I didn't completely understand "Traffic" when I rented it, so I'd have to watch it again. I do know, however, that it deserved all four of its Oscars.
The dialogue was brilliant, especially Robert Wakefield's, Caroline's, and Javier Rodriguez's. The writer picked realistic but intelligent-sounding lines that make it worth watching even if you don't understand the story. Sodenberg deserves the Oscar and lots of praise for a directing job well done.
Benicio Del Toro, the only Oscar-winner for this film not named Stephen or Steven, was awesome. I believed his every word and action, especially when he speaks English because it really sounds like he doesn't know it fluently. He is the only reason this film didn't seem too fast, because Javier Rodriguez was really the only character that had the slightest hint of uneasiness. You can also feel the cop's tension when he has sort of a breakdown trying to get out of the SUV. I definitely want to see more of Benicio's movies, even if that means I have to sit through an action flick, my least favorite genre besides war.
But Erika Christiansen, Jacob Vargas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, and Topher Grace (is that his name?) were also great. Kudos to Erika, who pulled off many convincing scenes where she was high, specifically after freebasing for the first time. I also loved the end under the circumstances, the way the colors looked different wherever the characters were, the lack of a musical score so it sounded like real life...there really wasn't a lot I didn't like. ****/*****
The dialogue was brilliant, especially Robert Wakefield's, Caroline's, and Javier Rodriguez's. The writer picked realistic but intelligent-sounding lines that make it worth watching even if you don't understand the story. Sodenberg deserves the Oscar and lots of praise for a directing job well done.
Benicio Del Toro, the only Oscar-winner for this film not named Stephen or Steven, was awesome. I believed his every word and action, especially when he speaks English because it really sounds like he doesn't know it fluently. He is the only reason this film didn't seem too fast, because Javier Rodriguez was really the only character that had the slightest hint of uneasiness. You can also feel the cop's tension when he has sort of a breakdown trying to get out of the SUV. I definitely want to see more of Benicio's movies, even if that means I have to sit through an action flick, my least favorite genre besides war.
But Erika Christiansen, Jacob Vargas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, and Topher Grace (is that his name?) were also great. Kudos to Erika, who pulled off many convincing scenes where she was high, specifically after freebasing for the first time. I also loved the end under the circumstances, the way the colors looked different wherever the characters were, the lack of a musical score so it sounded like real life...there really wasn't a lot I didn't like. ****/*****