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Traffic - Steven Soderbergh, Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Vargas

Threat advisory: High - High risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

No-one gets away clean.

Mexican policeman Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) works on and around the USA border with his close friend and fellow policeman Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas), under Mexico's number one crime fighter, General Salazar (Tomas Milian). Confronted with temptations of power and money, Javier resists them but finds himself - and Manolo - caught in a web of corruption that leads to an untenable situation.

Back in the USA, Ohio state Supreme Court Justice Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) is named by the President as the new anti-drug czar. Collecting information, the uncompromising and conservative Wakefield prepares to supervise the country's task forces and partner them with Mexico's. But at home, he and his wife Barbara (Amy Irving) must deal with their increasingly drug-addicted teenage daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen).

In San Diego, undercover DEA agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzmán) work overtime to help the USA government build its case against the infamous Obregon drug cartel. Their bust of mid-level drug trafficker Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer) pays off when their new prisoner cuts a deal to testify against wealthy drug Baron Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer), who lives in the upscale suburbs. Carlos is arrested, shocking his unknowing and pregnant wife Helena (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Helena and her son are quickly threatened by her husband's associates and tailed by the DEA agents. Enlisting the aid of attorney Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid), Helena vows to get Carlos out of jail and keep her children safe - even if it means taking over her husband's business.

Persons of interest

Michael Douglas .... Robert Hudson Wakefield
Benicio Del Toro .... Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez
Jacob Vargas .... Manolo Sanchez
Don Cheadle .... Montel Gordon
Dennis Quaid .... Arnie Metzger
Catherine Zeta-Jones .... Helena Ayala
Tomas Milian .... General Arturo Salazar
Erika Christensen .... Caroline Wakefield
Corey Spears .... Fucked-Up Bowman
James Brolin .... General Ralph Landry
Luis Guzmán .... Ray Castro
Miguel Ferrer .... Eduardo Ruiz
Benjamin Bratt .... Juan Obregon
Jsu Garcia .... Pablo Obregón
Simon Moore .... Screenwriter: Traffik
Stephen Gaghan .... Screenwriter
Steven Soderbergh .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Awards and film festivals:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS - Oscars) 2001: Won: Best director (Steven Soderbergh), Best supporting actor (Benicio Del Toro), Best writing - adaptation (Stephen Gaghan), Best editing (Stephen Mirrione)
Cinematic Intelligence Agency Trenchcoat Awards 2002
Film Critics Circle of Australia 2002: Best foreign film - English language

Studios and distributors:

Roadshow Films

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

The concept of prohibition has been floating around the western world for centuries. In all that time, for every substance or activity, there has never been an instance where prohibition has stopped the supply and use thereof. Opium, alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy, nicotine, guns, chemical weapons, nuclear weapons, high-tech weaponry, 128 bit software encryption keys, slavery, baby-selling, same gender sex, retail sex, pædophilia, snuff movies, pornography, literature, rock and roll devil music, darwinism, communism, democracy, freedom. If someone has the money or the inclination, no ban will stop them from getting what they want.

(It should be noted that the people who make the most noise about prohibition are also the ones who want to push their morals onto others: wowsers, conservative politicians, right wing religious groups and other non-benevolent dictators.)

Given that no-one but a god can stop the rising tide of illicit substance use, and he doesn't seem to be the least bit interested, the only way to combat supply is not through a war on drugs, but through an eastern approach. Be not like the tree that pushes against the blowing storm, but like the reed that bends in the wind.

What needs to happen is that the various police groups confiscate drugs as they are imported and shipped around Australia. They then sell the drugs to users at a price below street value. This has the double benefit of undercutting the illegal suppliers - reducing their profits - and tying up their clients - further reducing their profits - while establishing an income flow for a cash strapped public service. There is also the health issue that the purity of the drugs can be tested so users will know how much to use, avoiding overdoses and reducing the strain on hospital emergency rooms. Eventually it will not be worth dealing because everyone can get better and cheaper drugs without any risk of arrest. Should the supply dry up and the police be forced to stop selling, dealers will once again import, the police will confiscate and undercut the dealers. It's a win, win, win, win situation.

Oh yes, Traffic. It's a damned good film. Not only are the stories entertaining, it manages to show the many points of view without pontificating on morals, laws and actions. It presents Mexico and the USA as they are, honest, corrupt, mis-informed, uninformed, fanatical, greedy, stupid and blasé.

The acting goes hell for leather all the way through, with Benicio whipping up a storm of hard-edged compassion. Legendary. Erika shows some in depth awareness of the effects of drug use (not that I am suggesting that she experimented, but she sure looks convincing) while Catherine presents a depth of character for which she has hitherto not been known. (Wow, don't you just love English grammar?!)

The multi-planed story telling is not new by any means, nor is the varying use of washed out colour (USA) and monochromaticism (Mexico), but they do bring a dimension to the film that helps to lift it away from mere dramatised documentary and into the realm of the supra-natural. The USA's cold blandness is the perfect contrast to Mexico's searing heat, and the dialectic works on so many levels it gives me vertigo.

If you want to learn about drugs, Traffic is certainly a good movie to watch.