Traffic
An exploration of the United States of America's war on drugs from multiple perspectives. For the new head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the war becomes personal when he discovers his well-educated daughter is abusing cocaine within their comfortable suburban home. In Mexico, a flawed, but noble policeman agrees to testify against a powerful general in league with a cartel, and in San Diego, a drug kingpin's sheltered trophy wife must learn her husband's ruthless business after he is arrested, endangering her luxurious lifestyle.
Director(s)
Steven Soderbergh
Basti Van Der Woude
Gregory Jacobs
Trey Batchelor
Annie Welles
Where to watch
Apple TV Store
Rent
Amazon Video
Rent
Apple TV Store
Buy
Cast & crew
Margaret Travolta
Economist
Viola Davis
Social Worker
Jacob Vargas
Manolo Sanchez
John Slattery
ADA Dan Collier
Topher Grace
Seth Abrahms
Don Cheadle
Montel Gordon
Dave Hager
Partygoer #3
Emilio Rivera
Salazar Soldier #2
Thomas Rosales Jr.
Tackled Man #2
Chic Daniel
DEA Agent (uncredited)
Laurent Schwaar
Art Appraiser (uncredited)
Clifton Collins Jr.
Francisco Flores
Jimmy Ortega
Arrested Man in Apartment
Benicio del Toro
Javier Rodriguez
Carl Ciarfalio
Ruiz's Assistant
Albert Finney
Chief of Staff
Miguel Ferrer
Eduardo Ruiz
Harry Reid
Senator Harry Reid
Enrique Murciano
DEA Agent - Trailer
Alec Roberts
David Ayala
Jim Cody Williams
FBI Agent (uncredited)
Dennis Quaid
Arnie Metzger
Annie Welles
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Steven Lambert
Van Driver
James Lew
DEA Agent - CalTrans
Rick Avery
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Peter Riegert
Attorney Michael Adler
Harsh Nayyar
Witness #1
Beau Holden
DEA Agent - CalTrans
Basti Van Der Woude
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Benjamin Bratt
Juan Obregón
Peter Stader
DEA Agent - CalTrans
Jack Conley
Agent Hughes
James Brolin
General Ralph Landry
Tucker Smallwood
Partygoer #4
Gilbert Rosales
Van Passenger
Elaine Kagan
Judge Reed
Yul Vazquez
Tigrillo / Obregón Assassin
Jsu Garcia
Pablo Obregón
Steven Soderbergh
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Gregory Jacobs
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Michael Douglas
Robert Wakefield
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Helena Ayala
Erika Christensen
Caroline Wakefield
Luis Guzmán
Ray Castro
Tomas Milian
Gen. Arturo Salazar
Amy Irving
Barbara Wakefield
D.W. Moffett
Jeff Sheridan
Steven Bauer
Carlos Ayala
Majandra Delfino
Vanessa
James Pickens Jr.
Prosecutor Ben Williams
Andrew Chavez
Desert Truck Driver
Michael Saucedo
Desert Truck Driver
Jose Yenque
Salazar Soldier / The Torturer
Michael O'Neill
Lawyer Rodman
Russell G. Jones
Mark
Lorene Hetherington
State Capitol Reporter #1
Eric Collins
State Capitol Reporter #2
Jeremy Fitzgerald
DEA Agent - CalTrans
Russell Solberg
DEA Agent - CalTrans
Don Snell
DEA Agent - Trailer
Gary Carlos Cervantes
DEA Agent - Trailer
Leticia Bombardier
Ruiz's Secretary
Mario Roberts
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Eileen Weisinger
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Keii Johnston
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Mike Watson
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Kurt D. Lott
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Lincoln Simonds
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Steve Tomaski
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Buck McDancer
DEA Agent - Public Storage
John Callery
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Ousaun Elam
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Brian Avery
DEA Agent - Public Storage
Corey Spears
F*****-up Bowman
Rena Sofer
Helena's Friend
Stacey Travis
Helena's Friend
Jennifer Barker
Helena's Friend
Dean Faulkner
Parking Valet
Daniella Kuhn
Tourist Woman
Brandon Keener
Tourist Man
Bill Weld
Governor Bill Weld
George Blumenthal
Partygoer #1
Stephen Dunham
Lobbyist
Don Nickles
Senator Don Nickles
Jeff Podolsky
Jeff Podolsky
Jewelle Bickford
Partygoer #2
Barbara Boxer
Senator Barbara Boxer
Orrin Hatch
Senator Orrin Hatch
Chuck Grassley
Senator Charles Grassley
Marisol Padilla Sánchez
Ana Sanchez
Víctor Quintero
Salazar Soldier
Toby Holguin
Salazar Soldier
Ramiro González
Salazar Soldier
Greg Boniface
Tackled Man #1
Rudy M. Camacho
Customs Official
Vonte Sweet
Dealer
Ed Breving
Hotel Deskman
Eddie Velez
Agent Johnson
Craig N. Chretien
Director of EPIC
John Brown
Assistant Director of EPIC
Mike Siegel
DEA Representative
Joel Torres
Porfilio Madrigal
Stephen J. Rose
Marty
Kimber Fritz
Rehab Counselor
Mary Pat Gleason
Witness #2
Vincent M. Ward
Man on Street
Gregory Estevane
Polygraph Administrator
Alex Procopio
Polygraph Assistant
Rita Gomez
Mrs. Castro
Kaizaad Kotwal
Teacher
David Jensen
John
Jay Krymis
Waiter #1
Mike Malone
Waiter #2
René Pereyra
Doctor
Kymberly Newberry
Press Secretary
Carroll Schumacher
Ayala Security #1
Ben Scott
Ayala Security #2
Michael Showers
Meeting Leader
Salma Hayek Pinault
Rosario (uncredited)
Fred Anderson
TV Reporter (uncredited)
David Bickford
Stan (uncredited)
Adam Clark
FBI Agent (uncredited)
Sonia Debreczeni
Reporter (uncredited)
Alan Easley
Junkie (uncredited)
Choel Evans
Photo Journalist (uncredited)
Rod Fielder
Newspaper Photographer (uncredited)
Tony Guma
Detective (uncredited)
Valerie Hanna
Witness #3 (uncredited)
Dominic Koulianos
Reporter (uncredited)
Zachary Lindsey
Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Meagan Lopez
Cocktail Party Attendee (uncredited)
Ambrit Millhouse
Cincinnati Hooker (uncredited)
Ken Miyamoto
Guy by Swimming Pool (uncredited)
David Pittinger
Cincinnati Police Officer (uncredited)
Christopher Rogers
Businessman (uncredited)
Leo Rogstad
Stand-In (uncredited)
Joey Sotello
DEA Agent / Attorney (uncredited)
William-Christopher Stephens
Drug Dealer (uncredited)
Clyde Tull
Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Fairly Tull
Cafe Patron (uncredited)
Anthony Hawkins Woods
Junkie (uncredited)
William 'Shorty' Young
Court Room Participant (uncredited)
Trey Batchelor
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Details
Reviews
JPV852
Seen this a few times over the years and still remains a compelling multi-character drama with some fine performances all around. Also has some great visuals depending on the storyline. Not sure where I rank it amongst Soderbergh's other works (Ocean's 11 has the fun factory going for it) but still love it no matter how many times I've seen it. **4.5/5**
5rJoud
**Someone needs to go back to directing school** This gem of the millennium comes with a great story (which has been done countless times before and after), great actors (funny faced most of them), and very well done action. Unfortunately all is wasted on the terrible actual telling of that story and its people in action. We get weird colors, useless zoom ins, shots into nothing, a boring soundtrack, the whole thing stripped off any continuity and stretched to 2 hours 30 minutes. It is understandable the makers of this film wanted to underline the realism with a documentary style, but come on. Or maybe they just were on some of the drugs shown in the picture, or maybe, and that must be it, they wanted the audience to feel like they were on drugs. 9 June 2017 I am migrating my reviews from a different site which has become simply garbage. TMDB looks awesome and I look forward to be a part of it.
CinemaSerf
Remember when western governments went through their phases of appointing a “czar” for everything? They clearly didn’t recall just what happened to the last one of them, and to be fair to “Wakefield” (Michael Douglas) his chances of success trying to stop the trafficking of drugs from Mexico to the USA wasn’t much likelier to succeed. In many ways the application of this task is little better than an honour amongst thieves arrangement with his own DEA officers trying to take down the “Ayala” cartel whilst south of the Rio Grande, law enforcement has rules that are more akin to survival of the fittest. They do make a semblance of a breakthrough, though, when they manage to arrest “Carlos Ayala” (Steven Bauer) thanks to some sterling work from “Gordon” (Don Cheadle) and “Castro” (Luis Guzmán). What they haven’t quite bargained on, though, is that his hitherto largely unaware wife “Helena” (Catherine Zeta Jones) is determined to avoid ending up on skid-row with her son, and so decides to take up some of the slack in her husband’s nefarious business enterprise. Meantime, different methods are proving effective for “Rodriguez” (Benicio Del Toro) and his partner “Sanchez” (Jacob Vargas) who are just as unscrupulous when it comes to tracking down these culprits and their mules, and after some success find themselves embroiled in a much more perilous endeavour to bring down the kingpin of the “Obregon” organisation. What doesn’t exactly help the new American boss is that his teenage daughter “Caroline” (Erika Christensen) spends a fair amount of her time stoked up with her boyfriend (Topher Grace) and their posh mates, sniffing or snorting whatever they can get hold of in their money-no-object, country club, lives and when that news leaks out, his own position might need him to start thinking about that second letter he had been warned to write. As the nets all begin to tighten, much hinges on the testimony of the dealer “Ruíz” (Miguel Ferrer) who has been promised immunity if he spills the beans, but - well, let’s just say that “Mrs. Ayala” wants her husband back. Rather than take a broad-brush approach to the national level of the politicking here, this works better because it focuses more on the people on the ground who are routinely making and breaking the rules to stay one step ahead of people who have ten times the budgets, the resources and the guile to ensure that for every one that are caught, another nine get through. Though I didn’t love the sometimes quite amateur-looking photography, and I felt the score frequently quite obtrusive, Del Toro is on great form exuding well the attitude of a pragmatic officer who has standards and red lines, but they can conveniently blur from time to time. Ferrer is also effective as the creepy snitch and the gradual incorporation of the threads into a single denouement works well in providing clear evidence that such a single conclusion isn’t ever going to realistically possible! Luckily, Douglas isn’t used so much because he’s pretty hopeless, but just about everyone else works well delivering a gritty dramatisation of what it could be like for the narcotics equivalent of King Canute.
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