Traffic (2000)
Coming Out at 5 January 2001 in theaters.
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Traffic is crime drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Stephen Gaghan. It explores the illegal drug trade from a number of perspectives: users, enforcers, politicians, and traffickers. Their stories are edited together throughout the film, although some of the characters do not meet each other. The film is an adaptation of the 1989 British Channel 4 television series Traffik. The film stars an international ensemble cast, including Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Douglas, Erika Christensen, Luis Guzmán, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jacob Vargas, Tomas Milian, Topher Grace, James Brolin, Steven Bauer, and Benjamin Bratt. It features both English and Spanish-language dialogue.
20th Century Fox, the original financiers of the film, demanded that Harrison Ford play a leading role and that significant changes to the screenplay be made. Soderbergh refused and proposed the script to other major Hollywood studios, but it was rejected because of the three-hour running time and the subject matter—Traffic is more of a political film than most Hollywood productions. USA Films, however, liked the project from the start and offered the filmmakers more money than Fox. Soderbergh operated the camera himself and adopted a distinctive color grade for each storyline so that audiences could tell them apart.
*Mexico storyline
In Mexico, police officer Javier Rodriguez (del Toro) and his only partner Manolo Sanchez (Vargas) stop a drug transport and arrest the couriers. Their arrest is interrupted by General Salazar (Milian), a high-ranking Mexican official who decides to hire Javier. Salazar instructs him to apprehend Francisco Flores (Clifton Collins Jr.), a hitman for the Tijuana Cartel, headed by the Obregón brothers.
Back in Tijuana, Flores, under torture, gives Salazar the names of important members of the Obregón cartel, who are arrested. Javier’s and Salazar’s efforts begin to cripple the Obregón brothers’ cocaine outfit, but Javier soon discovers Salazar is a pawn for the Juárez Cartel, the rival of the Obregón brothers. That entire portion of the Mexican anti-drug campaign is a fraud, as Salazar is wiping out one cartel because he has aligned with another for profit.
*Wakefield storyline
Robert Wakefield (Douglas), a conservative Ohio judge, is appointed to head the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, taking on the title drug czar. Robert is warned by his predecessor (Brolin) and several influential politicians that the War on Drugs is unwinnable. Robert’s daughter, Caroline (Christensen), an honors student, has been using cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin which quickly develops into a drug addiction after her boyfriend Seth (Grace) introduces her to freebasing. Caroline, Seth, and Vanessa are all arrested when a fellow student overdoses on drugs, and they try to dump him anonymously at a hospital. As Robert and his wife Barbara (Irving) struggle to deal with the problem, Robert discovers that Barbara has known about their daughter’s involvement with drugs for over six months.
*Ayala/DEA storyline
In San Diego, an undercover DEA investigation led by Montel Gordon (Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Guzmán) leads to the arrest of Eduardo Ruiz (Ferrer), a high-stakes dealer posing as a fisherman. Ruiz decides to take the dangerous road to immunity by giving up his boss: drug lord Carl Ayala (Bauer), the biggest distributor for the Obregón brothers in the United States. Ayala is indicted by a tough prosecutor, hand-selected by Robert Wakefield to send a message to the Mexican drug organizations.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writers: Simon Moore, Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Douglas, Erika Christensen, Luis Guzmán, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jacob Vargas
Cast:
Benicio Del Toro | … | Javier Rodriguez |
Jacob Vargas | … | Manolo Sanchez |
Andrew Chavez | … | Desert Truck Driver |
Michael Saucedo | … | Desert Truck Driver |
Tomas Milian | … | General Arturo Salazar |
Jose Yenque | … | Salazar Soldier / The Torturer |
Emilio Rivera | … | Salazar Soldier #2 |
Michael O’Neill | … | Lawyer Rodman |
Michael Douglas | … | Robert Wakefield |
Russell G. Jones | … | Clerk |
Lorene Hetherington | … | State Capitol Reporter #1 |
Eric Collins | … | State Capitol Reporter #2 |
Beau Holden | … | DEA Agent – CalTrans |
Peter Stader | … | DEA Agent – CalTrans |
James Lew | … | DEA Agent – CalTrans |
Jeremy Fitzgerald | … | DEA Agent – CalTrans |
Russell Solberg | … | DEA Agent – CalTrans |
Luis Guzmán | … | Ray Castro |
Don Cheadle | … | Montel Gordon |
Don Snell | … | DEA Agent – Trailer |
Enrique Murciano | … | DEA Agent – Trailer |
Gary Carlos Cervantes | … | DEA Agent – Trailer |
Leticia Bombardier | … | Ruiz’s Secretary |
Miguel Ferrer | … | Eduardo Ruiz |
Carl Ciarfalio | … | Ruiz’s Assistant |
Steven Lambert | … | Van Driver |
Gilbert Rosales | … | Van Passenger |
Rick Avery | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Mario Roberts | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Eileen Weisinger | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Keii Johnston | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Mike Watson | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Kurt D. Lott | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Lincoln Simonds | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Steve Tomaski | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Buck McDancer | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
John Callery | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Ousaun Elam | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Brian Avery | … | DEA Agent – Public Storage |
Corey Spears | … | F*****-up Bowman |
Majandra Delfino | … | Vanessa |
Topher Grace | … | Seth Abrahms |
Erika Christensen | … | Caroline Wakefield |
Alec Roberts | … | David Ayala |
Catherine Zeta-Jones | … | Helena Ayala |
Rena Sofer | … | Helena’s Friend |
Stacey Travis | … | Helena’s Friend |
Jennifer Barker | … | Helena’s Friend |
Dean Faulkner | … | Parking Valet |
Albert Finney | … | Chief of Staff |
D.W. Moffett | … | Jeff Sheridan |
James Brolin | … | General Ralph Landry |
Daniella Kuhn | … | Tourist Woman |
Brandon Keener | … | Tourist Man |
Bill Weld | … | Governor Bill Weld |
George Blumenthal | … | Partygoer #1 |
Stephen Dunham | … | Lobbyist |
Don Nickles | … | Senator Don Nickles |
Margaret Travolta | … | Economist |
Harry Reid | … | Senator Harry Reid |
Jeff Podolsky | … | Jeff Podolsky |
Jewelle Bickford | … | Partygoer #2 |
Barbara Boxer | … | Senator Barbara Boxer |
Orrin Hatch | … | Senator Orrin Hatch |
Chuck Grassley | … | Senator Charles Grassley |
Dave Hager | … | Partygoer #3 |
Tucker Smallwood | … | Partygoer #4 |
Steven Bauer | … | Carlos Ayala |
Marisol Padilla Sánchez | … | Ana Sanchez |
Amy Irving | … | Barbara Wakefield |
Dennis Quaid | … | Arnie Metzger |
Clifton Collins Jr. | … | Francisco Flores |
Víctor Quintero | … | Salazar Soldier |
Toby Holguin | … | Salazar Soldier |
Ramiro González | … | Salazar Soldier |
Viola Davis | … | Social Worker |
James Pickens Jr. | … | Prosecutor Ben Williams |
Peter Riegert | … | Attorney Michael Adler |
Elaine Kagan | … | Judge Reed |
John Slattery | … | ADA Dan Collier |
Jimmy Ortega | … | Arrested Man in Apartment |
Greg Boniface | … | Tackled Man #1 |
Thomas Rosales Jr. | … | Tackled Man #2 |
Rudy M. Camacho | … | Customs Official |
Vonte Sweet | … | Dealer |
Ed Breving | … | Hotel Deskman |
Yul Vazquez | … | Tigrillo / Obregón Assassin |
Jack Conley | … | Agent Hughes |
Eddie Velez | … | Agent Johnson |
Craig N. Chretien | … | Director of EPIC |
John Brown | … | Assistant Director of EPIC |
Mike Siegel | … | DEA Representative |
Joel Torres | … | Porfilio Madrigal |
Stephen J. Rose | … | Marty (as Steve Rose) |
Kimber Fritz | … | Rehab Counselor |
Harsh Nayyar | … | Witness #1 |
Mary Pat Gleason | … | Witness #2 |
Vincent M. Ward | … | Man on Street |
Benjamin Bratt | … | Juan Obregón |
Jsu Garcia | … | Pablo Obregón |
Gregory Estevane | … | Polygraph Administrator |
Alex Procopio | … | Polygraph Assistant |
Rita Gomez | … | Mrs. Castro |
Kaizaad Kotwal | … | Teacher |
David Jensen | … | John |
Jay Krymis | … | Waiter #1 |
Mike Malone | … | Waiter #2 |
Rene Pereyra | … | Doctor |
Kymberly Newberry | … | Press Secretary |
Carroll Schumacher | … | Ayala Security #1 |
Ben Scott | … | Ayala Security #2 |
Michael Showers | … | Meeting Leader |
Fred Anderson | … | TV Reporter |
David Bickford | … | Stan |
Robert Randolph Caton | … | Corporate Businessman |
John Chapon | … | Cop |
Cecile Cinco | … | Maid |
Adam Clark | … | FBI Agent |
Chic Daniel | … | DEA Agent |
Sonia Debreczeni | … | Reporter |
Alan Easley | … | Junkie |
Choel Evans | … | Photojournalist |
Rod Fielder | … | Newspaper Photographer |
Tony Guma | … | Detective |
Valerie Hanna | … | Witness #3 |
Salma Hayek | … | Rosario |
Cathy Irons | … | Party Planner |
Elizabeth Jarosz | … | High School Student |
Dominic Koulianos | … | Reporter |
Zachary Lindsey | … | Cafe Patron |
Meagan Lopez | … | Cocktail party attendee |
Christie McNew | … | Restaurant Patron |
Ambrit Millhouse | … | Cincinnati Hooker |
Ken Miyamoto | … | Guy by Swimming Pool |
David Pittinger | … | Cincinnati Police Officer |
Darlynne Reyes Menkin | … | Reporter |
Lorenzo Rodriguez | … | Drug Lord |
Christopher Rogers | … | Businessman |
Leo Rogstad | … | Stand-In |
Laurent Schwaar | … | Art Appraiser |
Joey Sotello | … | DEA Agent / Attorney |
William Christopher Stephens | … | Drug Dealer |
Lynn Struiksma | … | Clown |
John Michael Stubbins | … | Attorney |
Clyde Tull | … | Cafe Patron |
Fairly Tull | … | Cafe Patron |
Jim Cody Williams | … | FBI Agent |
Anthony Hawkins Woods | … | Junkie |
Jessica Yoshimura | … | Neighbor |
William ‘Shorty’ Young | … | Court Room Participant |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia
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