Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

classicsoncall "Traffic" is intricately plotted with three finely interwoven parallel stories that provide different views of the ongoing drug war in the United States and Mexico. As such, one's required to pay attention with the shifting focus on the principal players in each saga. Probably the most horrific aspect of the picture has to do with Caroline Wakefield (Erika Christensen), daughter of the President's newly appointed national drug czar (Michael Douglas), descending to the depths of her crack addiction that includes episodes of prostitution to get her fix. If it were possible, I would have reached into the screen and smacked her boyfriend Seth (Topher Grace) for his inconsequential reaction to Caroline's misery, he simply stood by and watched as she was abused by predatory drug dealers.Following the action of Mexican drug agents Javier Rodriguez (Benicio del Toro) and partner Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas), along with their American DEA counterparts Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman), is a little more challenging, as their connection to the Mexican drug cartels is apparent, though their paths never cross even though they target common adversaries. The frustration involved in pursuing, finding and bringing the major players in the drug wars to justice is perhaps the main point of the story, as the film's conclusion doesn't leave anyone feeling convinced it will ever be won. Anyone expecting closure on the part of the principals is bound to be left disappointed, as each of the characters is left to deal with their personal tragedies on their own. In fact, the ones who look like the winners here are Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer) and wife Helena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who successfully wend their way through criminal court proceedings and survive to become even more wealthy, hand in hand with the Obregon drug cartel.

slbossman Although being nearly 20 years old, this film manages to still captures the viewers attention and keep them on their toes. The main idea of the "war on drugs" is still a huge topic in todays society and Traffic continues to be relevant. Michael Douglas played an interesting role in this movie as he started out being the voice against drug cartels. In the end he decides to resign for many reasons. Some reasons why I think he resigned is that with his busy work schedule, he failed to see what was going on in his own household with his daughter and her drug issues. Another reason was that he realized whenever they would take down a drug cartel, more would take it's place and it was a never ending loop. In the end, Michael Douglas is seen attending rehab sessions with his daughter giving her his full support. Something that interested me was how the director had different tones for each story line. When the scene was in Mexico there was a yellowish tint, and when the scene takes place in Washington, there would be a blue tint. With this simple feature, it was easy to tell what story was taking place and prevented any confusion. Overall, I enjoyed this movie and my only critique against it would be how long and unnecessary some scenes were. I would still recommend this movie to any people who have not had the chance to see it.

ericou-40022 Traffic was an interesting movie, it had very intense scenes but also boring parts. I think it would have been a good movie back in the 2000s, but now it hasn't been aged so well. The different tones in the scenes help you know the difference in places and situations, so in one part it helped in the other part maybe the color they added was maybe too intense. However, the movie was filmed good, all the angles and the characters were also very good.

Asif Khan (asifahsankhan) Drugs are everywhere, their presence has been steadily increasing (if it hasn't already maxed out) through the years. But, people who want to lament over today's drug problem lose sight of the fact that drugs have been prevalent since before modern times. People want drugs, not everyone mind you, but a lot of people do. They want illegal drugs, prescription drugs and drugs that aren't thought of as drugs, such as alcohol and cigarettes. Illegal drugs, for the sake of the movie I'll restrict myself to hard stuff like cocaine or heroin, are a big business, perhaps the biggest business in the world. The second biggest business may be the war on drugs, but the difference is one enterprise routinely prospers while the other runs in the red all the time.I'm not going to get into my own personal drug politics, but I am someone who has spent most of his life around drugs and has seen how they affect everyone they touch. Traffic isn't a message movie in the sense that it tries to say this is good and this is bad. It is a message movie on two fronts, first is the message that drugs affect everyone they touch. Second is the message that the war on drugs is being lost and may be more harmful than it is helpful. I happen to agree with both points, so in that regard Traffic is already off to a good start with me. But, it shouldn't come down to personal politics, the two main points touched on in Traffic should be common sense, but they aren't. It's easy to see how drugs affect everyone they touch, users, dealers and those who fight against drugs are all impacted by the mere presence of drugs. The war on drugs is an abysmal failure, that much is obvious by spending a few hours in any local high school. Traffic superbly tells its tale so as not to shove these points down the viewers throats, but rather to give the viewer a glimpse at what is happening and to allow the viewer to come to their own conclusions.Traffic excels in the banality of the drug world and in essence the world in general. The miscommunication shown between different groups of government, the plight of Catherine Zeta-Jones' character, how the smallest of details can affect gaggles of people. At the same time it excels in showing how the most banal of things in our world are escalated tenfold in the world of drugs.I was amazed in Traffic with the relative ease of the story and Soderbergh's direction. Up until Traffic I was not a member of the Soderbergh fan club, but with Traffic I can see little touches that do make him a modern filmmaker to watch out for. His use of colour was not something I was prepared for, but it was exquisite to take in. Each region being filmed in a different hue not only allowed the viewer to know what place they were at in a hectic and fast moving story, but it added texture to each locale. Mexico looked grimier, Ohio looked more serene, and so on. Without these markers I don't know if the story would have flowed quite so easily, nor do I think it would have without Soderbergh's inventive shot selection and pacing choices.The acting in Traffic was great across the board, with nary a performance that didn't grab my attention. Michael Douglas & Benicio del Toro are the obvious point of discussion because their performances do anchor the film. But, I was most impressed with Don Cheadle and even more so with Luis Guzmán. There was genuine humour in Traffic, and most of it was supplied by Cheadle and Guzmán, but they were also poignant and honest characters.It's always a joy to discover an overlooked gem. The masses may not have overlooked Traffic, but I did and I am glad to have finally discovered it. Traffic was a well put together story with interesting characters, a compelling narrative, messages I found intriguing and honest, as well as moving at a fast pace while maintaining a unique look and feel. If you haven't yet seen Traffic, try not to miss out on this gem like I did.