A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect an informant. A jailed drug baron's wife attempts to carry on the family business.
An intertwined drama about the United States' war on drugs, seen through the eyes of a once conservative judge, now newly-appointed drug czar, his heroin-addicted daughter, two DEA agents, a jailed drug kingpin's wife, and a Mexican cop who begins to question his boss's motives.
When a critic commented that it seemed unrealistic that the daughter's high school record was almost perfect when she was taking drugs, screenwriter Stephen Gaghan pointed out that the high school record in the movie was his and that he had been abusing drugs at the time. See more »
Goofs
Inside the surveillance van, the time indicated on the wristwatch hanging up near Ray changes drastically between continuous shots. See more »
Home video versions released in 2001 omit direct reference to Cincinnati Country Day school, after school officials complained about the images depicted of the student body. In the scene where Caroline is being interrogated after her arrest, the theatrical version has her answering the question "Are you in school?" with "Cincinnati Country Day." On home video, she simply answers, "yes." The camera is behind her, so her mouth isn't seen on-screen, but there is a notable pause before the next bit of dialogue. See more »
Piano Sonata No. 1 In F Minor
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Wilhelm Kempff
Courtesy of Universal International Music, BV
Under License from Universal Music Enterprise See more »
Traffic is a fantastic movie. Let's start with saying that.
I just got back from seeing it, and it certainly rates as one of the best story-based drama's I've ever seen. Being a big fan of movies with different storylines overlapping (as Magnolia) I was highly anticipating this movie. And of course the big oscar nominations and the prizes it already won made it even more desirable.
It didn't let me down one bit. The different story's were all excellent. Being that the mexican one was in my opinion the best one. Especially Benicio Del Toro (remember him in Fear and Loathing in Las vegas, the BEST drugs movie ever) being absolutely brilliant. But also the storyline involving Michael Douglas with his problems dealing with a daughter on drugs (well acted out by newcomer Erika Christensen) is remarkable. The topic drugs is clearly highly talked about especially in the United States, and this is actually the first movie which shows all aspects of it. The dealing and smuggling, the addiction, the risks of being a narcotics agent and the political point of view. It's hard to find a film that's so complete, everyone will feel connected to one of the storylines because everyone deals with or has dealt with drugs before, even if it's just a one time mariuhana use. That's why this movie will appeal to a very large crowd.
Anyway when you look at the flaws then maybe some will say that it takes too long, or that some of the scenes are a bit slow. But does everything go fastpaced in real life? It just tries to sketch a realistic view of handling with drugs. And maybe there isn't a lot of action going on, but that's not the goal of the movie.
The only thing I found when watching the movie was that the switching between movielines happened a little too often. I'd preferred if it stayed with one story a little longer. Just a tiny flaw that I personally noted.
Traffic is a film that has to sink in, when you start to think about it it just gets better and better. I can't wait for the official release here in Holland, so that I can see it again.
Oscar for Del Toro in any case !!!!!! And throw in an oscar for best film too. It deserves it.
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Traffic is a fantastic movie. Let's start with saying that.
I just got back from seeing it, and it certainly rates as one of the best story-based drama's I've ever seen. Being a big fan of movies with different storylines overlapping (as Magnolia) I was highly anticipating this movie. And of course the big oscar nominations and the prizes it already won made it even more desirable.
It didn't let me down one bit. The different story's were all excellent. Being that the mexican one was in my opinion the best one. Especially Benicio Del Toro (remember him in Fear and Loathing in Las vegas, the BEST drugs movie ever) being absolutely brilliant. But also the storyline involving Michael Douglas with his problems dealing with a daughter on drugs (well acted out by newcomer Erika Christensen) is remarkable. The topic drugs is clearly highly talked about especially in the United States, and this is actually the first movie which shows all aspects of it. The dealing and smuggling, the addiction, the risks of being a narcotics agent and the political point of view. It's hard to find a film that's so complete, everyone will feel connected to one of the storylines because everyone deals with or has dealt with drugs before, even if it's just a one time mariuhana use. That's why this movie will appeal to a very large crowd.
Anyway when you look at the flaws then maybe some will say that it takes too long, or that some of the scenes are a bit slow. But does everything go fastpaced in real life? It just tries to sketch a realistic view of handling with drugs. And maybe there isn't a lot of action going on, but that's not the goal of the movie.
The only thing I found when watching the movie was that the switching between movielines happened a little too often. I'd preferred if it stayed with one story a little longer. Just a tiny flaw that I personally noted.
Traffic is a film that has to sink in, when you start to think about it it just gets better and better. I can't wait for the official release here in Holland, so that I can see it again.
Oscar for Del Toro in any case !!!!!! And throw in an oscar for best film too. It deserves it.