Usually when picking something to review for "From the Vault," the choice is left up to the writer's whimsical tendencies. So I wandered into a hallmate's room and selected Traffic (2000) from his DVD collection, merely because I had heard it was a great movie and hadn't seen it before. But as the clock struck midnight Saturday, I realized this film -- centered around America's war on drugs -- had greater significance than I could ever know.
I sit here pecking away at my keyboard in the wee hours of Sunday morning, reminiscing about how there are people out there actually partaking in this stoner-ific celebration rather than doing work in the lounge of Echols dorm. Yet I'm also comforted by the fact that I just watched an incredible movie which, eight years after its original release, is still both riveting and culturally relevant. The sacrifices made to meet deadlines can be costly, but Traffic was worth it.
So let me break this plot down like a fat girl on a dance floor. I'll employ a tired simile, used whenever a movie features an interconnecting plot involving several characters, and compare Traffic to Crash -- interesting, since the latter debuted in 2004. Perhaps the surprise Oscar winner borrowed a few pointers from its fellow Best Picture nominee? Something to think about. Now back to the action.
Traffic features four separate story lines, all of which are tied together in one way or another. A conservative Ohio judge (Michael Douglas) has recently been appointed the U.S. drug czar -- ironic, considering his high school daughter (Erika Christensen) is a coke-head. An upper class housewife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) attempts to take over the illegal drug business that her jailed husband left behind, while two Drug Enforcement Administration agents (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzmán) protect a witness with inside information about the spouse's company. And, in Mexico, a conflicted cop (Benicio Del Toro) struggles with his conscience after it is revealed that his boss isn't the anti-drug activist he appeared to be.
The star power in this film is blinding. Along with the names mentioned above, Albert Finney, Topher Grace and Salma Hayek, among others, all have small roles. Unlike some recent letdowns that teased us with a great cast (Leatherheads, for instance), Traffic doesn't disappoint. While they never share the screen, real-life couple Douglas and Zeta-Jones both give standout performances that capture the desperation of their characters perfectly. Cheadle is solid as usual, and Christensen tackles the tricky role of a teenager experimenting with drugs well. Del Toro -- who was named Best Supporting Actor for the role -- was certainly the best of the bunch, delivering a nuanced, soft-spoken and powerful performance. One of the most frustrating aspects of the movie, however, was that it had a 70:30 ratio of English to Spanish dialogue -- yet no subtitles. While I watched the movie with two friends, we, in our infinite wisdom, were stubborn and didn't opt to have the annoying subtitles displayed on the screen when a majority of the lines were in English. As it turns out, most of Del Toro's dialogue was in Spanish. One friend, using his vast expanse of knowledge that the SPAN 202 level has to offer, helped to translate, but I still felt a bit cheated out of Del Toro's performance by the end.
The cinematography and editing, on the other hand, were anything but downers. Every shot was so deliberately executed, which in turn heightened the importance of nearly every scene. This, combined with the raw, flawlessly acted-out dialogue, is what sealed the deal for me.
Overall, I'm happy with my "From the Vault" pick. Traffic touches on issues that are all important nearly a decade later: border control, torture and, of course, drugs. It's a gripping movie not only because of the inventive vignettes, great writing and superb acting, but because it also teaches you a lot about the perpetual battle against illegal substances. There are several heavy, dramatic scenes -- devoid of any typical cheesiness -- mixed in with documentary-esque flashes where the viewer is informed about what really goes on behind the scenes of both the "heroes" and the "villains" involved in the drug war. One caveat: The movie is 2 hours and 27 minutes long, so you should be prepared to settle in for a great flick. 3
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