Traffic
2000 Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Synopsis
No one gets away clean.
A look at America's war on drugs from three intricately woven stories: The new U.S. drug czar whose battle hits close to home when he finds out his daughter is an addict; A trophy wife who discovers her husband's real business when he is arrested and the DEA agents assigned to protect the star witness against him; and a Mexican police officer who discovers that the corrupt system may include his new boss.
Cast
Studio
Popular reviews
More-
4/20.
Soderbergh is prolific in his film output, and sometimes his films suffer from having a bit a rushed feel. This is one of the most "complete packages" that he has created. The scope of the content balanced with the overall heart of this film is amazing.
I want to focus strictly on Robert Wakefield, a character that touches nearly all of the facets of this story, sometimes in very subtle ways. Wakefield is the "drug czar" who deals with both the political and front line elements of drug enforcement. Personally he has a daughter who gets involved with and eventually addicted to drugs. But what of Wakefield himself? Under the surface of the film is a message of acceptable…
-
Is something wrong with my TV? It's all blue, then orange, then grainy, then ultra clean. Oh wait, nevermind. I'm watching a Soderbergh film. A very good one mind you, but definitely held back a bit by some overt soapboxing.
-
It's a bit of a daunting watch, but a very rewarding one at that. Aside from some too-shaky camera work at times and some passages that lag, "Traffic" is a thoroughly engrossing, smartly crafted thriller featuring great acting all around.
-
I've seen this movie at least six times over the years, and this won't be the last. It had been quite a long time since my last viewing, and since Libby had never seen it, it was an easy choice to rewatch. Traffic holds up extremely well and remains one of Soderbergh's finest achievements.
A drug epic that distributes time equally to show all aspects of how it affects the world's population, Soderbergh and writer Stephen Gaghan both deserved all of the awards they were given in 2000, for this is a triumph of seamless balance of storylines that can make even the lightest of moviegoers follow it easily. The material is so strong that even actors who I normally…
-
Robert Wakefield: "If there is a war on drugs, then many of our family members are the enemy. And I don't know how you wage war on your own family."
In preparation for Side Effects, I'm going to be watching some Soderbergh movies that I have not seen yet. The first movie I watched is Traffic.
First of all, I was really excited to watch this since it did get Soderbergh a win for best directing and it's been having great reviews. But honestly, I didn't really love this movie, but I did like it. There are many things to like about this movie and one of them is definitely the technical aspects. Soderbergh definitely deserved an Oscar for this… -
Pulls off being both sprawling and intimate.
Recent reviews
More-
Excellent! Propelled by superb writing and great direction that keeps things clear and tense, this hyperlink film with several parallel stories is a powerful documentation of the war on drugs. Absolutely brilliant. Steven Soderbergh, you don't cease to amaze me!
-
Es la batalla invencible, esa que todos quisieran terminar (bueno, algunos), pero nadie hace nada al respecto. Sí, me refiero a ese conflicto que destruye a los débiles y retribuye a los criminales: el tráfico de drogas. Esa es la premisa de Traffic, la película de Steven Soderbergh, y que para mi gusto, es una de las mejores películas del año.
Es una cinta de propuesta y protesta, irreverente y sórdida; una experiencia que atrapa y no te suelta por 147 minutos, sin darte un respiro. “Nadie sale limpio” es el lema que maneja y le queda como anillo al dedo.
Traffic habla de corrupción y de cómo ésta poco a poco comienza a tomar parte de nuestras vidas sin…
-
Although I liked the direction that Soderbergh took with this film (the different colors with the different stories), it dragged and dragged and dragged. A decent amount of scenes could have been cut resulting in the same message. I did really enjoy the message regarding drugs, although it felt a little forced at times. I've come away from this film with a greater appreciation of Soderbergh and am interested in seeing more of his films.
-
Hollywood has had a problem with forcing messages. This film received some of that critique, but I could not disagree to a further extent. A real take on the drug problem in the Americas, and very well acted. One of the best casts in recent memory, and they all deliver.
-
Haven't seen it in years, worked for me less this time around. I've avoided it mainly because the scenes with Michael Douglas and his drug-addled kid (Every Parent's Nightmare (TM)) bothered me the first time around and even more so this time. It's all a little too George C. Scott in Hardcore for me. The ready-quick segue from free-basing in the burbs to screwing the downtown drug dealer feels exploitative. And all of it suffers from too much exposition about the Hopeless War on Drugs.
That being said, some elements work. I'd watch a TV series built around Cheadle and Guzman's detective team. Zeta-Jones really nails her part and I'm still wondering why Benecio Del Toro never became the new Bogart.
-
4/20.
Soderbergh is prolific in his film output, and sometimes his films suffer from having a bit a rushed feel. This is one of the most "complete packages" that he has created. The scope of the content balanced with the overall heart of this film is amazing.
I want to focus strictly on Robert Wakefield, a character that touches nearly all of the facets of this story, sometimes in very subtle ways. Wakefield is the "drug czar" who deals with both the political and front line elements of drug enforcement. Personally he has a daughter who gets involved with and eventually addicted to drugs. But what of Wakefield himself? Under the surface of the film is a message of acceptable…
-
(Reposted from Soderbergh review series)
Steven Soderbergh had already come back by the time Traffic was released. Out of Sight and The Limey were critical hits. Erin Brockovich had proved he could do a crowd-pleaser like no one’s business. But he truly convinced the skeptics that he was back with Traffic. Working from the outline of the British miniseries Traffik, Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (Syriana) won much acclaim, making numerous top-ten lists and winning four Oscars, for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, and Best Adapted Screenplay. But how does this story about drugs hold up? Is it an ambitious masterwork, or another bloated entry in the “everyone is connected” sweepstakes?
The film is made up of…
-
A powerful argument against the drug war, Traffic has vibrant direction from Steven Soderbergh, a hard-edged script, and terrific performances from the brilliant ensemble.
-
Traffic is a stark and powerful look at the effects of the war on drugs and the people in the middle of it all. I was initially put off by the handheld camera style of shooting, and the different color washes for each storyline. As the movie progressed, though, it drew me in and wouldn't let go.
And the score. That hauntingly beautiful, ephemeral score by Cliff Martinez. When I saw Solaris several years ago I immediately fell in love with that score. I later learned that he worked on many Soderbergh movies, and Traffic has the same musical vibe. It's a bit sci-fi like Solaris', but seems to blend perfectly with the often dark story in Traffic.