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Sometimes
a movie is just so great that you leave the theater knowing that not
only are you going to buy it when it comes out on DVD, but that a
couple more trips to the movie theater are necessary as well. And
sometimes it takes a couple days after you watch a movie for you to
decide if you liked it or not, and even then you may not know. USA
Films' latest production, "Traffic," can be either. |
For
a lot of the major movie critics around the country, it's the first
type. Director Steven Soderbergh is being praised for making one of
the best movies of all time, and definitely the best this year. The
cast and crew were honored with five Golden Globe nominations, and
are sure to be mentioned a few more times when Oscar comes calling
later this year.
But
we all know about the guys that pick the Oscars and Golden Globes
and such. They prefer movies that stimulate the mind to thinking
"outside the box," so to speak, and tend to shun movies
with a great plot and great acting but little philosophical value.
Every so often, a movie such as "American Beauty" comes
along, which does both beautifully, and Oscar eats it up. However, a
good number of times a movie such as "The Thin Red Line"
will land on the awards shows. While it may have been great to your
average, run of the mill Harvard professor, all that it was to a
majority of the American viewing public was a chance for a few extra
hours sleep. And while "Traffic" is not nearly that boring,
it is by no means the best picture of all time, for the year, or even
this season.
As
is usually the case, the plot is a good place to start. There are a
lot of different story lines in the movie. The main one centers
around Judge Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), a conservative Ohio
judge who is chosen by the President to be the new "drug
czar." Wakefield tackles his job full-force, until he discovers
that his daughter (Erika Christensen in her first major role) is a
drug addict. The second- and third-string story lines focus on two
pairs of drug cops, one pair from Mexico and the other from the
United States. Yet another tangent involves the bust of a very
wealthy businessman for drug trafficking. Except for the cops playing
a minor role in the arrest, none of the story lines seem to have
anything to do with the other until the last 10 minutes of the movie.
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The
production quality of the movie is another factor that starts to
play a major role midway through the 2-hour, 20-minute movie. While
focusing on Douglas' character and the United States, everything is
in full color. But when the scene shifts to Mexico, everything is
brown. The plants, the cars, the sun--everything. There is probably
some huge "purpose of life" statement that can be made from
this, but all it really does is annoy the hell out of anyone who
isn't colorblind.
Even
though the plot may lack continuity, and even though |
Michael
Douglas stars in the USA Films release Traffic,
directed by Steven
Soderbergh |
black
and white may have gone out in the 60s, what "Traffic"
does not lack is great acting. This cast is one of the best ever
assembled, and the performance they turn is definitely worthy of
major awards. Michael Douglas is great as the closest thing to a main
character. Don Cheadle ("The Family Man") and Catherine
Zeta-Jones ("Entrapment") are outstanding as one of the
U.S. drug cops and the arrestee's wife, respectively. But the best
job in the movie is turned in by Benicio Del Toro ("The Usual
Suspects," "The Way of the Gun") as one of the Mexican
drug cops. Del Toro's character unknowingly begins working for a
large Mexican drug cartel, and is forced to make a big decision after
the cartel murders his partner.
Whether
or not you will like "Traffic" depends largely on what
type of moviegoer you are. If you're the sort who goes to the theater
on a Friday just to unwind from a long week, and you don't like to
think a lot during your movies, then you will probably leave the
theater overwhelmed by the acting but dissatisfied overall. However,
if you like the "Thin Red Line" type of movie, which starts
and ends very slowly and makes a huge political statement, and you
don't care about a lot of action, then you'll be very happy with it.
But no matter what type of movies you like, "Traffic" is
worth watching for two reasons: 1) to see brilliance in motion
through Douglas, Del Toro, and company, and 2) to make your own
decision about one of the most hyped-up and talked-about movies of
all time.
Review
by Mitch Worthington
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