Traffic

Starring: Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Screenplay by Stephen Gaghan

Music by Cliff Martinez

Cinematography by Steven Soderbergh

Director Steven Soderbergh deserves full credit for attempting this epic saga of America's troublesome drug war. Not only is the subject disturbing but it is complex and controversial. In the end, he leaves us with little hope. Drug traffic is a subject that has no real solution. For every billion the U.S. taxpayers throw against this lost war, the drug cartels throw 20 billion to counteract the effort. The money to corrupt officials on both sides of the border is endless. As long as there is a demand for drugs in the U.S., the supplies will exist. Perhaps this is Soderbergh's point.

Based on a British TV mini-series, Traffik, Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan use three unrelated stories that are similar only in that each tale deals with drugs. In the first story, Michael Douglas stars as a new U.S. drug Czar whose own daughter becomes addicted. The second story features Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman appearing as two wisecracking DEA agents who bust a lowly drug dealer, Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer). In return for immunity, Ruiz turns states evidence against a wealthy San Diego businessman (Steven Bauer) who, in reality, is an important drug smuggler for the notorious Obregon cartel in Tijuana. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the naïve wife of the smuggler who eventually takes over her husband's dangerous and lucrative business. The third story is that of a conflicted Tijuana cop, Javier Rodriguez (Benicio del Toro), who walks the thin line between seizing shipments of drugs while attempting not to raise the ire of certain Mexican officials that have a keen interest in having the drug shipments reach their destination.

Soderbergh creates a different look for each story while cutting back and forth to intertwine the action. The drug Czar tale has the sombre, official look of a documentary. The DEA story has the bright feel of a summer action picture. The Mexican narrative uses over exposed film to capture the washed out look of the Baja desert, while the overcrowded streets of downtown Tijuana are shot with gritty sepia tones. In the beginning the action is confusing and, at times, irritating yet as the stories develop, the pieces come together like a puzzle. While each story has its strengths and flaws, it is the Mexican story and the presence of Benicio del Toro that dominates the film. "Traffic" seems to take on a new life when we return to Tijuana and the extremely dangerous life of Rodriguez as he wrestles with his conscience (the average life of an honest cop in Tijuana is 30 days). One can clearly see Soderbergh's purpose in each story but the tale of Rodriguez, the acting of del Toro, and the mise-en-scenes of Baja, Mexico are so powerful that the border story tends to overwhelm the two other narratives.

In spite of it's flaws, Traffic is well acted, impressively written and filmed (Soderbergh did his own cinematography). It would not surprise me to see it win Best Picture. Certainly, Benicio del Toro should easily get Best Supporting actor. Also noteworthy are the outstanding performances by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Erika Christensen, Miguel Ferrer, and, particularly, Dennis Quaid as the slick and sleazy partner to Steven Bauer. Because of its topic and the creative direction by Soderbergh, this is the year's most important film.

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