Hailed as one of the best movies of the year 2000, Sonderbergh’s ‘Traffic’ has the Douglas couple playing (Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones) the main characters. Douglas plays a conservative judge who spearheads a new Anti-Drugs team only to discovers that his own daughter is an addict. Jones plays a homemaker who finds out that her beloved husband is nothing more than a drugslord. Additionally, Del Toro (won an Oscar) plays a Mexican police officer who is caught in a web of corruption and friendship.
Traffic actually has three storylines, as shown above. To make things complex, Sonderbergh also plays with different filters for the different storylines: most events in Mexico apparently are shot with a yellow-like filter, while the ones in America are (clearly) shot in either blue or plain colours. It does work and the movie’s storylines contribute to the moral of the movie: How can one wage war on drugs? Watch Douglas’s return to his senses when Salazar colourfully explains what happens to drug addicts in Mexico. He eventually chooses for the life of his daughter. Whereas Jones chooses for her husband for the sake of her kid.
Good movie, obviously rated R (US) / 14+ (CND) because of the strong language, graphic images and nudity. Effective.