This definitely was a great movie. It combined a) a great and unique plot, b) stunning cinematography and visuals, and c) spectacular acting to come out as a whole a superb movie.
The plot was unique not because of the basic ideas of the plot, but because of the way they were presented. Three stories, all with charcaters unknown to each other, are simultaneously presented, each as interesting and engaging as the next. The first story is with Benicio Del Toro as he and his partner explore the dangerous and brutal world of drug trafficing. They both involve themselves with one side of two drug outfits battling for control of Tiajuana. He soon learns the brutality and fear that the industry entails when he and his partner are dragged further and further into the frightening world of drugs. The next story is with politician Micheal Douglas. As he tries to succeed in his work, his family suffers internally because of his daughter's quick addiction to inhaled cocaine. As Douglas tries to warn others of the dangers of drugs, he learns more and more of the pain and anguish drug addiction causes. Probably the most comedy came from the daughter's friend in the story, the guy who plays Eric Foreman in "That 70's Show." The third story is that of Catherine Zeta Jones as she tries to get her husband, who was strongly involved in drug trade without her knowledge, out of going to prison and in turn leaving her and her son to defend themselves against the people to whom debts are owed from her husbands dangerous trade. This story involves both officers of the law, trying to protect the lead witness against Catherine Zeta Jones husband. What was so cool about the way that the movie was told is the way that the stories all pretty much had the same theme about the effect drugs have on people and families. It really was a shame to see at some points the awful things that could happen, but in the end it all kind of came back together so each character in the stories weren't completely screwed anymore.
The cinematography was so good because of how each story was filmed in literally a different light. The story with Benicio was filmed to be very hot-looking (to say in one word). It was filmed to look very yellow and bright. There were a lot of sun caused glare and almost every character brandished sunglasses and profusely sweated. The camera also seemed to be much shakier as well and all together made the entire setting look like, well...Mexico. The Michael Douglas story was filmed to look very greyish and bluish. It looked very much like the north-eastern U.S. Catherine Zeta Jones' story, though, was just filmed in normal looking light.
The acting in Traffic was spectacular. Everybody's favorite, Benicio Del Toro, really was great. He is definitely one of the best foreign actors in our modern age. Michael Douglas and his character's daughter (the actress, I mean, I don't know her name) both were great by themselves and funtioned well together. Everybody else, especially the police officers in Catherine Zeta Jones' story, also acted very well.
All together the movie was very, very good. It was a gem in a long line of terrible movie theater films. It really had everything that you want in a movie: good plot, action, acting, filming, and directing.
The plot was unique not because of the basic ideas of the plot, but because of the way they were presented. Three stories, all with charcaters unknown to each other, are simultaneously presented, each as interesting and engaging as the next. The first story is with Benicio Del Toro as he and his partner explore the dangerous and brutal world of drug trafficing. They both involve themselves with one side of two drug outfits battling for control of Tiajuana. He soon learns the brutality and fear that the industry entails when he and his partner are dragged further and further into the frightening world of drugs. The next story is with politician Micheal Douglas. As he tries to succeed in his work, his family suffers internally because of his daughter's quick addiction to inhaled cocaine. As Douglas tries to warn others of the dangers of drugs, he learns more and more of the pain and anguish drug addiction causes. Probably the most comedy came from the daughter's friend in the story, the guy who plays Eric Foreman in "That 70's Show." The third story is that of Catherine Zeta Jones as she tries to get her husband, who was strongly involved in drug trade without her knowledge, out of going to prison and in turn leaving her and her son to defend themselves against the people to whom debts are owed from her husbands dangerous trade. This story involves both officers of the law, trying to protect the lead witness against Catherine Zeta Jones husband. What was so cool about the way that the movie was told is the way that the stories all pretty much had the same theme about the effect drugs have on people and families. It really was a shame to see at some points the awful things that could happen, but in the end it all kind of came back together so each character in the stories weren't completely screwed anymore.
The cinematography was so good because of how each story was filmed in literally a different light. The story with Benicio was filmed to be very hot-looking (to say in one word). It was filmed to look very yellow and bright. There were a lot of sun caused glare and almost every character brandished sunglasses and profusely sweated. The camera also seemed to be much shakier as well and all together made the entire setting look like, well...Mexico. The Michael Douglas story was filmed to look very greyish and bluish. It looked very much like the north-eastern U.S. Catherine Zeta Jones' story, though, was just filmed in normal looking light.
The acting in Traffic was spectacular. Everybody's favorite, Benicio Del Toro, really was great. He is definitely one of the best foreign actors in our modern age. Michael Douglas and his character's daughter (the actress, I mean, I don't know her name) both were great by themselves and funtioned well together. Everybody else, especially the police officers in Catherine Zeta Jones' story, also acted very well.
All together the movie was very, very good. It was a gem in a long line of terrible movie theater films. It really had everything that you want in a movie: good plot, action, acting, filming, and directing.