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> TRAFFIC (2000)
With a collection of powerful vignettes, Steven Soderbergh and an all-star cast show us the war on drugs minus all the media and political glamour.

By John C. Lyons
Film Critic

Starring: Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid, and many more

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Written by: Simon Moore

Genre: Crime/Drama

Our Rating: 10 out of 10

You have got to hand it to director of the year (in my opinion) Steven Soderbergh, who turned in two gems in 2000, "Erin Brockovich" and now "Traffic". The guy has a few things going for him. For one, he is a great hands-on director. For this film he did most of the camera work, and it is done beautifully. He has a great eye for talent. His mostly handpicked cast is amazing. Overall, Steven Soderbergh is one of the greatest modern directors, and is on my short list of personal favorites. This year he has and will earn some major recognition for his accomplishments. "Traffic" stands as a major accomplishment for much more than just showcasing Soderbergh. At age 23, I have seen so many "Don't do drugs"/ "Drugs are bad" commercials and PSAs. Politicians and other celebrities talk endlessly about what they are going to do to save the world from drugs. "The war on drugs" has been going on for years now. "Traffic" strips off all the bullshit and shows us the complexities of this war, and by the time the end credits roll you're left speechless.

"Traffic" is really four different stories that share one common factor, that of course being the war on drugs. Each of these plotlines could have easily stood on their own, as separate films; however, they are cut so seamlessly into each other that they mesh perfectly. You have:

• Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro), a lawman in the heart of Mexico who is faced with some major moral dilemmas.
• Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), a Supreme Court judge chosen to be the new drug Czar whose drug problems escalate when they hit his own family.
• Helena Ayala (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the wife of a drug lord who learns, on the day he is hauled off to jail, that he has hidden a secret life from her all along which she must now face the consequences of.
• Montel Gordon and Ray Castro (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman), DEA agents battling the kingpins here in the United States who quickly find themselves way in over their heads.

As you can see, this cast is vast, and vast with talent. Each performance is top-notch here, and the best work I have seen, to this point, especially by Benicio Del Toro and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Benicio's character, I feel, is the center point of the film. His direct experiences with corruption, greed, fear, and betrayal reflect the major elements of "Traffic" itself. Enough cannot be said about the cast in this powerful film. Had these players not been so believable and talented in their roles, the film would have failed.

Technical elements such as cinematography and editing also play a key role in the success of "Traffic". Soderbergh uses different color schemes for the various storylines of the film. The scenes in Mexico were filmed from a handheld camera. The color schemes were comprised of gritty, hard yellows. This helps to signify the raw, tense situations that Del Toro's character faces in the heart of the war. In Douglas's political battles, the colors are blue-colored (which Soderbergh also used in the Detroit scenes for "Out of Sight"). Zeta-Jones's scenes, as the pregnant mother tossed into the middle of the fray (she was actually pregnant, so Soderbergh re-wrote her character to take advantage of this), use no artificial coloring. Perhaps signifying the reality of how close to home the drug war is waged.

"Traffic" shows how the battle against drugs is not over, not even close. If you believe otherwise then you're fooling yourself. As the tagline for the film reads: "No one gets away clean".

I saw this film at the Tinseltown theaters on upper Peach Street in Erie.

PROs: Acting, cast, plot, direction, cinematography… I could really go on and on. Every aspect of this film is truly brilliant.

CONs: Hmmmm…I can't think of anything.

(01-0122)

related links:

Traffic - official site