Drugs are a bet with your mind.
- Jim Morrison

Traffic takes an audacious stance which makes it a noteworthy film. It looks this country’s war on drugs right in the eye and slaps it in the face. It shows us how futile our attempts have been at curving drug use in this country. Our bureaucrats are going about the war all wrong, as Michael Douglas’ character, Judge Robert Wakefield, discovers. We see him standing in front of many of his Washington peers saying what is in his heart, after struggling to get his own daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) off drugs. He explains that many of the enemies in this war are in our own families. He can not condone carrying on war against family.

This is director Steven Soderbergh’s crowning masterpiece in a year that has catapulted him into Hollywood’s cream of the crop. Soderbergh’s Erin Brokovich also came out this year and, while also being a triumph, these two films are world’s apart. Traffic refuses to resort to that Rocky type formula. It is not heartwarming at all. It bombards us with the cold hard facts and messes with our beliefs and corrects our fallacies.

This is not conventional filmmaking, as it defies basic film syntax. Soderbergh borrows from the Altman and Anderson school of filmmaking, giving us three different stories to follow that, at the right time, overlay each other as we finally comprehend the decisive message. Soderbergh also serves as cinematographer, using profound techniques to contrast the different overlapping scenarios. He uses bright colors for the San Diego scenes involving the DEA; a yellowish brown color tone for the segments taking place in Tijuana; and a pale blue coloration to depict Washington.

The film opens on the Mexican border as we see narcotics cop Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) ready to bust some drug traffickers. In order to do his job he must get past his superior, General Salazar (Thomas Milian), who wants all the credit for himself.

In Washington DC Judge Wakefield is getting ready to become the United States new drug czar. Little does he know that his own daughter is experimenting more and more with drugs. Being introduced to drugs by her boyfriend Seth (Topher Grace), the young girl’s chemical dependency is not only tears apart her family but also bring them closer together, opening the eyes of her superficial father.

As we venture into San Diego, we are drawn into two different stories. Helena Ayala (Catherine Zeta-Jones) finds her high class lifestyle turned upside down when she discovers that her husband (Steven Bauer) is a top drug dealer. The DEA takes her husband away, leaving her with sudden finacial debt. Two DEA agents (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman) struggle to watch Helena and protect another dealer (Miguel Ferrer ) as he gives them evidence to convict Mr. Ayala.

The film is based on an acclaimed 1989 miniseries out of Britain titled Traffik. Stephen Gaghan’s adaptation is a perfect example of art imitating life. It shows all of the peril and desperation of the subject matter while becoming a commentary on our society in the end.

This is the perfect vehicle for Soderbergh. He holds nothing back and is not afraid of controversy. His decision to serve as cinematographer is an inspired one. He designs the whole experience as if we are right there watching everything first-hand, adding to the overall genuineness.

As the film probes deeper into the world of stimulants, the soaring score by Cliff Martinez and Stephen Mirrione’s editing help it along.

The all star cast is full of great actors. Dennis Quaid, Amy Irving, Albert Finney, and James Brolin all give great support when given limited screen time. There is not a flawed performance in the film, which is credit to the excellent script and direction.

The key performances here are delivered by Del Toro, Zeta-Jones, and young Christensen. Their characters are the backbone of the film and also the most emotionally developed. Del Toro is already being showered with praise and awards for his performance. Zeta-Jones, who was six months pregnant during filming, displays more depth than ever before and really blossoms as an actress. Her Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe nomination could be the leeway to a Oscar nomination. Christensen has been somewhat overlooked, which is a nonsensical given the power of her performance. Why does a kid like Haley Joel Osment get recognized for an obviously flawed performance in The Sixth Sense, but young Christensen will probably be disregarded? Only the Oscar Gods can explain that.

Thank you Steven Soderbergh for delivering this powerhouse to us. How often does a director release two superb films during the same year? The man may have the distinguished honor of being nominated in the Best Director Oscar category twice this year, for both Brokovich and Traffic. It is almost a given that Oscar would shine on him for Traffic though. The story is just so sophisticated and the many characters so strong that it is hard to ignore. During the Tijuana scenes the director even gives us subtitles most of the time. What was the last American film that relied this much on subtitles? Well, it would have seemed less authentic if it had not. Soderbergh wouldn’t allow that. That would sabotage the whole purpose of the film; to display this drug war in the most realistic way possible, and shining a light on the problems our own government is too ashamed to admit.

The truth is that we are getting nowhere with our war on drugs. It is brazenly pointed out in the film that junkies will always get their fix, no matter how hard we fight. And, the violence we are using is no answer at all. We, like Judge Wakefield, need to fully understand the problem instead of being belligerent and listening is the best defense.



Recommended: Yes