Movies like Traffic are few and far between. A movie that grabs your attention and forces you to watch it. This isn't a movie to see in a case where you are looking for laughs. For laughs, go down the hall to Miss Congeniality. Anyway, it is a drama that is gripping, intelligent, and smart. It is based on the British mini-series Traffik written by Simon Moore. Stephen Gaghan writes the screenplay for Traffic and it won him a Golden Globe. The plot is a little complicated. There are about three different stories going on at the same time. One of the plots involves a Mexican police officer, Del Toro. He is working against a Tijuana drug cartel. These sections are in Spanish and that adds to the authenticity of the movie. The next plot involves Michael Douglas. His character is a speaker against drugs. But the irony of it all is his daughter, Christensen, is a cocaine addict. She will do anything, and I mean anything for drugs.
The next one is about Catherine Zeta-Jones' husband who has been arrested for drugs. Two cops, Cheadle and Guzmán, think she might be involved, so they follow her around. The movie isn't as complicated as it sounds. You can tell what story is taking place by the color tone. The Del Toro scenes are orange-ish. The Douglas scenes have a blue tint, and Zeta-Jones' is regular.
The drama and suspense build as the movie progresses. The performances are great. Del Toro won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor, a well-deserved win. There is every sign of a great drama: Good plot structure, good performances, and, most importantly, it is interesting. The movie shows all the bad things about drugs. It leaves in all of the ugliness of them. Because, in life, there is nothing pretty about drugs.
The next one is about Catherine Zeta-Jones' husband who has been arrested for drugs. Two cops, Cheadle and Guzmán, think she might be involved, so they follow her around. The movie isn't as complicated as it sounds. You can tell what story is taking place by the color tone. The Del Toro scenes are orange-ish. The Douglas scenes have a blue tint, and Zeta-Jones' is regular.
The drama and suspense build as the movie progresses. The performances are great. Del Toro won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor, a well-deserved win. There is every sign of a great drama: Good plot structure, good performances, and, most importantly, it is interesting. The movie shows all the bad things about drugs. It leaves in all of the ugliness of them. Because, in life, there is nothing pretty about drugs.