| Product: |
Traffic (DVD) |
| Date: |
31.07.01 (63 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: See review
Disadvantages: See review
I have been waiting for the DVD/video release of Traffic for some time. Having done well at the Oscars and having been universally acclaimed in the press, I was keen to see what all the hype was about. In this day and age, it makes a change for a film without dinosaurs, superheroes or computer game heroines to receive so much attention.
Traffic is without a doubt an excellent film. It is thought provoking, well crafted and well acted and makes for two and half-hours of engaging viewing. Nonetheless, having awaited the release with some anticipation I must say I was slightly disappointed with the end product.
The film is essentially a pseudo-documentary, containing three sub-plots that are all ultimately connected. To give you a decent overview of the plot(s) would be time-consuming and to be honest somewhat unnecessary – it will not be the story that attracts the viewer, but the style and content.
Traffic is a social commentary on the modern day drugs issue. It attempts to share the perspective of the police with that of the politicians, as well as providing an insight into the lives of the dealers and the users. Given the magnitude of the issue, two and a half hours seems like an extremely short period of time in which to do this, but the film makers have crafted a well-considered story that manages to combine all these elements. Traffic ultimately asks a lot of questions – how the viewer anticipates the answers is a very personal thing.
Michael Douglas provides the politician’s view. A high court judge, who has been seconded into the National Drugs Task Force, Douglas thinks he has all the answers – until he is suddenly confronted with the reality of drugs, when he discovers that his daughter has a serious addiction. Mr Douglas has carved something of a niche for himself in Hollywood, with his portrayal of wealthy businessmen/political figures, but he is ultimately very convincing. Catherine Zeta-Jones p
lays the wife of a wealthy businessman who is arrested upon suspicion of being involved in drugs trafficking. During the film, Jones’ character undergoes something of a personality change – switching from helpless to ruthless virtually overnight. Benicio Del Toro plays a Mexican law enforcement officer who treads the line between right and wrong throughout the film. Del Toro becomes caught in a web of political intrigue and is a subtle, yet striking character throughout the film. A large supporting cast adds an array of colourful and intriguing characters who allow the plot to flourish through clever dialogue.
Where Traffic really excels is through its stylish direction. Many of the film’s sequences are filtered to enhance the location and mood – Mexico is portrayed through gritty, sandy colours whilst in complete contrast, Michael Douglas’ world is portrayed through a cool, stylish blue filter. When the film first started I found the switching between scenes uncomfortable, and difficult to focus upon, but the techniques employed very quickly made the piece more fluid. There are obvious touches of documentary throughout the film, with on screen annotation for location, and one sequence is actually filmed in reportage as though the events we are seeing are part of the evening news bulletin.
Traffic is certainly an adult movie – strong language and violence are relatively frequent but it is probably the images of drug taking and substance abuse that makes the film so hard-hitting. Where this film sets itself above its peers is that the main addict/user is a bright, successful, wealthy young girl as opposed to the stereotypical homeless person or prostitute. Traffic challenges ideas and conventions and tries to show the drugs issue in a new way – and is generally very successful.
Nonetheless, as I stated in my original paragraph I was still a bit disappointed. Having seen the main theatrical trailer I
can confirm that Traffic is not like the action/thriller that you may have been fooled into thinking it was. At times, Traffic is very slow – you certainly need to concentrate throughout – and some viewers may never make it past the first twenty minutes. Large sequences of the film are subtitled because the characters speak in Spanish (a feature that I did not particularly appreciate). Furthermore, some of the plot elements are handled as clumsily as any other “dumb” Hollywood movie. The Police attempts at witness protection are as amateur as they possibly could be – which I am sure the US force would be unhappy with. Zeta-Jones transition from clueless to ruthless is rushed and some of the characters are grossly under used (Dennis Quaid’s slippery lawyer springs to mind).
These things aside, Traffic certainly deserves a good share of the praise it has received. It tries hard to be innovative and original and certainly provokes thought and debate when the final credits roll.
Don’t expect an exciting movie – expect something that will make you think.
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