"Traffic" is
a wonderful film, powerfully portraying a
conservative judge who is appointed a drug czar
only to find his daughter is a heroin addict.
The film is graphic, honest, brutal and visually
stunning. Yet, in my opinion, the film doesn't
live up to its hyper and certainly did NOT
deserve an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Fortunately, the film did not win but did
capture Oscars for director Steven Soderbergh,
supporting actor (Benicio Del Toro...I actually
agree with this one), editing and its
screenplay.
Del Toro seems tailor made for this role...I'm
not sure that's a compliment considering the
nature of the film, but it's true. The film has
basically three plotlines, and they are seamed
together quite nicely. The film has solid
performances throughout including Michael
Douglas as the judge, Catherine Zeta Jones, Don
Cheadle, Dennis Quaid, Steven Bauer and Luis
Guzman. In smaller roles, Albert Finney, Topher
Grace and James Brolin among others. Perhaps
that is one of the strongest testimonies to the
film...even the smallest parts have been well
cast, which allows for great continuity and
character development. Because Soderbergh is
respected, he gets solid actors to portray these
smaller roles. The film runs a solid two and a
half hours, but barely seems that way. The
script flows nicely, Soderbergh's direction is
even and well paced...the performances clearly
capture the essence of the characters...This is
a wonderful film that I would recommend.
©
Written by Richard Propes
TC Candler's Comment
Brilliant
and important in virtually every way... It
may just be the best film of 2000.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
n/a
