While a judge's (Michael Douglas) anti-drug campaign leads him to his own daughter, a DEA agent (Don... (Learn more)
Starring: Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro (View All)
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Starring: Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Benicio Del Toro
Described by director Steven Soderbergh as "Nashville meets The French Connection," this multi-character drama explores the effects of international drug trafficking on all fronts: from their source, to the U.S. border, to the federal government, to the private lives of users. Based upon a miniseries originally aired on Britain's Channel 4, Traffic divides its time among three main storylines and almost a dozen locales. The first and primary plot thread, set in Ohio and Washington, D.C., concerns freshly-appointed drug czar Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), whose enthusiasm for his new prestige position is quickly offset when he realizes his 16-year-old daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) is graduating from recreational drug use to habitual abuse -- a secret that his wife, Barbara (Amy Irving), has kept from him. South of the border, Mexican cop Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) attempts to wage his own war on drugs, heading off a cocaine shipment in the middle of the desert with his less-than-virtuous partner Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas). Surrounded by corruption, Javier approaches the drug war with an attitude of patience and compromise, which opens him up to investigation from General Arturo Salazar (Tomas Milian), the country's dubious drug-enforcement liaison to the U.S. Meanwhile, San Diego drug kingpin Carlos Alaya (Steven Bauer) is caught in a sting operation spearheaded by DEA agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman), leaving behind his very pregnant and very oblivious wife, Helena (Catharine Zeta-Jones). At the behest of Carlos' lawyer and shady confidante, Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid), Helena decides to carry on the family business -- with tragic consequences. Adapted by Rules of Engagement scribe Stephen Gaghan, Traffic marked Soderbergh's second major release in 2000 after the critical and box-office success of Erin Brockovich, as well as his second feature as cinematographer (credited under the pseudonym Peter Andrews). A favorite with various guild and critics' awards, Traffic won four Academy Awards in 2001, including statues for Best Supporting Actor (Del Toro) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Gaghan), and surprise wins for Steven Mirrone's editing and Soderbergh's direction. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
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US Release Date
12/27/00
MPAA Rating
Rated R
Running Time
147 mins.
Locations
- San Diego, CA
- Washington, D.C.
Language
- English
- Spanish
Box Office Total
$124,107,476
Awards
- Winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2000 National Society of Film Critics [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 Toronto Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 Broadcast Film Critics Association [Fe Awards.
- Winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 2000 Broadcast Film Critics Association [Fe Awards.
- Winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2000 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 Los Angeles Film Critics Association [ Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 2000 New York Film Critics Circle [Festival Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Editing award at the 2000 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2000 New York Film Critics Circle [Festival Awards.
- Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor award at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival [Fe Awards.
- Winner of the Best Editing award at the 2000 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 2000 Toronto Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Picture - Drama award at the 2000 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Director award at the 2000 British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 National Society of Film Critics [Fest Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Moti award at the 2000 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture [Runner-up] award at the 2000 Toronto Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion award at the 2000 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 2000 Writers Guild of America [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Foreign Film award at the 2001 French Academy of Cinema [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor award at the 2000 Berlin International Film Festival [Fe Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Director award at the 2000 Directors Guild of America [Festival/A Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 New York Film Critics Circle [Festival Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Picture award at the 2000 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 2000 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 2000 Screen Actors Guild [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Winner of the Best Ensemble Acting award at the 2000 Screen Actors Guild [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2000 Chicago Film Critics Association [Fest Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2000 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Winner of the Best Screenplay award at the 2000 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the AFI's Top 10 Films of the Year award at the 2000 American Film Institute [Festival/Awar Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Picture award at the 2000 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Winner of the Best Supporting Actor award at the 2000 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Director award at the 2000 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
Distributor
- Gramercy Pictures/USA Films
- USA Films
- USA Home Entertainment
