Traffic (2000)

Soderbergh delivers an electrifying, economical multi-storyline drama on the drug trade that feels more real than real, with a breathless pace and distinctive visual style for each thread. The uniformly strong ensemble shines, especially Benicio del Toro as an honest Tijuana cop in an impossible situation.

The critic calls it an expertly made, utterly engrossing film reminiscent of 70s adult cinema, thrilling and a major achievement despite minor flaws like the ending.

The critic hails Traffic as the most exciting and complexly imagined American movie of the year, praising its vivid view of the drug war, ambiguous encounters, and Soderbergh's energetic handheld camerawork. The script's multiple story lines and performances, especially Benicio Del Toro's, are highlighted as strengths.

The critic calls the film a great, despairing squall that infuses epic form with jittery rhythms and a fresh palette, comparing it favorably to Altman's Nashville. The ensemble performances and sprawling overview of the drug trade are singled out for praise.

The review highlights the top-notch performances, Soderbergh's masterful direction and camerawork, the film's wisdom on addiction and the futility of the drug war, and its gripping narrative.

Enormously ambitious and masterfully made, Traffic represents docudrama-style storytelling at a very high level with a powerful overview of the contemporary drug culture that is both panoramic and specific. Soderbergh has had the most impressive year for an American director since Spielberg in 1993, with outstanding performances especially from Del Toro.

Complex and ambitious, Traffic examines how pervasive drugs are and how wide a swath they cut in society, though not always completely successfully. It is an indication of how accomplished a filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has become, with the Mexican section the most effective thanks to Benicio Del Toro's best performance.

Soderbergh's film articulates the war on drugs with clarity and breadth across interconnected storylines, distinguished by its honesty, compassion, and ambivalent perspective that notes both myths and minor victories. It succeeds as tense, efficient storytelling with inventive visuals and editing, despite minor flaws in plotting and character arcs.

Bradshaw finds the film an ambitious, watchable multi-storyline exploration of the drug trade adapted from a British series but criticizes it for adding pro-American schmaltz and presenting a loaded view that depicts Mexican corruption while portraying the US establishment more favorably. He singles out Benicio Del Toro's riveting, understated performance as the standout.

The critic finds Traffic an exciting visual experience but ultimately a conventional, moralistic melodrama that lacks human depth except for Benicio Del Toro's performance.

The critic finds the film naïve in its treatment of the drug trade and criticizes Stephen Gaghan’s scripting as callous and overly schematic, with Soderbergh’s neutral direction failing to salvage weak subplots and caricatured characters. Soderbergh is praised for his respect for actors’ space, long takes, and skillful parallel editing that avoids simplistic mirroring.

The critic calls Traffic a sprawling, ambitious crime epic and Soderbergh's most impressive undertaking, praising its interlocking stories, strong ensemble cast with no weak links, and cynical yet nuanced critique of systemic failures in the war on drugs without targeting individuals. It highlights the film's emotional depth, technical skill, and enduring relevance as one of the director's greatest achievements.

The critic describes Traffic as Soderbergh's hardest-nosed, clear-eyed war-on-drugs epic that won him the Best Director Oscar and came closest to bringing The Wire-like scope to a multiplex. It praises the prestige performances and how the film delivers seriousness without losing the director's caper-flick irreverence, resulting in a heavy but satisfying work with no easy answers.

The critic praises Soderbergh's ensemble drama for its brutal honesty in depicting the war on drugs across multiple interconnected stories. He singles out the strong performances and the director's unsentimental vision that delivers a powerful, ironic punch.

The critic views Traffic as a revolutionary 2000 ensemble drama that effectively weaves multiple storylines to expose the drug war and hypocrisy sustaining it, sweeping Oscars for direction, screenplay, and editing. It remains relevant and effective overall but is somewhat marred by dated color-grading gimmicks that have become clichés.