In 2000, Steven Soderbergh became the first director in nearly 60 years to be nominated as Best Director twice for his films “Erin Brockovich” and “Traffic.” While the former won Julia Roberts her Best Actress Oscar, the latter is an ambitious and perplexing epic saga on the “war against drugs” and how that war affects not only in political circles but in our everyday occurrences. There are so many scenes and characters to talk about that they’re almost difficult to analyze from point A to point Z. Well, I’ll give it this one a shot. Wearing two hats as director and cinematographer, Soderbergh gives the audience an exhilarating look into the drug trade they’ll never forget with three interconnecting stories. The first tale centers on undercover cops Javier Rodriguez (an electrifying Benicio Del Toro) and Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas) impound a truck packed with heroin, before the drugs are detained by General Arturo Salazar (in a surprising turn by Tomas Milian) who is on his way to become Mexico’s anti-drug frontrunner. The second tale changes to Washington, D.C. as conservative Court Justice Robert Wakefield (a passionate Michael Douglas) has been chosen as the nation’s newest drug czar. However, Wakefield has a rude awakening when his daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) becomes a drug addict. And the third and final tale sends back on the West Coast where two DEA agents Montel Gordon and Ray Castro (played by Soderbergh regulars Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman) capture second-rate trafficker Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer). Their meal ticket would lead Gordon and Castro to wealthy drug lord Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer) and his pregnant wife Helena (an amazing Catherine Zeta-Jones). Running at nearly two hours and thirty minutes, “Traffic” is never boring and slow-paced but it succeededs in drawing our undivided attention. Despite Soderbergh’s skillful direction and appealing camerawork, the credit must go to Stephen Mirrione’s contribution in the ingenious editing of the film. While Del Toro’s live-wire performance deserved the Oscar, it was Douglas and Zeta-Jones that gave their finest work respectably as the desperate Wakefield and the worried Helena. If you’re not an admirer of Soderbergh, then see this film immediately.Read full review
traffic, thank you, joe
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