UNCOMPROMISING LOOK AT INTERNATIONAL DRUG TRADE

Traffic Will Move You

Soderbergh's harrowing new drama Traffic.

The war the U.S. government is waging on the international drug trade is
failing miserably.

The drug cartels in Latin and South America are richer, more ruthless and
more sophisticated than the law enforcement agencies battling them from and
in the U.S.

Soderbergh makes his point by interweaving three major storylines.

In Mexico, he follows policeman Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) and his
partner Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas) as they try to curb some of the flow
of drugs across the Tijuana border to the U.S.

Theirs is a near-impossible task because their superiors in the police
force, army and government are all pawns of the drug lords.

Rodriguez's only hope is to pit the rival drug cartels against each other.

In Washington, Ohio State Supreme Court Justice Robert Wakefield (Michael
Douglas) is named as the President's new anti-drug czar.

Wakefield promises to be entirely ruthless, objective and non-partisan,
only to discover his own teenage daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) is
experimenting with a number of hard street drugs.

The third story involves a team of undercover drug agents in San Diego who
are trying to build a case against the Obregon drug cartel.

Led by agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman),
their plan is to shake down a number of small level dealers and suppliers
to get to the major ones.

Their small fish is a mid-level trafficker named Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel
Ferrer), who they are using to snare drug baron Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer).

To his neighbours, business associates and even to his wife Helena
(Catherine Zeta-Jones), Ayala is a respectable family and business man.

Traffic, based on a British TV miniseries, is an always compelling, often
devastating look at a major international crisis.

A riveting screenplay is always a great start for a film.

Soderbergh's Traffic has two additional pluses.

His camera work and pacing are as mesmerizing as the stories he is telling
and he has drawn flawless performances from his stellar cast.

Soderbergh has chosen to present Traffic in a documentary style, using
handheld cameras and tinted lenses.

The performances blend effortlessly into this style. It is almost
impossible to tell who are the real police officers and politicians and who
are the actors.

Del Toro and Zeta-Jones stand out in a cast that deserves to be recognized
for its ensemble work.

Del Toro shows the conflict and angst that principles create for Rodriguez.
He wants to do right, but doesn't want to rock too many boats or hurt those
nearest him.

It is a performance that is as powerful as it is restrained.

Zeta-Jones takes Caroline on a full character arc.

The woman is shocked to discover that her husband has been leading a double
life. When his arrest threatens her son and her well-being, she finds new
physical and emotional reserves.

Douglas has some very effective scenes with Christensen as he tries every
thing from hard love to resignation.

Traffic is an important, uncompromising film.

It has shocking revelations but Soderbergh is always aware it is
essentially a film, which means it must be as entertaining as it is insightful.

Its only flaw is the different coloured lenses Soderbergh uses to
distinguish each story. They are more distracting than helpful.

It's a small price to pay for such a masterful film.