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Amazon.co.uk Review
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. Bold in scope, it 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. Utilising the no-frills techniques of the Dogme 95 school, Soderbergh enhances his handheld 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; 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 US) seamlessly weave the threads of each separate plotline into one solid tale, with the actions of one plot having quiet repercussions on the connected narratives. 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 Benecio Del Toro as the conflicted moral conscience of the film. Traffic registered eight Oscar nominations (winning four, including Best Director for Soderbergh). --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
Video Description
DVD Special Features:
B-Roll
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailers
Soundbites
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I have finally seen this film in it's entirety and I like to say that `Traffic' is a richly entertaining epic that recalls the great works of the 1970s, when directors like Robert Altman and Francis Ford Coppola engaged mass audiences with works of genuine substance. Soderbergh works on a larger canvass than he's ever done before, bouncing several characters and plot-lines against and off each other, so that images and themes rhyme and echo. Although the subject matter is drug trafficking, this is not an "issues" movie per se. Instead, it's a profoundly affecting dramatic thriller where the destructive forces of drugs cut across different sections of society.
Some will say that it takes too long, or that some of the scenes are a bit slow. But does everything go fast paced in real life? It just tries to sketch a realistic view of handling with drugs. And maybe there isn't a lot of action going on, but that's not the goal of the movie.
This film has an amazing ensemble cast where everybody is working at the top of their game. However, Benicio Del Toro definitely stands out with the breakthrough performance. I don't think it's accidental that the movie begins and ends with shots of him. He plays Javier Rodriguez, a Mexican police officer caught in a futile and corrupt system, and it's as compelling of a character as Michael Corleone. Del Toro is exceptionally relaxed and subtle, keeping his thoughts and feelings private from the other characters in the films, but sharing it with the camera. Del Toro navigates the audience through a world of impossible choices and moral corruption, quietly simmering with intense conflict just beneath the surface. Benicio's been an indie stalwart for years and this film shot his stock through the roof.
Michael Douglas is also terrific, adding another strong performance to his gallery of flawed men in power. He shows genuine fear and vulnerability in a harrowing scene in which he searches for his daughter in a drug dealer's den. I've never seen Erika Christensen before, but she makes an impressive debut. Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman are as loose, limber and spontaneous as ever, providing plenty of comic relief as well as keeping it real. Catherine Zeta-Jones takes a complete 180 from her past roles and admirably plays against her looks, appearing very pregnant while thrown into gritty surroundings. Dennis Quaid is appropriately slimy as a corrupt lawyer.
Anybody who is starved for a genuine piece of film making should breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy Soderbergh's engaging film.
Some will say that it takes too long, or that some of the scenes are a bit slow. But does everything go fast paced in real life? It just tries to sketch a realistic view of handling with drugs. And maybe there isn't a lot of action going on, but that's not the goal of the movie.
This film has an amazing ensemble cast where everybody is working at the top of their game. However, Benicio Del Toro definitely stands out with the breakthrough performance. I don't think it's accidental that the movie begins and ends with shots of him. He plays Javier Rodriguez, a Mexican police officer caught in a futile and corrupt system, and it's as compelling of a character as Michael Corleone. Del Toro is exceptionally relaxed and subtle, keeping his thoughts and feelings private from the other characters in the films, but sharing it with the camera. Del Toro navigates the audience through a world of impossible choices and moral corruption, quietly simmering with intense conflict just beneath the surface. Benicio's been an indie stalwart for years and this film shot his stock through the roof.
Michael Douglas is also terrific, adding another strong performance to his gallery of flawed men in power. He shows genuine fear and vulnerability in a harrowing scene in which he searches for his daughter in a drug dealer's den. I've never seen Erika Christensen before, but she makes an impressive debut. Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman are as loose, limber and spontaneous as ever, providing plenty of comic relief as well as keeping it real. Catherine Zeta-Jones takes a complete 180 from her past roles and admirably plays against her looks, appearing very pregnant while thrown into gritty surroundings. Dennis Quaid is appropriately slimy as a corrupt lawyer.
Anybody who is starved for a genuine piece of film making should breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy Soderbergh's engaging film.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
They say that genius's steal and that is certainly true for Steven Soderbergh and Steven Gaghan. I bought the screenplay of the film, and nowhere in the introduction do either of them mention that the whole film, almost scene by scene is a complete lift from the Channel 4 mini-series of the same name made over ten years before. All the characters, dialogue and plot of the film are an almost complete, albeit Americanised facsimile of the mini-series with the only difference being that the original was about the heroin trade between Germany, the UK and Pakistan. Lindsay Duncan also made for a much more convincing drug dealer wife than Cathereine Zeta Jones. The film is good and has some nice stylistic flourishes; definitely worth watching. However I do recommend the original series: it's darker and more convincing. Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with Soderbergh/ Gaghan making the series into a film - I just think it is rather discourteous, not to say a tad disingenuous for neither of them to cite the original as a direct "inspiration" and to take all the credit for themselves. Naughty!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Traffic is by far the best Steven Sondenbergh film.
With great adroitness Sondenbergh managed to treat deeply, thoroughly, harshly (but with sensitivity) the heating problem of drugs. A very good script magnificently incorporated into the interpetations of Douglas, Del Toro and Jones.
With great adroitness Sondenbergh managed to treat deeply, thoroughly, harshly (but with sensitivity) the heating problem of drugs. A very good script magnificently incorporated into the interpetations of Douglas, Del Toro and Jones.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good Crime Film.
Traffic is a very fine crime film. It's well acted, very well directed and very well written. If you like films that don't take cheap shots or are very political, then this film is... Read more
Published 26 days ago by Janis Livens
Traffic
Anyone for loves fils such ad Blow, Layer Cake, Scarface and Carlito's Way will enjoy Traffic.
A serious of stories all linked through the infamous drug networks of... Read more
A serious of stories all linked through the infamous drug networks of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Long
ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT
This is a fairly long movie but i was engrossed after the opening scene. The film weaves several different, interconnecting stories all linked to drug trafficking. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Camilla Macaulay
Great film - quickly delivered
Great film showing the impact of drugs in all walks of life, from the drug dealers, suppliers, enforcers to the end users
Published on 10 April 2010 by Mr. P. Milne
Worthy of the acclaim
I first watched 'Traffic' upon its release in 2000, and had I reviewed it back then, I probably would have awarded it a maximum of two stars, possibly even one. Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2009 by A viewer
Not bad, but....
Traffic the movie is quite good, but then so was the original Channel 4 series of yesteryear, named Traffik. Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2007 by Bianca White
hope this is helpful :
Traffic has three storylines connected with the war against drugs in America. One is about a Senator (Michael Douglas)who is appointed as the countrys drugs tzar but and finds out... Read more
Published on 25 July 2006 by K H
A brilliant film
This is a wonderful, compelling film which examines the effect of drugs on people's lives. It consists of several interwoven stories which focus on people involved in different... Read more
Published on 17 April 2006 by David Welsh
Must-see film about the drug world
This fascinating, all-star look at the world of illegal drugs loosely weaves several stories together, showing drug dealers, buyers, and those who work to stop the drugs. Read more
Published on 11 Nov 2005 by Kona
Traffic - a gripping film
Enjoyed this far more than I thought I would. It kept me hooked throughout. An excellent reflection of the drugs dilemma, action against supply will never work without also... Read more
Published on 2 Oct 2005 by A. Kerr
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