Traffic

2000
18
2h 27m

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

224K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,786

172

Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Dennis Quaid, Benicio Del Toro, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Traffic (2000)

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Watch Traffic: Drugs

11 Videos

99+ Photos

Cop Drama Drug Crime Crime Drama Thriller

A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect a... Read allA conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect an informant. A jailed drug baron's wife attempts to carry on the family business.A conservative judge is appointed by the President to spearhead America's escalating war against drugs, only to discover that his teenage daughter is a crack addict. Two DEA agents protect an informant. A jailed drug baron's wife attempts to carry on the family business.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.6/10

224K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,786

172

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 4 Oscars
- 73 wins & 86 nominations total

Videos11

Photos244

+ 239

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Behind the Candelabra

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The scene in which Michael Douglas takes his trip to the California border crossing to discuss drug interdiction was actually shot at the Tijuana crossing. The video and sound quality are so low in part because it wasn't intended to be part of the movie. Douglas, out of character, started asking Rudy M. Camacho about drug trafficking on the border. At the time, Camacho was the real-life Customs chief in charge of the California border crossings. Steven Soderbergh began filming it with a hand-held camera, praying that Camacho wouldn't address the actor as "Mr. Douglas".

Goofs
Francisco Flores has distinctive wounds on his left cheek and forehead when first shown in surveillance photos, but those wounds are only visible after he is tortured by General Salazar's men, long after the photos were taken.

Quotes
General Ralph Landry: You know, when Khruschev was forced out, he sat down and wrote two letters and gave them to his successor. He said - "When you get yourself into a situation you can't get out of, open the first letter, and you'll be safe. When you get yourself into another situation you can't get out of, open the second letter". Well, soon enough, this guy found himself into a tight place, so he opened the first letter. Which said - "Blame everything on me". So he blames the old man, it worked like a charm. He got himself into a second situation he couldn't get out of, he opened the second letter. It said - "Sit down, and write two letters".
Robert Wakefield: [laughs] Yep.

Crazy credits
There are no opening credits except for the film's title in the lower left corner.

Alternate versions
The Criterion Collection DVD is presented in 1.85:1, whilst the Criterion Blu-ray is presented in 1.78:1. According to the Blu-ray insert, the latter is the director's preferred ratio.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Cast Away/What Women Want/Finding Forrester/Traffic/All the Pretty Horses/Before Night Falls (2000)

Soundtracks
Give The Po' Man A Break
Written by Fatboy Slim (as Norman Cook)
Performed by Fatboy Slim
Courtesy of Astralwerks Records

User reviews938

Featured review

9/10

All you could ask for.

No compromises here. Traffic takes a long, hard look at the narcotics industry in North America and manages to entertain at the same time. The triple plot allows you to see the whole industry with multiple perspectives. The movie is visually stunning, loved the different filters for the three locations.

That the war on drugs cannot be won, and is hypocritical to boot, is a message that needs as much air-time as it can get.