Traffic (HD DVD)

Universal | 147 minutes | 2001 | R | Directed by: Steven Soderbergh |
HD DVD reviewed by: Matt Brighton

Lately, there hasn't been much to crow about when it comes to the movies that Hollywood has been putting out. Countless sequels to movies that no one liked to begin with, "action packed" computer-generated movies that are as hollow as they are stupid...the list goes on. So leave it to Steven Soderbergh, who won a Best Director Oscar for his work here, to put out not one, but two great movies in the same year. We all know Soderbergh for his previous work on Out of Sight and Sex, Lies and Videotape, but my question is this: Where was this guy hiding in the 90's? Soderbergh takes an ensemble cast made up of Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Douglas), Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Quaid (just to name a few) and concentrates on an issue that has affected essentially all of us. The war on drugs. What's so great about the movie is that it's so realistic. And realism, in some cases, is bad. Do we want to know that some 25% of high school seniors are using illegal drugs (and not just alcohol)? Most likely not. But the problem exists and Traffic shows us just how powerless we are against drugs. Another interesting thing about Traffic is the way it's told. We're so used to movies following along a straight line, but lately that has changed. In somewhat of a "Tarantino" esque fashion, Traffic is like three stories in one.

The plot is simple, yet broken down into three basic sections. They loosely intertwine with some characters overlapping into the other section, but for the most part, all are sustained within their respective plotlines. The first "story" introduced concentrates on Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) and his partner. Javier is an honest cop, working in Mexico. He makes $318 a month, but seems satisfied with it saying "that's what the job pays". Not interested in the big money, Javier is loyal to his friends and is trying to make a difference when it comes to the war on drugs. I'm not sure if these comments should be reserved for the "video" section of the review, but each section has a different hue that reflects that part of the story. The Mexican part is filmed in a gritty, brownish tone that reflects the life that Javier and his partner live. Dirty and not at all perfect. We are then introduced to the second section, this one taking place in Ohio. Michael Douglas plays Bob Wakefield, a judge who has just been appointed as the country's "drug czar". Though idealistic, he meets with his predecessor and sees that the job is almost pointless. It's not until he starts to visit the drug problems first hand, that he realizes what a problem the drugs are. To make matters worse, his daughter and her friends are experimenting with freebasing cocaine. Not your average drug. The signs of problems show and it's up to Bob to not only lead the country in the war against drugs, but lead his family as well. Again, the tone reflected in this section is that of a corporate blue. The palette looks washed out and heartless, much like that of the job that Bob is about to take. It sets the mood perfectly.

The third section concentrates on two DEA agents (Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman). After arresting a local drug dealer who is going to testify, they set up surveillance on a local well-to-do San Diego couple. Not knowing her husband has been involved in drugs, Catherine Zeta-Jones' character is the pregnant housewife who sees how fast her world can be turned upside down by the threat of drugs. Now fearing for her life and the life of her child, she struggles to come to terms with what her life has become, and also a way to try to make it with her husband behind bars. Though this may be the most "light-hearted" of the three, it crosses the paths with the first story. Shot in a yellowish hue (similar to that of Erin Brockovich), the third section of Traffic contains some of the best dialogue and suspense. All in all, Traffic may well be one of the better movies that I've seen in a quite some time. It affects different people differently. I saw this with my girlfriend in the theater and she couldn't stop crying, while I was bone dry. Traffic has something for everyone, and it may be debated for years to come why this didn't get the Best Picture Oscar it so deserved. Who knows? One thing that can be said is that it will make you think twice about the drug problem that is prevalent in our country as well as the world. Highly recommended.

This is actually the third incarnation of “Traffic” on DVD – granted the prior two have been in standard DVD format and I was excited to see how this looked on HD DVD. Well, as it turns out it looks pretty darn good. The 1.85:1 HD transfer looks absolutely pristine in some scenes and rather “so-so” in others. As anyone who has seen the movie knows, the physical look of this movie is all over the map. The different hues vary according to which storyline they’re following. For instance the San Diego storyline has a very yellowish, warm feel to it while the others seem to have a blue tint to it. As expected, the detail level is what really stood out and I noticed some things that I hadn’t really ever noticed before. Writing on signs in the background, you can tell the time on people’s watches. I’m constantly amazed at how crystal clear HD DVD can be and “Traffic” is the latest example.

The Dolby Digital Plus soundtrack sounds good, certainly better than the previous DVD Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but there isn’t a lot of action going on. Some movies are more visual and others are more audio-oriented. This is the first. Dialogue is very clean and crisp and though the surrounds don’t really play a big part in the movie, they do kick in at the right time to add a bit of ambiance to certain scenes. For the most part, I’d say that this is a good surround mix but honestly, when watching the movie I was so engrossed that not a whole lot really stood out to me about the audio. For what it’s worth, it’s a nice mix but not one that will really impress.

This is basically a HD DVD re-issue of the original “Traffic” disc put out by USA (now defunct) about five years ago and the only supplement is “Inside Traffic” – a behind the scenes making-of documentary. There are some TV spots and the trailer as well as a photo gallery. If you’re really into the movie and want the most out of it, I’d pick up the Criterion Collection version. It has plenty of supplements and the audio and video are just about as good as this release. However, if you’re a casual fan and just want the best picture and sound quality – well then this is the one for you.