Traffic (2000)

Throughout his storied career, the legendary Steven Soderbergh has directed a wide array of highly acclaimed films and/or hits (Out of Sight, Ocean's 11, Magic Mike, Black Bag, Logan Lucky, Contagion, Sex, Lies, & Videotape) and THIS is the film which earned him his only Oscar for Best Director in 2000.  This was actually one of two films (the other being Erin Brockovich) which he was nominated for in 2000 which turned out to be a TRULY stellar year for him!  It's a sprawling story about the American "War on Drugs" during the late '90's, focusing on several different characters on different sides of the law and various levels of the drug trade including two DEA agents (Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman), a judge who has just been appointed the National Drug Czar (Michael Douglas), the wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) of a suspected drug dealer (Steven Bauer), that couple's conniving attorney (Dennis Quaid), a teenager (Erika Christiansen) who becomes addicted to crack, and one conflicted Mexican cop (Benicio Del Toro who won an Oscar for his performance).  It's a complex story delving into a lot of moral grey areas and it's a testament to all of the talent involved (including Oscar-winning writer Stephen Gaghan) that this film was not only highly acclaimed but also a word-of-mouth blockbuster with audiences at the time of release.  However twenty-five years later, it is not often mentioned by many as among Soderbergh's best....so how does this ambitious ensemble hold up?  Let's find out if any one gets away clean.....

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

Transcript

TRAFFIC                   2000

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Starring Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Erika Christiansen, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, Jacob Vargas, Miguel Ferrer, Topher Grace, Tomas Milian, Clifton Collins Jr, Amy Irving, DW Moffett, Steven Bauer, Albert Finney, James Brolin, Enrique Murciano, Peter Riegert, Benjamin Bratt, Yul Vazquez, James Pickens Jr, Viola Davis, and Dennis Quaid

Genre: Political Crime Epic (Audio clip)

While I don't find this to be quite the unassailable masterpiece which I found it to be upon seeing it in theaters almost twenty-five years (!) ago, I still find Stephen Soderbergh's sprawling opus about the "War on Drugs" to be a very compelling ensemble drama zeroing in on a particular time, place, and (at the very least) the perceived overhead view of what was going on. It's flawed with a couple of its characterizations, on-the-nose with some of its dialogue, and admittedly dated with regards to its overall presentation (Soderbergh's own cinematography WAS considered pretty groundbreaking at the time)....but I still find it remarkably watchable, compelling, and even emotionally satisfying in what it's hoping to achieve. 

This IS at its core "a MESSAGE movie" - I have even often heard it compared to Crash (2005) which I find somewhat unfair (even though Don Cheadle co-stars in both films) but I get it. Thanks to Steve Gaghan's Oscar-winning screenplay (which admittedly involved the challenging task of condensing a UK mini-series as source material), we're being inundated with talking points and lectures from various characters. However.....UNLIKE the ham-fisted Crash, pretty much every performance delivering said lecture is spot-on, the overall structure of interlocking stories is very tight, and - most importantly as this is definitely what Soderbergh always brings to the table - pretty much every major character is just allowed to exist and even be silent periodically when that serves the narrative better. 

Even though there is a lot of crackling dialogue, there is still so much involving stuff which is simply SHOWN rather than TOLD. ;) This is certainly exemplified by the film's best performance by Benicio Del Toro as Mexican cop Juan Rodriguez, which he justifiably won an Oscar for. HIS particular portion of the overall is almost labyrinthian - something out of classic Kurosawa - as we watch this honest, honorable person often wordlessly navigate through three (I think) different factions of this drug "war" involving Mexico and the US. He's always playing it very laid-back whether interacting with DEA agents, his impulsive partner's worried girlfriend, or his sometimes boss, the powerful General Salazar portrayed by the late, great Tomas Milan in a delicious scenery-chewing performance also aided by bombastic sound design. 😆 (Could any man's fingers possibly pound a book THAT loudly?) 

Fortunately, Del Toro's is not the only excellent performance here - Catherine Zeta-Jones delivers one of HER best career performances as Helena Ayala, the beleaguered (and pregant) wife of suspected drug smuggler Carlos Ayala (the irreplaceable Stephen Bauer, where's HE been the past 20+ years since this??) who suddenly finds her whole life under siege after he's arrested. The transformation which her character goes through from an entitled "Real Housewife of San Diego" to ruthless kingpin is not only entertaining but surprisingly subtle thanks to Zeta-Jones' stiff-upper-lip performance. Playing well against her with a fun acid turn is Dennis Quaid as her husband's sniveling lawyer (or money launderer...or both, it's never quite clear) who shamelessly putting the moves on her....

The sprawling, supporting cast is just an embarrassment of riches to the point where I had forgotten some notable players who make the most with limited screentime including Benjamin Bratt, early Viola Davis, John Slattery, and the legendary Albert Finney. (The same year as his Oscar-nominated turn in Soderbergh's other gem, Erin Brockovich. And of course it's a DELIGHT to watch Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman as partnering DEA agents in the often comedic Miami Vice-like buddy cop team-up which I never knew I wanted! They play Gordon & Castro (sounds as catchy as Crockett & Tubbs if you ask me) and I genuinely love every scene they have together. :) 

And towards the end, even their often comic relief subplot takes on extra weight. Whatever you wanna say now about some of Gaghan's sometimes ham-fisted dialogue OR Soderbergh's color-based approach to distinguishing the settings from each other, it all generally serves a well-intentioned and artfully done saga. I somewhat understand the later criticism of Soderbergh's color-grading, especially the eventual influence it has seemingly had on future, unflattering portrayals of Mexico on film with his use of tobacco filters....even this film's more brutal, eventual unofficial sequel of Sicario is guilty of making Mexico look SO dirty and unappealing. (Great movie too with an arguably equally strong performance by Benicio which also deserved an Oscar) I just don't think that was his intention....within the context of this film, the DC/Ohio locations seem equally unappealing, just colder thanks to the blue tint. 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film):

From a musical standpoint, what we hear throughout most of this film is pretty low-key…..VERY much in line with your average conspiracy thriller from the ‘70s’.   This effective atmospheric synth-based score comes to us from a regular collaborator of Soderbergh’s who also conducted music for previous episodes Out of Sight and Kimi….born in the Bronx, I’m referring to the underrated Cliff Martinez. (Audio clip) 

Though for me, the most prominent piece of music used for this film’s soundtrack comes at the very end, helping to deliver likely the most HOPEFUL image a film like this could possibly end on…..Javier sitting in the stands at night, eating popcorn…..watching a baseball game played by children in Mexico. And it comes from a highly influential musician/songwriter of ambient music featured prominently on the soundtracks of previous episodes Wall Street and Heat….I’m referring to Melton, Suffolk’s OWN Brian Eno who actually created this song back in 1983 on a concept album he collaborated on with Canadian music producer Daniel Lanois, the album was titled “Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks.”  This lovely, melodic synth track plays into the closing credits and is fittingly  called, “An Ending.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Even though there are no shortage of great turns….s previously alluded to, not EVERY monologue lands the way it should.  Both Topher Grace and the late, great Miguel Ferrer are bringing the heat even though each of their characters is possibly saddled with one lecture too many. Infact the LAST cringy monologue/rant delivered by Topher's Seth late in the movie to his missing girlfriend's father (Michael Douglas doing what he does best as a Conservative judge now drug czar) likely remains THE falsest note in the movie. 🫣 Still both actors adeptly deliver what's on the page so I can't fault either of them....everyone is doing the job no matter how small the part. 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Javier is almost always playing it laid-back and often laboring to keep his mouth shut while making a series of increasingly wrenching decisions but with the way Del Toro plays him, you can see the anguish on his face along with the wheels turning. We definitely see this during one very tricky scene in the third act as Juan is now handcuffed, being driven into the desert by couple of Salazar's enforcers alongside his partner Manolo (who's also handcuffed) - both of them are expecting the worst but ONLY Manolo (Jacob Vargas) is talking! As the audience, you find yourself genuinely scared for Del Toro's Juan but also completely confounded as to WHY he's staying quiet....and then we realize why and it's all the more painful to understand this all through his face.  It’s not only an excellent acting showcase for Del Toro (and maybe the reason he won his Oscar) but a masterclass in tension-building on Soderbergh’s part.  

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

At the end of the day, I still believe this remains one of Soderbergh's best (though I could now make a strong case that 'Brockovich was his better film from 2000) and I just truly appreciate his ambition in tackling such a weighty subject with so many characters while still crafting it into a palatable, cohesive two and a half hour entertainment. He would pull off a similar feat just eleven years later with the sprawling Contagion....which topped out at 105 minutes?? 😃 Now this one tops out at 147 minutes but it’s a meaty and tightly paced two and a half hours which never really flags.  I could easily rewatch this again soon.....no it’s NOT his definitive masterpiece but for pulling off such an ambitious undertaking, earning him is much deserved Oscar for Best Director, Steven Soderbergh is the MVP. 

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

This film was a sizeable hit upon release making around $207 million worldwide on a $48 million budget…..it also earned four Oscars.  By all means, an unqualified success at the time….and yet since then, it seems kind of forgotten and more overshadowed by several other Soderbergh films including his Ocean’s trilogy, Magic Mike, and previous episode Erin Brockovich.  The overall messaging likely dates it quite a bit but still a fantastic film – Happy 25th Anniversary to a bit of a throwback grown-up issues-oriented drama featuring several talented folks at the top of their game! 

Streaming on Netflix & Starz TV

And that ends another HIGH-IMPACT, PRESSURE MOLDED review!