![]() The movie's undoubted star is Benicio Del Toro as Javier Rodriguez, a harassed underpaid street cop in Tijuana, already mired in the venal business of back- handers over parking violations. It differs from "portfolio" movies like Short Cuts or Pulp Fiction, in looking like a giant, strenuous compression of the sort of far-reaching, intermingling storylines more familiar from the small screen, and in which the denouement feels a lot like a "series finale". Traffic looks like a response to this - and a very dynamic and energetic response. For some time, the subtlety and sophistication of shows like The Sopranos and Larry Sanders, with their ability to develop characters and plots over hours and hours of broadcast time, has been thought to represent a serious challenge to the movies. Naivety aside, Traffic demonstrates a big, bold HBO-isation of the big screen. But despite an apparent equivalence of moral squalor between Mexico and the United States, Traffic makes it subtly clear that the official corruption is all happening south of the Rio Grande the worst that the Americans are guilty of is a surfeit of innocence. Meanwhile their Californian connection is taken in by the DEA and the new White House-appointed drugs tsar, frowningly played by Michael Douglas, finds that his own daughter is an end user. He realized a professional cinematographer might have challenged his choices, which was part of why he assumed the responsibility.It's now the Mexican Connection: two infinitely wealthy, infinitely violent Tijuana cartels are at war over the exclusive prerogative of exporting under-the-counter analgesics to Tio Sam in the form of solid cocaine-dolls called Spastic Jacks. To enhance the distinctions between the stories, Soderbergh used different shades of color for each section, often making extreme lighting choices. and government officials trying to enforce laws against the illegal substances. The story is split between three aspects of drug trading: Mexican and American drug traffickers, teenage abusers in the U.S. I wanted to give the impression that we were chasing the story, and that we were capturing instead of staging something," says Soderbergh. "It came from a desire to film as quickly as possible, and the hand-held was an extension of that. He literally made it a hands-on process, shooting much of the documentary style film on his own with a hand-held camera strapped over his shoulder. Soderbergh, who first gained notoriety for 1989's sex, lies and videotape, took on an extra job during the making of Traffic. The sexy Latino star is up for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a Mexican cop trying to remain uphold the law despite pressure to assist the drug lords. Writer Stephen Gaghan is also nominated for an Oscar, along with cast member Benicio Del Toro. Soderbergh's name made nearly all the "best of 2000" lists, with Traffic picking up a best screenplay award at the Golden Globes. "Maybe because it's an election year, I felt like this was the year to make a movie about this subject," said Soderbergh. While promoting Traffic late last year, Soderbergh told journalists he knew the timing was ripe for such a film, which explores the corrupting effects of drug use on both the United States and Mexico. ![]() The films Traffic and Erin Brockovich earned Soderbergh Best Director and Best Picture Oscar nominations, making him the first filmmaker since 1938 to achieve double directing nominations for the same Oscar. — - Win or lose, director Steven Soderbergh has already made Oscar history.
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