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Uncapie's TRAFFIC Review, Con El Cosmico
El Cosmico here again, this time with our pal Uncapie's review of TRAFFIC.
I saw this flick a few months ago; it was a different version. I was going to see the latest cut yesterday morning, but my butt was still recovering from the numb-a-thon. It was too early. So I missed it. What to do? I asked Father Geek and Quint how it differed. Basically, they said that nothing major had been added, and that, as is often the case, there was a decision that about a half hour should be cut, and so a lot of things I'd seen were now missing. Specifically, plot and character development.
So, I don't know quite what to tell you to think about this film now. I hear that Benicio del Toro's part is mostly the same, which to me is the most essential thing. On the other hand, I've heard that Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglas' role has been cut significantly, which I think is rather wrong. In any case, part of me still thinks that this film might have been better if cut into two works, one focusing on the del Toro character, and the other on the Michael Douglas character. Or, maybe just the del Toro film. In a world where films are cut not for quality but for length, this might be a way to preserve a bit of the former. Then again, what the hell do I know?
The important thing to remember here is that Benicio del Toro gives one of the best performances by a lead actor that you're going to see anytime soon I've always thought well of the fellow, enjoying all of his roles that I recall, but I never before saw him play a character with such intense skill as he does in TRAFFIC. This guy alone is reason not to miss the film.
Storywise, well, having a certain unnamed stake in the issues discussed, I would have liked a focus on certain different matters. Then again, that would have made for a longer film, harsher cuts, etc.. On the whole, then, it's not as great as a film as I think it could have been, but still a definite need-to-go-see. Enough from me, though, here's our pal Uncapie with a heap of helpful thoughts:
Just saw a special advanced screening of "Traffic" at the Egyptian Theater in
Hollywood tonight. Director Steven Soderbergh was in attendance and there was
a q and a after a short discussion of the film.
Soderbergh uses several overexposed camera techniques to describe various
moods and locals in the film. Sometimes it enhances the movie, other moments,
its just irritating. Soderbergh was also the DP on this project using a
pseudo-name.
I can see why now Harrison Ford bowed out of the film and was replaced by
Michael Douglas. The character doesn't have that much to do and isn't really
the focal point of the film. Douglas faces a hypocritical, moral dilemma to
declare the war on drugs, while his wife, portrayed by Amy Irving, has
experimented with drugs and his daughter, Erika Christensen, is an addict. It was
hard for me to feel sorry for her character and her friends depicted as rich
kids who get high and do the nasty similar to Robert Downey, Jr.'s
performance in "Less Than Zero." Not to get off on a rant, but that is really
pushing life imitating art with that guy!
The show stealers in this film are Benecio Del Toro, who plays a Tijuana
detective who gets involved too deep with Mexican corruption and has to make
harsh career choices. Most of his dialogue is subtitled. He really lights up
the screen with his presence. The other two actors are Luis Guzman and Don
Cheadle, which they could have easily just made the movie about these two
cops and their adventures. They really bring magic to the film.
Soderbergh exploits the futile attempt at the war on drugs and why it'll
never be won. Miguel Ferrar, in typical pissed-off Ferrar mode, as a busted
drug dealer who is going to turn evidence, gives a brilliant speech why and
how the United States opened up drug trade more with the NAFTA agreement:
"Mexican cargo trucks will be able to go from state-to-state just like UPS,
FedEx or DHL and we left the door wide open for them to do so!"
I was amazed to see Dennis Quaid looking like a younger version of Harrison
Ford in a few scenes. In the opening shot of him, I actually thought it was
Ford making a cameo! He plays a sleazy business associate of drug dealer,
Steven Bauer("Scarface") who tries to move in on his territory and his
pregnant wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones-Doulglas. With the recent events in
Quaid's life, this drew an uncomfortable tension in the audience I saw it
with.
Cameo performances by Albert Finney, Salma Hayek, Peter Reigert and James
Brolin are fine.
Overall, some of the performances were great, but I left the theater feeling
it was flat. Certain moments where Douglas could have really shined, were
just left bland. Same thing with Zeta-Jones-Douglas. Bauer, just doesn't have
that much screen time for of us to get to know his character. I felt that I
see it all before. It seemed like a fifth year "Miami Vice" episode, without
the gun play.
Uncapie
Hey, don't diss on Miami Vice, Uncapie! The Michael Mann years RULED! Anyway, I agree with Uncapie that Luis Guzman and Don
Cheadle need to make a movie together. Yes, I know they were together in OUT OF SIGHT, I mean they need the co-lead roles in their own film. Their chemistry was great, and they're definitely the stand-out actors next to del Toro. Thanks again, Uncapie!
-El Cosmico
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They have done a movie together and it was the excellent film 'Out of Sight'
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I downloaded the trailer, it was boring too. Douglas is cool but this looks boring. Boring boring boring
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He did say a Vice episode "without gunplay" - and as much of a genius as Mann can be without guns (See "The Insider") He stages shootouts on a par with John Woo (See everything else, notably "Heat" and reruns of Miami Vice) So I'm kind of torn. After "Out of Sight" I was hoping for at least one decent shootout out of "Traffic". But I'll probably see it anyway.
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Commentary on AICN has me beyond pumped to see Traffic, and all of a sudden a familiar name, Uncapie, warns us that maybe it's a little flat. Hopefully this is a case of very high expectations being aaaaalmost met by a very very good but not Godfather-level movie. I'll bear that in mind when I plop down in my seat to see it in a few weeks, and try not to set the bar too high. I'm looking forward to a few more reviews to see what else you numb-butt insiders have to say. This is the kind of cast I'd pay to see read the phone book to each other so I'm still stoked. Fair warning, though, Uncapie; after all, I wish somebody had told me that Erin Brokovich doesn't hook up with the biker dude in the end. Oh yeah, SPOILER!
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While this review makes some good points and you could interpret things either way, this movie is definitely not boring! It's an extremely subtle and nuanced film that respects people's intelligence and ability to connect the dots and make their own judgements. But if you're adult enough to have your own morality and figure out connections and theme without having it hammered into your skill, the movie rewards you. Any film with this many strong performances & especially Del Toro's intense career-topping one, is far from dull. And the direction is just plain brilliant. The cinematography is amazing, never irritating. It completely enhances the emotions.
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do you read shit before you make dumbass comments? Cosmico said LEADING roles. What a crackhead...get a clue, einstein.
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Finally got round to downloading the trailer and I must say i'm looking forward to this one now. Was I the only one that thought that 'Out of Sight' was't actually that great. Sure, Jennifer Lopez looks great but she can't act for shit - I still have disturbing flashbacks to her preformance in 'The Cell'. George Clooney just mumbled his lines with a stupid grin on his face. At least he has gone on to do better stuff. Oh, and i'm looking forward to the Salma cameo ;-)
I'm not drunk, I just can't stand..... -
I wasn't planning on seeing this flick anyway now I'll just see it on free TV in a couple years. Thanks Uncapie you saved me $6! Harry how would Harrison Ford have made any improvment in this?
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While I agree Micheal Mann can stage one helluva battle sequence (ala Heat and Last of the Mohicans) I don't think he can be compared to John Woo. Not that one is better than the other, but that their styles are so different. For example, Mann keeps his gunplay set firmly in the realm of gritty, ugly reality (which is effective and sometimes downright scary), while Woo stages quote "balletic, whimiscally choreographed" sequences that are jaw-droppingly cool, just not very believible. Just a personal thought, no big deal, really. Oh, and for those who are afraid that this will be boring: See The Limey. Soderbergh uses only minimal amounts of action for maximum effect. It's awesome. When some nobody is killed every five minutes in a movie, we get desensitized to the raw power of the act itself. However, when only one or two key people get killed, we are virtually stunned by their deaths. I'm all for this movie, it has got a lot going for it. Especially, Miguel Ferrar, a vastly underappreciated actor (remember Bob Morton in Robocop? He was fucking great. And the he was the only person with heart in the TV movie The Stand). I've said my peace. Sleep. Now.
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i give it a six. i saw it a couple of nights ago, and i thought it was a little bland. the color coded filtration for the different story lines was distracting, as was the tendency to end one segment of the story by panning from one character to another across the street and carrying on. he did it six or seven times--enough, i understand the characters' proximity to one another. having said that, i will admit that it was an ambitious film, covering the story from a bunch of different pov's, similar to hunt for red october. michael douglas' character had a very interesting dilemma, but it was executed a little too artificially for my taste--how could he be that ignorant as to what his daughter was up to, not to mention the intentions of the mexican general? and there's a major logistical problem with a character being able to access a parking lot of a federal courthouse. catherine zj's character was also very interesting, and i didn't think she was underdeveloped in the least due to any editing that may have occured. guzman and cheadle had a bunch of great lines, which led to some decent moments, but i hardly think it was magic. benicio del toro carried the fucking film, as far as i'm concerned. his story straddles the law in a very non-black and white manner, and was therefore the most interesting, by far. i think he's headed for superstar status, if he can find some large scale mainstream projects that he can excel in, a la jim carrey. i think the scale of the thing might have gotten away from soderberg a little. i'm pretty sure it's his biggest film to date, and it comes just 8-10 months after his last one. the script definetely needed some work, especially in the middle, and that work should have been done on the page, not by whittling down what must have been a 3 hour cut at some point, if harry's accustations of editing are true. at one point, there are two pairs of agents, all relatively small roles, and it starts to get confusing as to who's who. i don't mind making the effort, but if you're trying to remember which agents are american and which are mexican (everybody is bilingual, so it ain't as easy as you would think), then you're no longer watching the story, and that's a big problem. all in all, i'd have to call it an ambitious but noticeably flawed film.
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Excellent review, told us everything we need to know.....guess I'll wait for this one on satellite. Thanks, Uncapie.
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I saw this film the other night here in NYC and I have to say that it's really fantastic. The Michael Mann comparisons are right on but I don't think anyone's talked about the Lars Von Trier comparisons yet. From the titles down to some of the editing/shaky-cam, there is a definite link to "Dogme 95." The different storylines are fantastic and the linkage btwn. them a knockout. This is one that'll surely be remembered. Great perfs. all around and the most ambitious feature I've seen to date about the drug trade.
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And fifth season vice had a very unique style, I'm happy to see something snatch it up. It sounds like Soderbergh's starting to get the typical backlash most fanboys eventually give their favorites. Everybody loves the filmmaker while he's obscure and his films don't make much money. But if the dough starts flowing or EVERYONE starts getting hip to them, then they're off the list. Although somehow John Woo has remained on everyone's good list. But one more film from Soderbergh that everybody likes and he'll be on everyone's "hack" list. I can already hear the bashing the talkbackers will give Ocean's 11. Now if he would do Son of Schizopolis, he might avoid this.
nose army,
T.A.S -
Stop telling us what's going to happen!!!!! Can't you write a reveiw with out giving things up???????
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It was so nice to read a well thought out, properly punctuated and grammactically correct review. And it was informative as well! The early trailer I saw made the film seem very disjointed and gave me know idea what the movie was acutally about. Now I know and can make my viewing decision intelligently. Thanks Uncapie.
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Nice going. Good review. BUT DON'T EVER BUST ON MIAMI VICE. What fuck is wrong with you. Jesus Christ. Del Toro sounds like he knocked this one out of the park. Is it me, or is S.S. the becoming more prolific than Woody Allen? Next up OCEANS ELEVEN, and Clooney as Danny Ocean. Whoa!
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Dec 13, 2000 12:04:40 PM CST
Harrison Ford is a washed up has-been and I didn't glean anythin
by tender branson
I seem to remember your review for "The 13th Warrior" Uncapie, and that digusting scene where they all gargled with each other's spit and snot, I really like that flick.
So, no you're telling me that a director who in my opinion, (Which to me is the only one that matters.) has never made a bad film, has taken this cast and turned out something that goes nowhere? I think not. If the guy can make a Julia Roberts, movie of the week interesting, then I'm reserving judgement until I actually see this film. The trailers had me drooling and it's a subject that no one really confronts witha decent effort anymore. And yes, the Michael Mann years of "Miami Vice" rocked like nothing has rocked in history. It was like 80's rock appreciation of the best kind. Anyone who says no good music came out of the 80's, never watched this show. (The clothes however make my eyes hurt and it's the one thing that really dates "Manhunter". But, who cares?) But, anyway, some of the best episodes of "Miami Vice" were the episodes without any bullshit gunfighting. Remember the one where Crockett met that pain obsessed weirdo artist maggot? There was some fucking girl who got killed, I forget what about, but the episode ended with Crockett bitch slapping the weirdo down a huge fucking flight of stairs. That was cool. What about the one with Brion James and that drug dealer fucko from "Crocodile Dundee 2"? There was only one bullet in that episode and you never saw who shot it. (Well, it was Castillo.) So saying that it's like an episode of "Miami Vice" without the gunplay, doesn't exactly bum me out.
And why is everyone so pissed off that Harrison Ford dropped out of this flick? Remember the last time he took on anything resembling this plot? (Yeah, "Clear and Present Danger". That was a pretty decent script before that ego-maniacal has-been got his fucking mitts on it.) I can just see Harrison Ford dozing through another role at the expense of the viewer wondering: "I'm almost certain this is the same guy who played Indiana Jones and Han Solo....is he on Lithium? Maybe the full course HIV treatment, cuz he looks real unhealthy." Harrison Ford couldn't carry Michael Douglas' jock strap.
Michael Douglas is an actor, Harrison Ford is a name. I'm thilled to death that Ford dropped out and gave the part to someone who does look like the spokesman for Nightol. -
Finally, a review and talkback that doesn't gush over the latest downturn in Soderbergh's otherwise fine career. I've been a minor voice of discord in the chorus of approval since I saw the sneak preview in Austin. And I have to say that this reviewer's comparison to a TV show is dead on. That was Straight Man's comment months ago. And both people captured my thoughts. And yes I like Miami Vice! And all the other good TV shows. But even at it's best this movie never reaches the level of certain episodes of Homicide even. Flat is truely the word for the rather underwhelming script (doubtless, THE problem with the film). But while TV shouldn't be pejorative I do feel it describes the somewhat riskless approach to the subject. When we go to the movies, we do expect the Godfather or the French Connection. And you will never see those on TV, much of it due to time constraints, format, etc. Traffic won't tell you anything Miami Vice didn't in the 80's. And I think that's why all the great performances and camera work seems empty. COME ON STEVEN. You may think your new work is looser and more fun but EB and this one demonstrate a loss of intensity your other work has.
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I saw it at a press screening with one of my buddies and we both loved it. It definetly has Oscar potential. The last line delivered by Douglas' character pretty much sums up what the whole movie is about, or, more importantly, what Soderbergh was trying to say with it.
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Dec 13, 2000 6:39:17 PM CST
Attention: Tender Branson: no spoilers in this review at all.
by uncapie
I said "fifth season" of "Miami Vice!" That was the weakest. Second and third season, had the stories. There were a few memeorable good ones in four. Mann also rips himself off. The psycho guy where Crockett gets inside his mind was from "Manhunter" the movie, not the tv series, that starred William Peterson. The original book was called "Red Dragon" and it was the very first appearnace of Hannibal Lector. Mann shot a made-for-tv movie that was shot-for-shot, word-for-word, "Heat." Mann has failed at several attempts at recreating "Vice" like shows. "Nasty Boys", GQ pretty boy undercover cops(?????), the short lived attorney expose that was to use Crockett and Tubbs in cross-over episodes and a 50's detective rip off with Josh Brolin as a jd private investigator. As for "13th Warrior", the book was great. The movie wasn't that good and did tank at the box office. Don't expect the "14th Warrior" coming to a theater near you soon.
As for "Traffic", I never saw the trailer. I saw the film. E-mail me and I'll tell you what happens to all the characters, like someone else who said that I had used spoilers in the review. That person got most of the plot and I'm sure, is pretty pissed that he doubted me. What I won't do is tell the readers on AICN minute details in my reviews, unless its germaine or you might miss it. As in "Gladiator". Didn't anyone catch the soldiers chanting from Germania? That chant was lifted from the warriors from "Zulu" and dubbed in. "The Watch" segment from "Pulp Fiction." Chris Walken makes a comment about a tail gunner named "Wynocki" taking the watch on Wake Island. That was John Garfield's name in Howard Hawks', "Air Force". The last twenty minutes of "Star Wars" is lifted from a film called "Dam Busters" word-for-word. Little things that call your attention, but don't ruin the film, like the sled is Rosebud. That's a spoiler.
Without a doubt though, Benecio Del Toro is the star of this film. He is the Mexican Steve McQueen. Cheadle and Guzman are a combined close second with an outstanding character performance by Miguel Ferrar. -
dogma 95--are you out of your mind? the photographic filtration alone would disqualify it, as would the debatable genre content of, for lack of a better term, a crime movie (cops, robbers, good guys, bad guys, etc). saying that traffic warrants comparison to a dogma film because it contains similar "editing/shaky-cam" characteristics (those are called jump cuts and hand held camera work, rocket) is an unbeliveably superficial comparison that belittles the dogma movement and calls attention to your lack of knowledge with regards to it.
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if you are that ignorant to think that the hot colors of the mexican secnes and the cool colors of the michael douglas scenes in traffic were achieved by gels, than either you haven't seen the movie or your understanding of cinematography comes from that "How to be a Super Badass Cool Guy Video Director" textbook you bought using your parent's credit card number after seeing the ad on the back of the diploma you got from whatever third rate high school you went to from which you acquired such a piss poor command of the english language. i actually suspect that both are true, in your case. and as for the dogma guys, i'm not even a big fan of them, i just thought there was more to them than hand held cinematography. and they haven't made an oath towards anything--von trier has said that it was merely an abstract exercise that he subjected himself to as a filmmaker, and that his next film will probably not be a dogma film. mali, your lack of knowledge regarding virtually every topic you choose to post on would be entertaining if it wasn't so extensive. as it stands, you are the worst kind of know it all--an unintelligent one who tries to cover up his stupidity by attempting to pass of his opinions as facts. i especially enjoyed your quote, "...the usual talkbacker who write shit that stems from their over-excitement to say something bad or good towards a filmmaker or a movie". Junior, that is what you do every time you post--admitting it is just the first step. i am eagerly looking forward to your next idiotic attmept at trying to sound like you know what you're talking about.
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