2000
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
As I have previously stated, I don't like movies that have to do with drugs, as I don't really need a reminder about how destructive they can be. Of course, life doesn't avoid the topics we find unsavory. And neither does the Book.
Traffic is two and a half hours and tells three separate, but loosely connected, stories revolving around drugs. Let's see...a suburban judge is appointed as the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, only to discover that his teenage daughter is an addict. The pregnant wife of a jailed drug lord attempts to save her family. And finally, in Mexico, a cop struggles with his conscience when he finds out that his boss may be corrupt.
Like I said in my Requiem for a Dream post, I didn't enjoy this film, but I can still appreciate its beauty. Soderbergh used different film stocks for each storyline (i.e. the Wakefield story had a depressing bluish tone while the Mexico story had a grainy, rough tone). I also thought the politics of this one were interesting. The message wasn't simply "drugs are bad" but that the war on drugs is utterly futile.
Still, I obviously didn't enjoy it. I wasn't particularly impressed with anyone's performance and it ran way too long. Most likely will never watch again.
RATING: ***--
Interesting Facts:
Has 135 speaking parts.
The teens had peppermint dust blown into their faces before the drug scenes to make their eyes and noses look red.
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