - Criterion Collection
Starring: Benicio Del Toro , Jacob Vargas , Andrew Chavez , Michael Saucedo , and Tomas Milian
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007ELF2
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Amazon.com essential video

Featuring a huge cast of characters, the ambitious and breathtaking Traffic is a tapestry of three separate stories woven together by a common theme: the war on drugs. In Ohio, there's the newly appointed government drug czar (Michael Douglas) who realizes after he's accepted the job that he may have gotten into a no-win situation. Not only that, his teenage daughter (Erika Christensen) is herself quietly developing a nasty addiction problem. In San Diego, a drug kingpin (Steven Bauer) is arrested on information provided by an informant (Miguel Ferrer) who was nabbed by two undercover detectives (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzmán). The kingpin's wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), heretofore ignorant of where her husband's wealth comes from, gets a crash course in the drug business and its nasty side effects. And south of the border, a Mexican cop (Benicio Del Toro) finds himself caught between both his home country and the U.S., as corrupt government officials duke it out with the drug cartel for control of trafficking various drugs back and forth across the border.

Bold in scope, Traffic showcases Steven Soderbergh at the top of his game, directing a peerless ensemble cast in a gritty, multifaceted tale that will captivate you from beginning to end. Utilizing the no-frills techniques of the Dogme 95 school, Soderbergh enhances his hand-held filming with imaginative editing and film-stock manipulation that eerily captures the atmosphere of each location: a washed-out, grainy Mexico; a blue and chilly Ohio; and a sleek, sun-dappled San Diego. But Traffic is more than a film-school exercise. Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (adapting the British TV miniseries Traffik to the U.S.) seamlessly weave the threads of each separate plotline into one solid tale, with the actions of one plot having quiet repercussions on the other two. And if you needed more proof that Soderbergh takes unparalleled care with his actors, practically all the members of this cast turn in their best work ever, the standout being an Oscar-worthy Del Toro as the conflicted moral conscience of the film. While no story is fully resolved in the film, you'll be haunted by these characters days after you've seen the film. By far one of the best movies of 2000. --Mark Englehart

Description

Traffic examines the effect of drugs as politics, business, and lifestyle. Acting as his own director of photography, Steven Soderbergh employs an innovative, color-coded cinematic trea tment to distinguish the interwoven stories of a newly appointed drug czar and his family, a West Co ast kingpin's wife, a key informant, and cops on both sides of the U.S./Mexican border. Rarely has a film so energetic and suspenseful presented a more complex and nuanced view of an issue of such int ernational importance. Instantly recognized as a classic, Traffic appeared on more than 200 c ritics' ten-best lists, and earned 5 Academy Award® nominations.

Customer Reviews:

Remarkable.......2007-05-23

Thought provoking, suspenseful, illuminating and candid. Actors love working for Steven Soderbergh and it shows. Each role was well developed and fully realized on screen. This movie is powerful!

At times gripping, at times kind of slow.......2007-02-19

I still don't understand the love for Crash, the recent film centering on the racism issue. It seemed like a film that had a couple good ideas but they were featured in a bad movie which makes its win for Best Picture all the more confusing. That film for some reason reminded me of Traffic which centers on another important issue; this one being about the drug war and its effects on addicts and non-addicts. While you can obviously tell Traffic is an important film and it is indeed a good one, it's also slightly marred by erratic pacing and a bit of uninteresting characters.

The film, unlike let's say, Magnolia or Short Cuts, is 3 separate storylines with one thing in common: the drug trade. In one story set in Ohio, Robert Wakefield is the newly-appointed "drug czar" crusading against decreasing the amount of drugs in the country. However, he has a daughter that's quickly starting to get addicted. In San Diego, Helena sees her husband arrested while she's unaware he's a key player in the drug trade with another captured by DEA agents who is going to testify. And finally in Mexico, a highway patrol cop gets involved in the corruption between drug cartels and the want for control of the drugs going in and out of Mexico and the US.

To help the audience differentiate the different places, a color code has been given to each segment. The Wakefield story looks so unbelievably blue that you wouldn't be surprised if character blood looked blue too. San Diego looks more traditional but a bit overexposed making it more brighter while Mexico looks like an indie movie with a very gritty and raw feel and a jittery looking camera. It helps keep track of where you are but like I said, you've never seen skin tones look so blue before; they really overdid it in some cases.

The best storyline is most likely Mexico since it's anchored by Benicio Del Toro who certainly deserved his Oscar. It's also got a more interesting story and a better look to it despite its intentional amateurishness. The one that isn't that great is probably the Wakefield story since it never gripped me all that much. San Diego was alright but nothing to special. Ultimately the problem with the film was that the film just felt slow. Ever watch one of those movies where it feels like you've been watching for longer than the movie is? Not to mention that sometimes one storyline is starting to get interesting then whoosh! off to somewhere else. A similar problem plagued Babel since the Chieko story was ultimately more emotional and gripping than the others. Some will probably disagree and say all stories in Traffic were good but I always groaned slightly when we moved away from Mexico.

It's certainly an ambitious film so not going to argue there and it's a great film at times but I wouldn't say it was my favorite film of 2000.

Knowing all about drugs and feeling superior in our knowledge: is the method educators and entertainers use to keep us off them.......2007-02-03

A bunch of people lie to and kill each other. Everyone in the movie is either corrupt or incompetent, with the exception of a Mexican police official/crime lord and a black American DEA agent. The crime boss is a good-guy because, no matter the body count, he has a playground built for kids. The drug agent is a good-guy because, he keeps plugging along trying to get drugs off his streets. Oh, and it's a good idea not to get your girlfriend high in the hopes of having fun, because, not only will a bunch of people lie to and kill each other, your girlfriend may end up the property of a drug dealer/pimp.

It's an interesting menagerie.

It may all sound pleasant (if yer some kind of masochist I suppose). Regardless, plus considering the movies lack of humor or drama, I didn't find it pleasant. Actually, even with humor and drama, I usually don't find these crime shows pleasant. There was only one scene I found pleasant. The humor I found in this scene is probably due to the fact Drug Czar Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) reacted to the scene, in the movie, almost exactly the way I was reacting in my seat.

This is a movie for those who feel the need to know about the illegal drug industry. I'm sure there was a huge audience for this movie, in that this (knowing all about drugs and feeling superior in our knowledge) is the method educators and entertainers use to keep us off them in our 'tolerant' world. Not to mention the potential audience of criminals and former players.

Great film - wrong HD image to show-off.......2007-01-17

Traffic is difficult for me to review since I really enjoyed the film but before you purchase be aware that the intent of the Director is to deliver a grainy, washed-out picture throughout the film. In the places where Traffic is intended to deliver an oustanding picture without washed-out images it certainly does.

Images of the early bust, courtroom and 'life at home' are rich and detailed - via projector in 1080i.

If you appreciate the story and have a nice system, Traffic in HD is a good investment; it is NOT the movie to show-off your new High Definition home Theater system; for that I would recommend The Searchers, Seabiscuit, King Kong or Casino in HD-DVD.

Very real drug life.......2006-12-06

I just watched this movie and was very moved by the story. The story is very close to real life of the "drug cartel" as well as the user and drug enforcerment. What I really liked about this movie is the honesty that is protrayed in all aspects of drugs itself. What the drug does for a person, how it comes in to this country and other countries, also how it is acquired by the user. The honesty includes those that are from the underprivilaged comunities to the "silver spoon" communities as well. Bravo to the writer and the director of this movie!!! I recommend this movie HIGHLY!!!

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