Traffic

In this all star cast drama, directed by Steve Soderbergh ("Erin Brockovich" and "Out of Sight"), we are thrown into a world of drug trafficking meshing four related stories in the high stakes and high risks games of a drug trade.

The stories are as follows:
Mexican policeman Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) works on and around the 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 U.S., 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 Guzman) work overtime to help the U.S. 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.

This has to be the most emotionally driven film of the year 2000. I haven't left a movie theater with such a tug at my heart and conscience as I did after seeing this film. Each person handles their stories and characters equally well, but two of them stand out for me more than other. Erika Christensen, Carolina, acts her a** off as the drug-addicted teenage girl, and I greatly look foward to the seeing more from her in the future. The other actor that really caught my eye, as he has been doing a lot lately, is Benecio Del Torro. The mental anguish his character Javier has to go through in this film is flawlessly displayed in everything he does. Del Torro is really making a name more himself as of late with great roles in "Way Of The Gun" and "Snatch".

The movie is a tad on the long end, and people who have an attention span the size of a flea may become agitated. I, on the contrary, never even considered the time as I was so deeply involved and glued to what was occuring on the screen. In fact, in some cases, I just wish some of the characters that were introduced had more of a resolution than what we were given. But I do like the mental message this movie delivers at the end, its a message that ALL of American needs to think about.

"Traffic" is the third movie in a row where Soderbergh knocks the ball out of the park. This movie is a DEFINATE must see, and I look foward to his next project "Ocean's 11" (with George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and many more) with great urgency.

Rating: out of four.

-Now that you've read something, he's written. Wouldn't you like to find out more about Vigilante? Here you go.