Movies like Traffic don't come along very often. We've all seen drug movies in the past, how drug cartels operate through the borders. However, Traffic is an intense, in-your-face look at the frontlines of this grisly business, as well as the multitude effects that it has on people of all classes and nationality. It's one of those rare films, along with The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, that demands multiple viewings to soak in all the details. Don't go in thinking you'll be watching a high octane action flick or an easy going documentary, because it's hands down the most complex movie of 2000.

    The star studded cast all deliver grade A performances, especially Benico Del Toro. The main characters come from three very different angles, with Del Toro heading one front and Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones the other two. Interestingly enough, the newly wedded couple never share a second of screen time. From a grizzled Tijuana cop to a high ranking politician to the ignorant wife of a drug lord, the actors all deliver a hauntingly realistic portrayal of their roles.

Michael Douglas plays a Capitol Hill straight arrow that gets more than he bargained for.

    Director Steven Soderbergh never tries to overdo the effect that Traffic's supposed to deliver. Sometimes it feels as if you're watching a semi-documentary of three distinct people who's lives are linked together in similarity by the business that is drug trafficking. The problem is the movie can get boring when the characters, especially the politicians, start to yak yak yak. While I understand it's included to increase the realistic atmosphere, attentions are bound to wander during those moments.

    It's hard to review Traffic without wandering into deep discussions that deal with specific points in the plot, so I'll keep this short. This film isn't for everybody. It offers a realistic look into how a business that most of us are oblivious to operates, and more importantly, effects the society we live in. Where it lacks in the crowd pleaser department, it makes up in the powerful intrigue. Utilizing pure humanistic values sans the high budget special effects or exotic backdrops, Traffic ends up as one of the most riveting quasi-fictional drama's you'll ever see.

Catherine Zeta-Jones... still ravishing, despite being 6-months pregnant.

Benico Del Toro gives the performance of his life.

"... is that a dime on the ground?"

Grade: A-
-- Definitely not for everybody. It's complex and powerful, but never drifts into overacted melodrama.

Babe-o-meter: C
-- Catherine Zeta-Jones, who usually carries this category, was 6 months pregnant when it was filmed. Salma Hayek had about a 5 minute cameo.