Traffic

R 7.6
2000 2 hr 27 min Drama , Thriller , Crime

An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.

  • Cast:
    Michael Douglas , Benicio del Toro , Catherine Zeta-Jones , Erika Christensen , Don Cheadle , Jacob Vargas , Miguel Ferrer

Similar titles

Jack & Sarah
Jack & Sarah
Jack always lands on his feet. He lands on his feet when he marries the beautiful Sarah. He lands on his feet when he buys a luxurious new home. However, when Sarah goes into labour, he takes a tumble down the stairs and lands on his head. When he comes around he discovers he is the proud father of a baby girl, but deficient in the spouse department to the tune of 1.
Jack & Sarah 1995
The Patriot
The Patriot
After proving himself on the field of battle in the French and Indian War, Benjamin Martin wants nothing more to do with such things, preferring the simple life of a farmer. But when his son Gabriel enlists in the army to defend their new nation, America, against the British, Benjamin reluctantly returns to his old life to protect his son.
The Patriot 2000
Hostage
Hostage
When a mafia accountant is taken hostage on his beat, a police officer – wracked by guilt from a prior stint as a negotiator – must negotiate the standoff, even as his own family is held captive by the mob.
Hostage 2005
Training Day
Training Day
On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
Training Day 2001
Along Came a Spider
Along Came a Spider
After the harrowing death of his partner, detective and best-selling author Alex Cross has retreated to the peace of retirement. But when a brilliant criminal kidnaps a senator's young daughter, Alex is lured back into action. Teamed with the Secret Service agent assigned to protect the missing girl, Alex follows a serpentine trail of clues that leads him to a stunning discovery - the kidnapper wants more than just ransom.
Along Came a Spider 2001
Coffee and Cigarettes
Coffee and Cigarettes
Coffee And Cigarettes is a collection of eleven films from cult director Jim Jarmusch. Each film hosts star studded cast of extremely unique individuals who all share the common activities of conversing while drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes.
Coffee and Cigarettes 2004
Doctor Zhivago
Doctor Zhivago
The life of a Russian physician and poet who, although married to another, falls in love with a political activist's wife and experiences hardship during World War I and then the October Revolution.
Doctor Zhivago 1965
Cinderella Man
Cinderella Man
The true story of boxer Jim Braddock who, following his retirement in the 1920s, makes a surprise comeback in order to lift his family out of poverty.
Cinderella Man 2005
Do the Right Thing
Do the Right Thing
Salvatore "Sal" Fragione is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
Do the Right Thing 1989
Romeo Is Bleeding
Romeo Is Bleeding
A corrupt cop gets in over his head when he tries to assassinate a beautiful Russian hit-woman.
Romeo Is Bleeding 1994

Reviews

SnoReptilePlenty
2000/12/27

Memorable, crazy movie

... more
Bea Swanson
2000/12/28

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

... more
Tobias Burrows
2000/12/29

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

... more
Ginger
2000/12/30

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

... more
brianhan-84901
2000/12/31

The film 'Traffic', directed by Steven Soderbergh, traces three different stories in one movie, with one theme holding them together. The war on drugs. This film is so far one of the most intriguing and creative thriller movie I have seen. With a somewhat common bond holding this movie together, the government's attempts to abolish the drug industry, the film still makes no problems making this subject seem fresh and new with creative filming and editing as well as the different story arcs. This lead to this movie standing as a masterpiece in present time, due to it's wild creativity with editing and complex yet intriguing storylines. This 18 year old film is not only a film that hasn't aged, but something that will never rot. The most beautiful feature of this film are the bittersweet endings for all three stories shown in this movie. Unlike a wild racing ending like many crime action movies, the film decided to capture, bitter endings. In the end of story one, the arc with the two policemen caught in this war, we see Javier (Benicio Del Toro) sitting alone in a neighborhood kids baseball game. There are two things to catch in this final scene of the movie. We see his subtle complex melancholy facial expression, battered up and exhausted with his partners horrific death, excellently presented by Benicio Del Toro. His once sunglass shaded eyes are now visible, showing off a blank, grey pupil. However, it is not only grief we see in his facade. We also see relief, relief from the escape of this corrupt drug war. As a baseball is smashed by a child, we see his hand slowly clap subtly, but eventually forming a prayer. The second thing to notice is the baseball game, well lit with electric light. These new lights are from Javier himself, when he asked his new boss drug lord kingpin for baseball lights so that children don't have to play in the dangerous dark. These two things, Javier's relieved yet melancholy face, and the well lit baseball field, shows us a perfect bittersweet ending. The scene is trying to explain to us, without any words, that even though the war on drugs will never be over, Javier tried to make his own town a little better and safer with his small demand. This heartfelt scene is the final scene of not only Javier's arc, but the whole movie. As the baseball game continues, the credits roll. Even though it was a long movie with a whopping two hours and thirty minutes, this heavily emotional and simply beautiful ending itself will be worth your time. Another bittersweet ending can be noted from an another arc. The second main arc of the film is the drug czar. After watching his daughter prostituting herself, Robert wakefield (Michael Douglas) claims he can't have a war with his own family, and leaves his position as the drug czar. This ending is quite a surprising one, as Robert showed no change of plans to his job before his quitting. However, after long hesitation, he finally speaks his thoughts, and rushes off the podium. This ending shows us that Robert will spend more time with his family after realizing that the war on drugs will never be one. The director purposefully connected the police duo arc and this arc with a smaller theme: a never ending war. Both started eagerly to participate in this forever war on drugs, each taking different sides. However, at the end, they realize what was more important was right in front of them: The daughter and the neighborhood. Arguably, the most beautiful perk of the division of stories were the overlapping themes. These bittersweet endings really contributed to painting this masterpiece. Apart from it's simply amazing storyline and ending, another act we have to praise is the way of filming and editing. This movie was filmed by the director himself, and is purposely meant to look unstable. The camera is never completely still, and resembles a way a documentary or an indie film is filmed. Even though it was a movie that starred several hollywood stars, the filming and editing seemed cheap. Some might disagree, but I believe this was not a blunder by the director. To match the sketchy, unstable tone of the whole film, being a thriller, the way it was caught on camera was perfectly suitable for the tone and mood for this film. In the editing process, the editing team implemented a creative way to differentiate the complex stories and set the mood: colour. The colour plays a gigantic role in this movie. It helps the audience to understand the tone and mood as well as which story arc we are in. The two police arc has a heavy orange and yellow colour, matching the deserts they are usually in. It also matches the heated action and thrill in their scenes, engulfing readers into the movie. The czar arc's colour is the complete opposite. It is a cold, strong blue like the arctic sea. It seems to display the cold, corrupt world of governments and the political side of the war on drugs. The colour freezes the audience on the spot, making the thrill of the movies scenes more powerful. This technique was not only a mere gimmick, but something that bonded the movie together and what truly painted the movie. This movie was truly something magnificent. It sucked the audience in with vibrant colours. It made the audience bite their nails in the tense mood. And at the end, gave a truly satisfying bittersweet ending. This movie, though not the easiest to watch and understand, was a full course meal of fine story, filming, and intensity.

... more
liamsroberts
2001/01/01

When Traffic came out it won 4 Oscars including Best Director and Best Supporting Actor. I was looking forward to seeing it in film class because of all the recognition it gets. In the end I don't think Traffic is quite as good as people say it is. One flaw that stuck out for me was that at times the pacing dragged a little bit, specifically when it cuts to Catherine Zeta-Jones' character. I didn't latch to her character as much as the other characters like Benicio Del Toro's character. But the story of this movie is the most interesting part about this movie. It shows you different sides of the war on drugs and it is still a relevant topic which is why it has aged very well. One of the best parts of the movie is the arc of Michael Douglas' character. In the beginning of the film he is on the anti-drugs side of the war but towards the end he finds out that his daughter is a crack addict and then he drops out of his position. Reasons he dropped was because he can't fight a war where he has to fight his own family, he would rather support his daughter rather than be at work all day and even if he would win the war someone will eventually start it up again. Steven Soderbergh chose a very interesting choice on how the movie looks. When it is in Mexico it is very over exposed and when it takes place in Washington it has a blue tint to it. It didn't add that much to the story but it was an interesting directing choice.

... more
HotToastyRag
2001/01/02

Even though Traffic has an all-star cast, the famously raw direction of Steven Soderbergh, and won four Academy Awards, I can't in good conscience recommend that you watch this movie. It's incredibly disturbing, and the main message of the film can be understood without having to sit through two and half hours of upsetting material: Drugs are bad, damaging, and prevalent. There you have it! Save yourself, memorize that message, and just pretend you've seen Traffic when anyone asks you.Traffic is about drug trafficking, and it shows the journey of drugs coming up across the border from Mexico, how they're transferred from drug dealers to drug users, and eventually how they end up in the hands of our most vulnerable: children. In the Mexican scenes, Benicio Del Toro-who won Best Supporting Actor-Jacob Vargas, and Tomas Milian star. When the DEA agents are trying to arrest American drug lords, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, Miguel Ferrer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid, Steven Bauer, and Benjamin Bratt star. And in the scenes that tragically show bored teenagers developing drug addictions, Michael Douglas, James Brolin, Albert Finney, Amy Irving, Erika Christensen, and Topher Grace star.You can see why it's tempting to watch this film, since so many actors and actresses were recruited to take part, but unless you really enjoy watching gritty, upsetting movies that show the filthy underbelly of the country, you will be seriously scarred by watching it. If you are a parent, whether or not your child has developed a substance abuse problem or is as innocent as an angel, you will find this film extremely difficult to watch. Michael Douglas gives a wonderful performance, one that every parent and husband in the audience will identify with. Ironically, while there was quite a bit of hype of the real-life husband and wife pair starring in the same film, Michael and Catherine aren't in any scenes together, since they're separated by different storylines.I can't stop you from watching Traffic, but I can caution you as much as I can. The only reason I watched it was because I'd been cast as the lead role in the play Addict, whose title is probably self-explanatory. At the time, I had so little knowledge of drugs, I didn't even understand the lines my character was scripted to deliver. My brother insisted I watch Traffic with him as homework for the play. Given my druthers, I never would have watched it, and I sincerely wish I'd never been forced to sit through it in the first place.

... more
Screen_Blitz
2001/01/03

Drugs are bad, not doubt about it. But the worst and most incomprehensible aspect about drug usage is the complex politics that go behind the dirty business. From the government of the higher hierarchy to the law enforcement roaming around on the streets, the American war on drugs is a complicated business from inside and out. Morals are tested and families are threatened, and the consequences behind the illegal drug business are, more or less, as tragic as what director Steven Soderbergh displays on screen. Capturing its political concept in multiple story lines, Soderbergh straps audiences into a gripping portrayal of a society brought its knees by the illegal drug trade and the violent repercussions of the contraband activity, all while gripping us with an emotional resonance surrounding the gritty nature of a world run amok by moral ambiguity. The film, revolving around the American war on drugs, is told of three intertwining perspectives. The first one follows two Mexican police officers Javier Rodriguez (played by Benicio Del Toro) and Manolo Sanchez (played by Jacob Vargas) who are tasked by their boss Arturo Salazar (played by Tomas Milian) to take down the Juarez drug cartel, on to themselves wrapped up in a double-crossing scheme. A second following one following two DEA agents Montel Gordon (played by Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (played by Luis Guzman) who capture a local drug dealer who in return, rats out his boss Carlos Ayala (played by Steven Bauer), who is arrested and must face trial under the defense of his attorney (played by Dennis Quaid) while his wife (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones) and child are threatened by his accomplices. Then a third one following a Ohio conservative judge Robert Wakefield (played by Michael Douglas) who learns his teenage daughter has become hooked on heroin.For such a heavy and bold topic such as the illegal drug exchange, it is only expected that Steven Soderbergh captures both the emotional and politically-charged atmosphere of its plot. In the midst of his ambitious approach, his efforts are mostly successful as he brings the script, written by Stephen Gaghan, to gritty effect. Soderbergh doesn't journey through the safe route of going for a straight forward approach to the story, especially for one told through three intertwining story lines, each of which are shot in alternating color shades to allow us to tell each storyline apart (as if the cast of characters for each storyline were not enough to make things clear). There are just a few problematic elements that lie within his daunting approach. For one, it is a little overlong, mostly with how the story meanders during the final half hour as each of the characters come to terms with their tragedies. On the other hand, that does almost nothing to take away from the emotional magnitude that the film pounds us on once the story kicks into gear. In addition, there is plenty to say about the nature of America during the war on drugs, and not in a way that shouts with condemnation against the war nor clear justification for it. That is mostly kept ambiguous. And the same goes for the characters of whom are portrayed with a morally gray persona wrestling in battles between right and wrong, the best of which is demonstrated in the storyline following Javier and Manolo who face the moral corruption of their superior officer who has something fishy going on behind their backs. If there is one thing that is made clear, it is that law enforcement officers are not always the good guys. Some of them may be worse than the drug dealers. With such an enormous ensemble cast sharing the spotlight, it is difficult to single out one above the rest in terms of the most grounded of performances. However, this crown would have to go to Benicio Del Toro as Javier Rodriguez, a man wrestling with his conscious when he along his partner witness the ugly image his boss reveals behind the mask. Although he doesn't fall into the hero category, he is one of the very few individuals we can sympathize with as he is dragged into a dark and complicated underworld of moral ambiguity. Michael Douglas, playing a conservative judge who faces every parent's worst nightmare: her child hooked on drugs, is powerful in his role as well. The same can said for Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman in their roles as DEA agent fighting against the bloody drug trafficking operations. Although both of their character arcs are shallow of depth, these actors show they have the acting chops to take on such daunting roles. Catherine Zeta-Jones is well with her performance. But again, nothing that avoids getting blown out of the water by the performance of Del Toro. After all, he is the shining star among the cast, despite the fact being in a supporting role like everyone else. All in all, it seems like everyone in the cast had their game faces on throughout filming. Traffic is a gripping, if overlong examination on the American drug wars shining the ambitious directorial methodology of Steven Soderbergh. For such a violent and gritty take on its subject matter, it is powerful, it is realistic, and almost never fails to capture the political magnitude of its concept.

... more