The National Daily World Enquiring Globe

LowComDom Performances Presents
The National Daily World Enquiring Globe


  • You Are Reading...Arts & Leisure
    •  Film Reviews
    •    »By Title
    •    »By Actor
    •    »By Director
    •    »By Year
    •    »Ratings
    •  Iris In
    •  Mojo Cam
  • Top of the News |
    •  Front Page
  •  Editorial |
    •  The Crapolla
    •  The Dictionary»
      •  A
      •  B
      •  C
      •  D
      •  E
      •  F
      •  G
      •  H
      •  I
      •  J
      •  K
      •  L
      •  M
      •  N
      •  O
      •  P
      •  Q
      •  R
      •  S
      •  T
      •  U
      •  V
      •  W
      •  X
      •  Y
      •  Z
  •  Jokes |
    •  Today's Jokes
    •  Archives
    •  RSS Feed
    •  Disclaimer
  •  Travel |
    •  Mexico
    •  Las Vegas
    •  Where's Svlad?
  •  Shopping |
    •  T-Shirts
    •  Sweat Shirts
    •  Mugs
    •  Caps
    •  Statement of Irresponsibility
  •  News |
    •  Press Releases
  •  Sponsors |
    •  The Ugly Mug
  •  Legal
    •  Privacy Policy
    •  Terms of Use

 Film Review - Traffic

Traffic is an unusual American movie in that it really isn't trying to tell a story, but rather it is making a political statement. The film wanders in a relatively short time between the many plays in the drug business.

Michael Douglas plays an appellate court judge named the new U.S. Drug Czar. He's very stiff and black and white about this being a war, only to learn that his daughter is smoking heroin. Here's a home of wealth where the drug addict doesn't appear on the outside to fit the profile. She's not in trouble at school, is number three in her class, her parents are not divorced.

While we're on the subject of the rich Americas, Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Helena Ayala, who is shocked to learn that her rich husband doesn't have any legitimate business after he is arrested for being a drug kingpin. Again, the message is not only do the nicest people take drugs, but they also push them. Helena, as they say in Star Wars, turns to the dark side when her world becomes difficult.

On the other side of the U.S. - Mexican border we have police who are trying to do the right thing, but the poverty they live in doesn't make this goal easy. Officer Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) is a good cop. He sniffs out the drug carriers, with integrity, but he too will be seduced when he is offered a better job in Mexico City. His partner, who is not offered the same deal, wants to work with the Americans which gets him killed.

There are only a few people who are portrayed as being the evil Drug Lords. Almost everyone else is depicted as a victim of the Drug War. Which is an interesting parallel when you consider that most people killed in real wars, are also innocent victims.

The end of the film is not happy. Nor should it be. Here you have had this eye-opening experience, and the end is just as frustrating. Not all films should end on an upbeat note.

Who should see this? If you think the Drug War is a simple issue, this might widen your view. If you have always thought the drug problem was much more complex than Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" program, this will probably be affirming. But if you need a happy ending where all bad guys go to prison, this is not for you.

Jammed Pipe!

Film Facts

    Cast
  • Michael Douglas
  • Don Cheadle
  • Benicio Del Toro
  • Dennis Quaid
  • Catherine Zeta-Jones
  • Clifton Collins Jr.
  • Luis Guzman
  • Steven Bauer
  • Benjamin Bratt
  • Jsu Garcia
  • Miguel Ferrer
  • James Brolin
  • Albert Finney
  • Erika Christensen
  • Topher Grace
  • Amy Irving
  • Beau Holden
  • Tomas Milian
  • Peter Riegert
  • Marisol Padilla Sanchez
  • Jacob Vargas
  • Joel Torres
  • D.W. Moffett
  • Corey Spears
  • Majandra Delfino
  • Alec Roberts
  • Bill Weld
  • Don Nickles
  • Harry Reid
  • Jeff Podolsky
  • Barbara Boxer
  • Orrin G. Hatch
  • Charles Grassley
  • James Pickens Jr.
  • Rudy M. Camacho
  • Yul Vazquez
  • Jack Conley
  • Eddie Velez
  • Craig N. Chretien
  • John Brown
  • Mike Siegel
  • Stephen J. Rose
  • Kimber Fritz
  • Daniella Kuhn
  • Brandon Keener
  • George Blumenthal
  • Stephen Dunham
  • Margaret Travolta
  • Jewelle Bickford
  • Dave Hager
  • Tucker Smallwood
  • Victor Quintero
  • Toby Holguin
  • Ramiro Gonzalez
  • Viola Davis
  • Elaine Kagan
  • John Slattery
  • Jimmy Ortega
  • Greg Boniface
  • Thomas Rosales Jr.
  • Harsh Nayyar
  • Mary Pat Gleason
  • Gregory Estevane
  • Alex Procopio
  • Rita Gomez
  • Kaizaad Kotwal
  • David Jensen
  • Jay Krymis
  • Mike Malone
  • Rene Pereya
  • Kymberly Newberry
  • Carroll Schumacher
  • Michael Showers
  • Rena Sofer
  • Stacey Travis
  • Jennifer Barker
  • Dean Faulkner
  • Andrew Chavez
  • Michael Saucedo
  • Jose Yenque
  • Emilio Rivera
  • Michael O'Neill
  • Russell G. Jones
  • Lorene Hetherington
  • Eric Collins
  • Vonte Sweet
  • Peter Stader
  • James Lew
  • Jeremy Fitzgerald
  • Russell Solberg
  • Don Snell
  • Enrique Murciano
  • Gary Cervantes
  • Carl Ciarfalio
  • Steven Lambert
  • Gilbert Rosales
  • Rick Avery
  • Mario Roberts
  • Eileen Weisinger
  • Ken Johnston
  • Mike Watson
  • Kurt D. Lott
  • Lincoln Simonds
  • Steve Tomaski
  • Buck McDancer
  • John Callery
  • Ousaun Elam
  • Brian Avery
  • Tracey Brown
  • Robert Randolph Caton
  • Carlos Gomez
  • Salma Hayek
  • Travis Highley
  • Andy Maxson
  • David Pittinger
  • Laurent Schwaar

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Released in 2000

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewed by Mongo