The title of the movie Traffic has nothing to do with cars stuck on an expressway. No, we're talking about drug traffic, as in the constant unstoppable flow of illegal drugs into our country every day. Traffic, the movie, is an ensemble piece, examining the impact drugs have on the lives and families of the people who take drugs, sell drugs and fight drugs.

Director Steven Soderbergh uses a documentary-style approach to tell three interwoven, hyper-realistic storylines. First, a drug enforcement cop in Mexico (Benecio Del Toro) tries to take down a drug kingpin while coping with corruption in his own ranks. Second, a pregnant housewife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) sees her world crumble down around her when she suddenly discovers her wealthy husband is actually a cocaine smuggler. And finally, a newly appointed U.S. Drug Czar (Michael Douglas) discovers his own teenage daughter is on crack.

Soderbergh gives each segment its own cinematic look, but each one feels real. In the Mexican storyline, for instance, the characters speak almost entirely in Spanish (with subtitles) -- Mexicans in Mexico speaking English surely would've taken away from the realism. The movie falters, though, when it gets away from this realism. An example is the last act, when Douglas's Drug Czar launches a one man crusade to get his runaway daughter back. Here, the movie lurches a little too far into Charles Bronson territory. In another scene, an exploding car seems a tad too reminiscent of Miami Vice.

Speaking of reminiscent, Soderbergh also loads up each plot line with recognizable faces. This is one of those hey-look-who-it-is! kind of casts. Aside from those already mentioned, the actors who pop-up include Amy Irving, Albert Finney, James Brolin, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, Miguel Ferrer, Dennis Quaid, Steven Bauer, Benjamin Bratt and Salma Hayek; just to name a few. Several real-life politicians play themselves. Del Toro won a well-deserved Academy Award for his subtle performance. One newcomer who also makes quite an impression is the young actor Topher Grace, who plays a much darker, more sinister varriation of the high school student he plays every week on the sitcom, That 70s Show.

In their own way, each story thread shows us how drugs come into this country, and why winning the so-called "War on Drugs" is hopeless. There's little cooperation by law enforcement South of the border; drug dealers are able to use their power and money to elude prosecution; and selling drugs has given impoverished inner city dwellers an irresistible business opportunity.

The movie does not, however, come right out and endorse legalization. The movie is quite clear in its view that drug dealers are horrific scum who need to be wiped off the face of the earth. But, the film seems to suggest, the law should go easier on drug users. Traffic indeed seems to be a call for America to focus less on interdiction and more on treatment. It's a debate that's sure to get more attention in the coming years. For that reason, Traffic may one day be looked at as an historically significant film. Either way, it's an excellent time capsule of where we stand at the dawn of the new millennium.
(c) Copyright 2001