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Robert Wakefield: Michael Douglas Javier Rodriguez: Benicio Del Toro Helena Ayala: Catherine Zeta-Jones Montel Gordon: Don Cheadle Ray Castro: Luis Guzman Arnie Metzger: Dennis Quaid Caroline Wakefield: Erika Christensen Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Written by Stephen Gaghan. Running time: 147 minutes. Rated R (for drug content, language, violence and sexuality). |
Traffic simply shows and states our current status on the War on Drugs in the United States. The film deals with all the levels of the drug trade, from the lower levels of the streets and home to the upper levels in law enforcement and politics. From what we can see, we are losing on every level, top to bottom.
Despite the numerous initiatives, manpower, programs and money we have thrown at it, the drug problem still exists. Not only does it exist, but it has grown into one of the most profitable ventures in this country. The film doesn't state its position on legalization nor does it mention it, but it does strongly suggest that the current process in which we tackle this epidemic has to change. The film views treatment and education, as one of the options to help alleviate the problem.
What is our current position on the War on Drugs? Law Enforcement not only has to deal with drug cartels, dealers and addicts, but they also have to keep a watch for corrupt cops, who hamper them from doing their jobs. Politicians, who know that the current policies have no affect in stopping the drug problem, are forced to continue their support with them because America is not ready or prepared to try new strategies. Or maybe it is even worse; they may not have a way to stop it. Then there are parents, who are naive to the idea that their children are trying drugs and are in denial when the truth does come out. These are the problems that we are facing today.
Traffic, the new film by Steven Soderbergh, tells the story of how these problems relate to one another. The film takes a peek into the lives of the U.S. drug czar and his daughter, two DEA agents, two Tijuana drug enforcement cops, a mid-level wholesaler, a drug lord and his wife, and finally a Mexican general. Sometimes the stories are intertwined, as the characters are on the screen at the same time. Then there are times, when their actions indirectly affect another person. Soderbergh and the film�s writer, Stephen Gaghan, have developed characters that do not decorate the screen for the purpose of the story. Each character is so complete that they could have a film of their own.
Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) is Ohio's State Supreme Court Judge, who has just been appointed as the United States' new drug czar. He says and wants to do the right things, but he is naive to what he faces. We believe that Wakefield's predecessor probably did and said the same things too. In a desperate attempt, he works with his Mexican counterpart, a General, played by Tomas Milian to rid the Mexican cartels. However, Wakefield soon finds out that there are other factors in play. The longer Wakefield is on the job, the more he finds out that there are no easy answers and that the country is in a position that it isn't accustomed to, lost and defeated. The country is undermanned, under funded and has been out played.
Meanwhile Wakefield�s daughter, Caroline Wakefield (Erika Christensen) is experimenting with crack cocaine right under his nose. While hanging out with some of her teenage friends, all of them attending rich private schools, she is turned on to the drug by one of her friends. She easily becomes addicted, as she alienates the rest of her life. For her, it is just looking for her next hit by any means possible. Nothing else seems to matter, not even her parents. The situation becomes quite ironic. How does the new Drug Czar expect to tackle the drug problem when he can't stop his own daughter?
In San Diego, two DEA agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman) bust a mid-level dealer (Miguel Ferrer). They get him to testify against his boss in exchange for immunity. It turns out that his boss is Helena Ayala's husband, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones. She comes home one afternoon to find out that her husband is a drug lord and is not the legitimate businessman he has been claiming all along. Despite her pleas, her husband is being led into a sedan in handcuffs. Refusing to let her children be brought up in a poverty environment, she enlists the aid of Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid) to help her get him out, while trying to take over her husband's business.
On the other side of the border, the Mexican law enforcement work in even worse conditions. We meet two Tijuana cops, played by Benicio Del Toro and Jacob Vargas, who are trying to do their jobs, but find out that are pawns in a battle of rising cartels. The cops try to find some hope in a system that is built on corruption. For the drug cartels, they are seen as flies, harmless and inconsequential.
Traffic is adapted from a five-part Masterpiece Theater series named Traffik. It followed the movement of heroin from the poppy fields of Turkey to the streets of Europe. It is interesting that the North American version has many similarities with its European counterpart.
Steven Soderbergh gives each story and location their own feel and distinct look. The shots of Tijuana looks so dirty and grainy that it gives the impression that the film was smuggled into the country through a sandstorm. Washington and Ohio are shot in a dark blue hue, which reminded me of Michael Mann's Heat and The Insider. It gives you an impression of a serene environment. LA looks like it was discarded to the hot cement and left to be burned by the sun.
The film effortlessly handles each story and transition with ease. We never feel lost or puzzled by what we see on the screen. There are times when we feel part of a scene, as if we are acting as witnesses. We feel just as bad as Robert Wakefield when he discovers that his daughter is an addict. We witnessed her going through the motions and were helpless to prevent it.
Drugs are probably the biggest import in the United States. It is also the most profitable. It requires virtually no overhead. It doesn't need advertising, packaging, insurance or the need to pay taxes like other businesses. These are the reasons why it is so hard to stop the flow of drugs because if you shut down one cartel there is another ready to take its place. For every drug shipment that the DEA captures, there are countless others that go through undetected. Despite their efforts, drugs are highly accessible, as a high school student in the film comments, "For someone my age, it's a lot easier to get drugs than it is to get alcohol." The drug business has become so powerful that the drug cartels can equal whatever manpower and funds the United States government throws at them. They may even surpass it. In a very frightening scene, Wakefield is surrounded by all his assistants and experts and simply asks anyone for any new ideas to tackle the problem, he is answered with complete silence.
The drug war is a losing battle. Not only is it a battle that we are fighting in another country, but it is taking place right here, in our streets, our community and our homes. The faces of the enemy are not only the drug cartels or drug dealers, but also the faces of our friends, our parents and our children. People we love or look up to.
Drugs have become deeply embedded into our culture. It doesn't shock or surprise us anymore when we hear about it. For some, it has become a way of life. We just accept it. Traffic doesn't give out any easy answers to this problem. Maybe the point is that there are none. However, one clear indication is that whatever we are doing now is not going to work and we should move to another plan. Grade: A
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