A new drug czar (Michael Douglas) has been appointed in Washington D.C. He doesn't know that his daughter is a drug addict.
A Mexico state police officer (Bencio Del Toro) discovers a shipment of drugs, only to have the shipment personally taken away from him by Mexico's top drug enforcer.
The drugs somehow end up in San Diego, where two DEA agents (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman) catch both the drugs and the dealer. The dealer (Miguel Ferrer) names names, and people are arrested.
A mother (Catherine Zeta-Jones), the wife of one of the names named, is suddenly left alone to run an illegal operation that she knows nothing about.
All of these stories collide in Traffic, a modern-day epic on the reality that is the government's "war on drugs". Directed by Stephen Soderbergh (Erin Brokovich, The Limey), Traffic is worth your time, your money, and your patience. And you will need patience to get through this movie: it's long, talky, occasionally devastating, and it certainly takes its time. At a little over two and a half hours long, it could have used some trimming in the editing room.
However, the payoff for having patience with the movie is well worth it. You will not find a movie about drugs that feels more real. From the drug cartels that deal drugs to the law enforcement officers that try to stop them, the film's dialogue is crisp and honest. The words achieve a balance, where every phrase has a purpose and yet nothing feels forced or contrived.
There are no true heroes or villains: both the criminals and the police are portrayed in equal shades of gray. Michael Douglas' character appears hard and strong, but he crumbles soon after his daughter runs away. Catherine Zeta-Jones has our sympathy at first. However, we find she can be very cold when it comes to protecting her family. In fact, every character goes through periods of audience support and distaste, because they are real people who can't be defined through simple classifications of "good" and "bad."
While most of the all-star cast gives fantastic supporting performances, the fractured nature of the film never gives any one character enough time to be the true lead of the movie. That is, every character except for Bencio Del Toro's. He doesn't have more screen time than any other character, but his performance stands out from all the rest. He is the one man that you can never truly figure out: what he stands for, who he's fighting for, what he will do next, and you can't take your eyes off of him. If there are any acting awards given out for this movie, he deserves them up front.
Vividly shot, carefully directed, and a powerfully told story, Traffic has a lot going for it in this otherwise-weak Oscar year - and its limited release in late December puts it in the running for this year's awards. It will make you argue with whomever you see it with and it will unsettle you. It will also take up the better part of three hours of your life. Go in with a prepared frame of mind, though, and you'll still be talking about it well after the Oscars are over.
