Today’s quick review: Traffic. In Washington, D.C., Judge Bob Wakefield (Michael Douglas) accepts an appointment as drug czar, but his own daughter’s drug abuse makes him question his mission. In Tijuana, Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro), an honest cop, works with a general to take down a drug cartel. In San Diego, DEA agent Montel Gordon’s (Don Cheadle) investigation of her husband throws the life of Helena Ayala (Catherine Zeta-Jones) into chaos.
Traffic is a crime drama with a gritty tone and deliberate storytelling. Traffic follows several interwoven stories linked to the drug trade. Each story is presented with care, with the same considered writing, high-caliber cast, and tense, moody direction. The result is a well-crafted but emotionally heavy drama that achieves what it sets out to do: offer a sobering, multifaceted look at the War on Drugs.
Traffic’s skillful execution comes with a price. Thanks to the film’s weighty themes and criminal elements, the tone wallows in the bleaker range of the emotional spectrum, offering little in the way of catharsis or resolution. The uncertain development of the movie’s substories do give it a productive sense of tension, but none of the main characters are sympathetic enough to invest strongly in, in spite of their good acting and interesting predicaments.
The presentation is also hit or miss. Traffic makes heavy use of colored filters, close shots, and spacy music to establish its ambience. These elements work almost too well, saturating the film with its intended tone. Similarly, the writing has a documentary tinge to it, with stories calculated to provide a cross-section of the drug trade, lines dedicated to statistics and observations, and abridged versions of key events.
Whether these choices come across as fine filmmaking or unpalatable quirks will depend on your taste in movies. Those who like their crime dramas meaty and realistic will appreciate Traffic for its direction, acting, and choice of themes. Those who prefer cohesive, fictionalized crime dramas will not get as much out of it.
7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for good craftsmanship, somewhat unlikable characters, and a grim tone; your score will be higher if you enjoy its themes, its realism, and its particular brand of presentation.