Traffik (1989– )

The Hamburg police arrest an international businessman, charging him with smuggling heroin from Pakistan. While he's on trial, his trophy wife, a former Olympic swimmer, discovers steely ... See full summary »

Stars:

Bill Paterson, Lindsay Duncan, Fritz Müller-Scherz

7 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Bill Paterson	...	Jack Lithgow (6 episodes, 1989)
Lindsay Duncan	...	Helen Rosshalde (6 episodes, 1989)
Fritz Müller-Scherz	...	Ulli (6 episodes, 1989)
Jamal Shah	...	Fazal (6 episodes, 1989)
Talat Hussain	...	Tariq Butt (6 episodes, 1989)
Vincenzo Benestante	...	Domenquez (6 episodes, 1989)
George Kukura	...	Karl Rosshalde (5 episodes, 1989)
Ismat Shah Jahan	...	Sabira (5 episodes, 1989)
Raahi Raza	...	Khushal (5 episodes, 1989)
Roohi Raza	...	Naseem (5 episodes, 1989)
Julia Ormond	...	Caroline Lithgow (4 episodes, 1989)
Linda Bassett	...	Rachel Lithgow (4 episodes, 1989)
Peter Bourke	...	Henderson (4 episodes, 1989)
Tilo Prückner	...	Dieter (4 episodes, 1989)
Peter Lakenmacher	...	Ledesert (4 episodes, 1989)
Faryal Gohar	...	Roomana (4 episodes, 1989)
Shelley Goldfarb	...	Lisa (4 episodes, 1989)
Regina Pressler	...	Public Prosecutor (4 episodes, 1989)
Tony Mathews	...	Wallace (3 episodes, 1989)
Ronan Vibert	...	Lee (3 episodes, 1989)
Rahat Kazmi	...	Dilshad (3 episodes, 1989)
Sarah Mortimer	...	Margaret (3 episodes, 1989)
Jennifer Susan Hibbert	...	Lotte (3 episodes, 1989)
Anthony Pfriem	...	Johann (3 episodes, 1989)
Wolfgang Rau	...	Werner (3 episodes, 1989)
Utz Richter	...	Presiding Judge (3 episodes, 1989)
Shabaz Durrani	...	Lal (3 episodes, 1989)
Jonathan Docker-Drysdale	...	Lynch (2 episodes, 1989)
Michael Bertenshaw	...	Tyler (2 episodes, 1989)
Philip Middlemiss	...	Tony (2 episodes, 1989)
Sharron Bower	...	Doctor (2 episodes, 1989)
Behroze Sabzwari	...	Ghani (2 episodes, 1989)
Willy Bartelsen		(2 episodes, 1989)
Alex Leppard		(2 episodes, 1989)
Holger Mahlich	...	Prulager (2 episodes, 1989)
Bernard Adena	...	Captain (2 episodes, 1989)
Werner Schwuchow	...	Kilmer (2 episodes, 1989)
Saquib Sheikh		(2 episodes, 1989)

Storyline

The Hamburg police arrest an international businessman, charging him with smuggling heroin from Pakistan. While he's on trial, his trophy wife, a former Olympic swimmer, discovers steely ruthlessness within herself. In Pakistan, the British home minister tours the poppy-eradication project and returns to London to find that his daughter is a heroin addict. While trying to save her, and helped by a crusading attorney, he learns the limits of government policy. Fazal, a peasant burned off his land where he farmed poppies, goes to Karachi and works for Tarik Butt, a murderous drug lord. Fazal's frankness and sense of worth are his strength and his liability. Stories cross and collide.

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Plot Keywords:

heroin | pakistan | minister | government | drugs | 

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Genres:

Drama | Crime

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Urdu German

Release Date:

22 April 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Traffik, le sang du pavot

Filming Locations:

Cambridge University, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carnival Films, Channel 4 Television Corporation, Picture Partnership

Technical Specs

Runtime:

315 min 50 min (6 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Jaws (1975)

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Soundtracks

"Chamber Symphony in c minor, op. 110a"
Written by Dmitri Shostakovich

User Reviews

Stunning...beyond anything you'll ever see.

What an awesome mini-series. The original TRAFFIK completely stole me away from anything else that was on. Far more engaging than the American remake, the original TRAFFIK boasts an amazing cast formed of lesser known actors to North American audiences. Juliette Binoche being the mainly recognizable actress who plays a drug addicted teenaged daughter of a government official. But it's not star power that carries this film (though I enjoyed the American version, I felt it was dimmed by the famous Americans in the picture).

Unfortunately, I saw the American version before I found the original BBC mini-series. Of course there were no picture filters, lush locales, and the big name stars/director. However, the grit and grime of Europe (through the drugworld) perfectly compliments the impending sense of danger, which permeates throughout this film. The problems, such as getting addicts off of drugs by giving them more, poor anti-drug campaigning, and the resistance of foreign governments to assist with destroying their drug cultivators from within, all make TRAFFIK bold, immersive, and horrific all at the same time!

The truly incredible portions of the movie all come from Pakistan. My God, I never knew how bad the problem really was over in Europe...even all over! For a real education on the problems of drugs, beyond how they affect the human body you must watch both this and the American version. Each show one very clear and undeniable fact. Those countries, which are leaders in the eyes of the world, have a culture that has led to the death and suffering for many.

Drugs are worse than war. They work in the shadows, the dark secrets of any "successful" society.