"Traffic" is a movie that features three characters -- a Mexican Cop (Benicio Del Toro), a Senator who is the head of the DEA (Michael Douglas) and the wife of a drug baron (Catherine Zeta-Jones)-- and their three stories in the drug business in the US and Mexico. There's also a fourth story concerning two US cops but it's more of a sub-feature. The stories are connected, but don't overlap and the characters don't meet each other.
Although this movie is intended as a "serious" look at the "drug problem" it comes across as a pathetic joke. Aside from the story featuring Del Toro, few of the situations, characters or resolutions are even remotely connected to reality. In addition, the themes and commentary are preachy and contrived. To me, this movie is a parody of Hollywood "message" movies. The more I think about it, as I am writing this review, the movie is... what's the word?... oh yeah, stupid.
Here's just one scene that is so idiotic that it defies description. The Senator's teen-aged daughter has become a drug addict, run away from home and is living with a drug dealer in the ghetto. The Senator finds out where she is and shows up at the ghetto tenement to get his daughter back. Threatened by the dealer, the Senator breaks down and begs the dealer to turn over his daughter, and then meekly leaves when the dealer says no. Is there any father in the world, especially one who is a US Senator, who would act like this when his daughter's life is at stake???
This movie was written and directed by a crew of idiots. And ironically enough, they were probably on drugs when they did it.
Although this movie is intended as a "serious" look at the "drug problem" it comes across as a pathetic joke. Aside from the story featuring Del Toro, few of the situations, characters or resolutions are even remotely connected to reality. In addition, the themes and commentary are preachy and contrived. To me, this movie is a parody of Hollywood "message" movies. The more I think about it, as I am writing this review, the movie is... what's the word?... oh yeah, stupid.
Here's just one scene that is so idiotic that it defies description. The Senator's teen-aged daughter has become a drug addict, run away from home and is living with a drug dealer in the ghetto. The Senator finds out where she is and shows up at the ghetto tenement to get his daughter back. Threatened by the dealer, the Senator breaks down and begs the dealer to turn over his daughter, and then meekly leaves when the dealer says no. Is there any father in the world, especially one who is a US Senator, who would act like this when his daughter's life is at stake???
This movie was written and directed by a crew of idiots. And ironically enough, they were probably on drugs when they did it.