Reviewed 30/01/01 20:12 Traffic
This is a film based on the Channel 4 series "Traffik", which was shown about ten years ago. Instead of the flow of Heroin from the poppy fields of Pakistan to the UK, this film focuses on the flow of cocaine from Mexico to the USA.
Like the TV show it intertwines different stories in order to build up an overall picture of the drugs trade, dealers, users, police, and the politicians who call for a war on drugs.
Now, I thought the TV show was one of the best things CH4 ever put on, and this has coloured my views on this film. It is not a bad film, its just that it does not go as far as it could. The TV show was grimmer, and more political. This tries to be more of a thriller, but doesn't quite carry it off.
I know this film has to stand on its own, and comparisons to the TV show are not really fair, but they are inevitable.
What the film does have going for it are strong performances from an excellent cast, Benicio Del Torro and Don Cheadle in particular. There is also a great slimy lawyer in the form of Dennis Quaid.
Another plus point for the film is the access it had to both the DEA and Washington. Many of the Senators and DEA official you see in the film are the real deal.
As I have said already this is not a bad film, it takes a serious subject and deals with it responsibly. It is always visually interesting and the acting is excellent. Maybe I was just to attached to the TV show, but I really don't think the film lives up to the hype that is currently surrounding it.
7/10
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