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TRAFFIC Send This Review to a Friend
The absorbing, tense and complex "Traffic," inspired by a British television series, apart from being a solid drama, is a testament to why the so-called war against drugs seems to be a losing battle. The bases that are touched by writer Stephen Gaghan and director Steven Soderbergh shatteringly dramatize the demand for drugs, the illusions of those who fight to eliminate them, the corrupt dealings between drug dealers and lawmen and the havoc wreaked on so many lives.
That would seem to be a tall order but Gaghan and Soderbergh combine talents to unravel a story that lodges beneath the skin. Among an outstanding cast, Michael Douglas gives a poignant performance as an Ohio Supreme Court judge tapped by the president of the United States to become an anti-drug czar. He is eager to succeed, but has a major problem at home. His teenage daughter is a user and in a downward, life-threatening spiral. Erika Christensen is heartbreaking in the part, a poster girl warning of the toll getting hooked can take, and Amy Irving is effective as her mother.
Set in San Diego and in the Mexican border area, 'Traffic" is steadily gritty and realistic, authenticated by the acting of its superior cast. Benicio Del Toro and Jacob Vargas have key roles as Mexican policemen, as do Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman as undercover U.S. agents. Steven Bauer is excellent as a drug wheeler-dealer, with Catherine Zeta-Jones as his pregnant wife who doesn't know what her husband is doing. Thomas Milian has another important role as a Mexican general with the duty of fighting drug crime.
The details get convoluted, which makes the film especially interesting, as one incident after another reveals the inherent problems in the drug war and the double-dealing that goes on while there is an insatiable market and riches to be garnered. A cynical pall is cast over the situation, and the film becomes valuable in dramatically sketching why so much of the talk about doing away with drugs is only rhetoric. "Traffic" is one of the better films turned out this year and further evidence of Soderbergh's prowess as a director. A USA Films release.
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