‘Traffic’ centers around several key plots, including Michael Douglas as the U.S.’s new drug czar who is so busy combating drugs, that he is oblivious to what is going on in his own home. Benicio Del Toro as an overworked, underpaid Mexican drug cop trying to stay good and honest despite rampant official corruption. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the unsuspecting wife who finds that her legitimate businessman husband is one of the largest drug dealers in the San Diego area. She is forced to manage the crisis while her husband awaits trial and turns from a helpless kitten to a vicious tiger to ensure that she maintains the La Jolla lifestyle to which she has become accustomed.

This is a great film and it will get you thinking about the war on drugs, how we are fighting it and if it is actually a war that can be won. The particular target is the U.S./Mexican drug trade and reiterates the fact that as long as there is supply, there will be demand. The movie is in somewhat of a pan and scan format, with characters, story lines and settings overlapping. Soderbergh cleverly changes the cinemagraphic hues in some storylines, which affects and sets the mood for the quandary that the character is facing.

‘Traffic’ shows how the drug war is being waged from different fronts, and how the fallout affects all those involved and how it crosses socio-economic lines. This movie will make you think or rethink about the war on drugs. Can it be won? Is it already lost? Who are the real criminals, the sellers or the users? Should drugs be legal?

Out of the five Oscar Award Nominations in the year 2001, “Traffic” won four Oscars for Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Director and Best Writing/Screenplay.