Michael Douglas is, as always, very Michael Douglas, but he colors his character with perfect nuances of tense, ill-concealed emotion. Don't listen to my hype - see him for yourself. And his few lines compete heavily with what he silently conveys. In the scene where Del Toro confronts his partner about Druglord info they've both obtained, the weight of his stare easily rivals some of the tenser moments in early Al Pacino performances. You never get the feeling that Del Toro is exhausting the range of his abilities, making him an actor, regardless of past choices, who should undoubtedly be looked out for.
Traffic reaches new heights of craftsmanship and storytelling.
It advances commercial narrative cinema, but doesn't wear out the possibilities inherent in this advancement, leaving you thought ridden and craving more. And it doesn't move forward at the expense of what, proof positive, works well. The future of cinema maintains a surprising degree of posterity, never straying from honest appeals to the human heart stuff that time doesn't effect. Traffic gives you a picture of the drug war that is painstakingly complete, from the politics to the humanity involved. Any reproduction of original content from any Cinema Confidential page is strictly prohibited.