Traffic (2000 film)

Last updated

Traffic
Traffic2000Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Screenplay by Stephen Gaghan
Based on Traffik
by Simon Moore
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Peter Andrews
Edited by Stephen Mirrione
Music by Cliff Martinez
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • USA Films (United States and Canada)
  • Initial Entertainment Group (International) [1]
Release date
  • December 27, 2000 (2000-12-27)(United States)
Running time
147 minutes
CountryUnited States
Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
Budget$48 million [2]
Box office$207.5 million [3]

Traffic is a 2000 American crime drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Stephen Gaghan. It explores the illegal drug trade from several perspectives: users, enforcers, politicians, and traffickers. Their stories are edited together throughout the film, although some characters do not meet each other. The film is an adaptation of the 1989 British Channel 4 television series Traffik . The film stars an international ensemble cast, including Don Cheadle, Benicio del Toro, Michael Douglas, Erika Christensen, Luis Guzmán, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jacob Vargas, Tomas Milian, Topher Grace, James Brolin, Steven Bauer, and Benjamin Bratt. It features both English and Spanish-language dialogue.

Contents

20th Century Fox, the original financiers of the film, demanded that Harrison Ford play a leading role and that significant changes to the screenplay be made. Soderbergh refused and proposed the script to other major Hollywood studios; it was rejected because of the three-hour running time and the subject matter—Traffic is more of a political film than most Hollywood productions. [4] USA Films, however, liked the project from the start and offered the filmmakers more money than Fox. Soderbergh operated the camera himself and adopted a distinctive color grade for each story line so that audiences could tell them apart.

Traffic was released in the United States on December 27, 2000, and received critical acclaim for Soderbergh's direction, the film's style, complexity, messages, and the cast's performances (particularly del Toro's). Traffic earned numerous awards, including four Oscars (from five nominations): Best Director for Steven Soderbergh, Best Supporting Actor for Benicio del Toro, Best Adapted Screenplay for Stephen Gaghan and Best Film Editing for Stephen Mirrione. It was also a commercial success with a worldwide box-office revenue total of $207.5 million, well above its estimated $46 million budget.

In 2004, USA Network ran a miniseries—also called Traffic —based on the film and the 1989 British television series.

Plot

Mexico story line

In Mexico, police officers Javier Rodriguez and Manolo Sanchez stop a drug transport. General Salazar, a high-ranking Mexican official, interrupts their arrest to offer Javier a special assignment: apprehending Francisco Flores, a hitman for the Tijuana Cartel, headed by the Obregón brothers.

In Tijuana, under torture, Flores gives Salazar the names of Obregón cartel members, who are arrested. Javier and Salazar's efforts cripple the Obregóns' cocaine outfit, but Javier discovers that Salazar is a pawn of the rival Juárez Cartel; Salazar's anti-drug campaign is a charade to wipe out the Juárez Cartel's competitors.

Sanchez attempts to sell information about Salazar's true affiliation to the Drug Enforcement Administration, but Salazar has him murdered in the desert with Javier forced to watch. Javier arranges a deal with the DEA to testify against Salazar in exchange for electricity in his neighborhood to keep local children from being tempted by street gangs and crime. Salazar's secrets are revealed, and he is arrested.

Javier makes a statement to the media about the widespread corruption in the police force and army. Later, Javier watches as children play baseball at night in their new stadium.

Wakefield story line

Robert Wakefield, a conservative Ohio judge, is appointed to head the President's Office of National Drug Control Policy as drug czar, though he is warned that the War on Drugs is unwinnable. Meanwhile, Robert's teenage daughter Caroline has been using cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin, developing a drug addiction after her boyfriend Seth introduces her to freebasing. Caroline, Seth, and their friend Vanessa are arrested when they try to dump an overdosing fellow student at a hospital. Robert and his wife Barbara struggle to deal with Caroline's addiction, which Barbara has secretly known about for months.

Robert finds himself caught between his demanding new position and difficult family life. Visiting Mexico, he is encouraged by Salazar's successful efforts in hurting the Obregón brothers. Returning to Ohio, Robert learns that Caroline has run away to Cincinnati after stealing money from her parents to pay for drugs.

Dragging Seth along, Robert searches Cincinnati for his daughter. After a drug dealer who is prostituting Caroline refuses to reveal her whereabouts, Robert breaks into a seedy hotel room and finds a semi-conscious Caroline in the company of an older man. In Washington, D.C. to present a "10-point plan" to win the War on Drugs, Robert falters halfway through the speech, and tells the press that the War on Drugs implies a war on one's own family, which he cannot endorse. Later, Robert and Barbara attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting with Caroline, telling the other attendees that they are "here to listen".

Ayala/DEA story line

In San Diego, an undercover DEA investigation led by Montel Gordon and Ray Castro leads to the arrest of Eduardo Ruiz, a dealer posing as a fisherman. Ruiz gives up his boss, drug lord Carl Ayala, the Obregóns' biggest distributor in the United States. Ayala is indicted by a tough prosecutor, hand-selected by Robert Wakefield to send a message to the cartels.

As Ayala's trial begins, his pregnant wife Helena learns of her husband's true profession from his associate, Arnie Metzger. Facing the prospect of life imprisonment for her husband and death threats against her child, Helena hires Flores to assassinate Ruiz and end the trial nolle prosequi . Flores plants a car bomb, but is killed by a sniper in retaliation for his cooperation with General Salazar, and the bomb meant to kill Ruiz instead kills Agent Castro.

Knowing Ruiz will soon testify, Helena makes a deal with Juan Obregón, who forgives the Ayala family's debt and has Ruiz poisoned. Ayala is released, and he deduces that Metzger accepted $3 million to inform on Ruiz to the FBI and facilitate Ayala's downfall; Metzger is later visited by armed men. Soon after Ayala's release, Gordon bursts into his homecoming celebration and is forced out. Having planted a listening device under Ayala's desk, Gordon smiles as he walks away.

Relationship to actual events

Some aspects of the plotline are based on actual people and events:

At one point in the film, an El Paso Intelligence Center agent tells Robert his position, official in charge of drug control, does not exist in Mexico. As noted in the original script, a Director of the Instituto Nacional para el Combate a las Drogas was created by the Attorney General of Mexico in 1996.

Cast

Production

Development

Steven Soderbergh had been interested in making a film about the drug wars for some time but did not want to make one about addicts. [8] Producer Laura Bickford obtained the rights to the British television miniseries Traffik (1989) and liked its structure. Soderbergh, who had seen the miniseries in 1990, [9] started looking for a screenwriter to adapt it into a film. They read a script by Stephen Gaghan called Havoc , about upper-class white kids in Palisades High School doing drugs and getting involved with gangs. [10] Soderbergh approached Gaghan to work on his film but found he was already developing a film about drugs for producer/director Edward Zwick. Bickford and Soderbergh approached Zwick, who agreed to merge the two projects and come aboard as a producer. [8]

Traffic was originally going to be distributed by 20th Century Fox, but it was put into turnaround unless actor Harrison Ford agreed to star. Soderbergh began shopping the film to other studios, but when Ford suddenly showed interest in Traffic, Fox's interest in the film was renewed; the studio took it out of turnaround. [11] Fox CEO Bill Mechanic championed the film, but he departed from the studio by the time the first draft was finished. It went back into turnaround. [12] Mechanic had also wanted to make some changes to the script, but Soderbergh disagreed [2] and decided to shop the film to other major studios. They all turned him down because they were not confident in the prospects of a three-hour film about drugs, according to Gaghan. [10] USA Films, however, had wanted to take on the movie from the first time Soderbergh approached them. [12] They provided the filmmakers with a $46 million budget, a considerable increase from the $25 million which Fox offered. [2]

Screenplay

Soderbergh had "conceptual discussions" with Gaghan while he was shooting The Limey in October 1998; they finished the outline before he went off to shoot Erin Brockovich . [8] After Soderbergh was finished with that film, Gaghan had written a first draft in six weeks that was 165 pages long. [10] After the film was approved for production, Soderbergh and Gaghan met two separate times for three days to reformat the script. [10] The draft they shot had 163 pages with 135 speaking parts and featured seven cities. [8] The film shortens the story line of the original miniseries; a significant character arc of a farmer is taken out, and the Pakistani plotline is replaced with one set in Mexico. [9]

Casting

Harrison Ford was initially considered for the role of Robert Wakefield in January 2000 but would have had to take a significant cut in his usual $20 million salary. [13] Ford met with Soderbergh to flesh out the character. Gaghan agreed to rework the role, adding several scenes to the screenplay. On February 20, Ford turned down the role, and the filmmakers brought it back to Michael Douglas, who had turned down an earlier draft. He liked the changes and agreed to star, which helped greenlight the project. [13] Gaghan believes Ford turned down the role because he wanted to "reconnect with his action fans". [10]

The filmmakers sent out letters to many politicians, both Democrat and Republican, asking them to make cameo appearances in the film. Several of the scenes had already been shot using actors in these roles, but the filmmakers went back and reshot those scenes when real politicians agreed to be in the film. [14] Those who agreed, including U.S. Senators Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Orrin Hatch, Charles Grassley, and Don Nickles, and Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, were filmed in a scene that was entirely improvised. [9]

Pre-production

The project was obtained from Fox by Initial Entertainment Group and was sold to USA Films by IEG for North American rights only. Steven Soderbergh never approached USA Films, and Initial Entertainment Group fully funded the film.

After Fox dropped the film in early 2000, and before USA Films expressed interest, Soderbergh paid for pre-production with his own money. [10] USA Films agreed to give him the final cut on Traffic and also agreed to his term that all the Mexican characters would speak Spanish while talking to each other. [13] This meant that almost all of Benicio del Toro's dialogue would be subtitled. Once the studio realized this, they suggested that his scenes be shot in English and Spanish, but Soderbergh and del Toro rejected the suggestion. [13] Del Toro, a native of Puerto Rico, [15] was worried that another actor would be brought in and re-record his dialogue in English after he had worked hard to master Mexican inflections and improve his Spanish vocabulary. Del Toro remembers: "Can you imagine? You do the whole movie, bust your butt to get it as realistic as possible, and someone dubs your voice? I said, 'No way. Over my dead body.' Steven was like, 'Don't worry. It's not gonna happen.'" [13] The director fought for subtitles for the Mexico scenes, arguing that if the characters did not speak Spanish, the film would have no integrity and would not convincingly portray what he described as the "impenetrability of another culture". [9]

The filmmakers went to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and U.S. Customs early on with the script; they told them that they were trying to present as detailed and accurate a picture of the current drug war as possible. [9] The DEA and Customs pointed out inaccuracies in the script. In addition, they gave the production team access to the border checkpoint to Mexico, as shown in the film during the scene in which Wakefield and his people talk with border officials. Despite the assistance, the DEA did not try to influence the script's content. [9] Soderbergh said Traffic had influences from the films of Richard Lester and Jean-Luc Godard. He also spent time analyzing The Battle of Algiers and Z , which, according to the director, had the feeling that the footage was "caught" and not staged. [12] Another inspiration was Alan J. Pakula's film All the President's Men because of its ability to tackle serious issues while being entertaining. [16] In the opening credits of the film, Soderbergh tried to replicate the typeface from All the President's Men and the placement on-screen at the bottom left-hand corner. Analyzing this film helped the director deal with the large cast and working in many different locations for Traffic. [16]

Principal photography

Half of the first day's footage came out overexposed and unusable. [13] Before the financiers or studio bosses knew about the problem, Soderbergh was already doing reshoots. The insurers made him agree that any further mishaps resulting in additional filming would come from the director's pocket. [13] Soderbergh shot in various cities in California, Ohio, and Texas, on a 54-day schedule and came in $2 million under budget. [8] The director acted as his cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews and operated the camera himself to "get as close to the movie as I can" and to eliminate the distance between the actors and himself. [17] [8] Soderbergh drew inspiration from the cinema verite style of Ken Loach's films, studying the framing of scenes, the distance of the camera to the actors, lens length, and the tightness of eyelines depending on the position of a character. Soderbergh remembers, "I noticed that there's a space that's inviolate, that if you get within something, you cross the edge into a more theatrical aesthetic as opposed to a documentary aesthetic". [8] Most of the day was spent shooting because a lot of the film was shot with available light. [12]

For the hand-held camera footage, Soderbergh used Panavision Millennium XLs that were smaller and lighter than previous cameras and allowed him to move freely. [8] He adopted a distinctive look for each to tell the three stories apart. For Robert Wakefield's story, Soderbergh used tungsten film with no filter for a cold, monochrome blue feel. [8] For Helena Ayala's story, Soderbergh used diffusion filters, flashing the film and overexposing it for a warmer feel. For Javier Rodriguez's story, the director used tobacco filters and a 45-degree shutter angle whenever possible to produce a strobe-like sharp feeling. [8] Then, he took the entire film through an Ektachrome step, which increased the contrast and grain significantly. [8] He wanted different looks for each story because the audience had to keep track of many characters and absorb a lot of information, and he did not want them to have to figure out which story they were watching. [9]

Benicio del Toro had significant input into certain parts of the film; for example, he suggested a more straightforward, concise way of depicting his character kidnapping Francisco Flores that Soderbergh ended up using. [9] The director cut a scene from the screenplay in which Robert Wakefield smokes crack after finding it in his daughter's bedroom. After rehearsing this scene with the actors, he felt that the character would not do it; after consulting with Gaghan, the screenwriter agreed, and the filmmakers cut the scene shortly before it was scheduled to be shot. [10]

Balboa Park, downtown San Diego and La Jolla were utilized as the environment for the film. [18]

Post-production

The first cut of Traffic ran three hours and ten minutes. [8] Soderbergh cut it to two hours and twenty minutes. Early on, there were concerns that the film might get an NC-17 rating, and he was prepared to release it with that rating, but the MPAA gave it an R. [8]

Release

Home media

In the United States, the film was released on DVD on May 28, 2002, by The Criterion Collection. [19] In Australia, Traffic was released on DVD by Village Roadshow, with an MA15+ rating. Despite the Australian packaging stating the length to be 124 minutes, the actual DVD version is just over 141 minutes long.

Reception

Box office performance

Traffic was given a limited release on December 27, 2000, in four theaters where it grossed US$184,725 on its opening weekend. It was given a wide release on January 5, 2001, in 1,510 theaters, grossing $15.5 million on its opening weekend. The film made $124.1 million in North America and $83.4 million in foreign markets for a worldwide total of $207.5 million, well above its estimated $46 million budget. [2] [20]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 223 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Soderbergh successfully pulls off the highly ambitious Traffic, a movie with three different stories and a very large cast. The issues of ethics are gray rather than black-and-white, with no clear-cut good guys. Terrific acting all around." [21] On Metacritic, the film has received an average score of 86 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [23]

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, and wrote: "The movie is powerful precisely because it doesn't preach. It is so restrained that at one moment—the judge's final speech—I wanted one more sentence, making a point, but the movie lets us supply that thought for ourselves". [24] Stephen Holden, in his review for The New York Times , wrote: "Traffic is an utterly gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller. Or rather it is several interwoven thrillers, each with its own tense rhythm and explosive payoff". [25] In his review for The New York Observer , Andrew Sarris wrote: "Traffic marks [Soderbergh] definitively as an enormous talent, one who never lets us guess what he's going to do next. The promise of Sex, Lies, and Videotape has been fulfilled". [26]

Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A" rating and praised Benicio del Toro's performance, which critic Owen Gleiberman called, "haunting in his understatement, [it] becomes the film's quietly awakening moral center". [27] Desson Howe, in his review for the Washington Post , wrote: "Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, who based this on a British television miniseries of the same name, have created an often exhilarating, soup-to-nuts exposé of the world's most lucrative trade". [28] In his review for Rolling Stone , Peter Travers wrote: "The hand-held camerawork – Soderbergh himself did the holding—provides a documentary feel that rivets attention". [29] However, Richard Schickel of Time , in a rare negative review, finds the film's biggest weakness to be that it contains the "cliches of a hundred crime movies" before concluding that "Traffic, for all its earnestness, does not work. It leaves one feeling restless and dissatisfied". [30] In an interview, director Ingmar Bergman lauded the film as "amazing". [31]

Accolades

Steven Soderbergh received dual nominations for Best Director that year for both Erin Brockovich and Traffic, winning the award for the latter.

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Picture Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, and Laura Bickford Nominated [32]
Best Director Steven Soderbergh Won
Best Supporting Actor Benicio del Toro Won
Best Screenplay – Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Stephen Gaghan Won
Best Film Editing Stephen Mirrione Won
ALMA Awards Outstanding Feature FilmWon
Outstanding Latino Cast in a Feature FilmWon
Outstanding Soundtrack or Compilation for Television and FilmNominated
Amanda Awards Best Foreign Feature FilmSteven SoderberghNominated
American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic Stephen MirrioneNominated
American Film Institute Awards Top 10 Movies of the YearWon [33]
Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Feature Film Casting – Drama Debra Zane Won [34]
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Steven SoderberghNominated [35]
Best Actor Benicio del ToroWon
Black Reel Awards Best Supporting Actor Don Cheadle Won [36]
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Actor – Drama Michael Douglas Nominated [37]
Favorite Supporting Actor – DramaBenicio del ToroWon
Favorite Supporting Actress – Drama Catherine Zeta-Jones Nominated
BMI Film & TV Awards Film Music Award Cliff Martinez Won
Bodil Awards Best American Film Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Director Steven Soderbergh3rd Place [38]
British Academy Film Awards Best Direction Nominated [39]
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Benicio del ToroWon
Best Adapted Screenplay Stephen GaghanWon
Best Editing Stephen MirrioneNominated
British Society of Cinematographers Awards Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film Steven SoderberghNominated [40]
César Awards Best Foreign Film Anthony MinghellaNominated [41]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Film Nominated [42]
Best Director Steven SoderberghWon
Best Supporting Actor Benicio del ToroWon
Best Supporting Actress Catherine Zeta-JonesNominated
Best Screenplay Stephen GaghanNominated
Best Cinematography Steven SoderberghNominated
Chlotrudis Awards Best MovieNominated [43]
Best DirectorSteven SoderberghNominated
Best Supporting ActorBenicio del ToroWon
Best Adapted ScreenplayStephen GaghanNominated
Best CastNominated
Costume Designers Guild Awards Excellence in Contemporary Film Louise FrogleyNominated [44]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards Top 10 FilmsWon [45]
Best Picture Nominated
Best Director Steven Soderbergh (also for Erin Brockovich )Won
Best Supporting Actor Benicio del ToroNominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Stephen GaghanWon [a]
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Top 10 Films Won
Best Film Won
Best Director Steven SoderberghWon
Best Supporting Actor Benicio del ToroNominated
Best Supporting Actress Catherine Zeta-JonesNominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Steven SoderberghNominated [46]
Edgar Allan Poe Awards Best Motion Picture Stephen Gaghan (screenplay);
Simon Moore (based on the miniseries)		Won [47]
Empire Awards Best Director Steven SoderberghNominated
Best Actor Benicio del ToroNominated
Best British Actress Catherine Zeta-JonesNominated
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Foreign FilmWon
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Film Won [48]
Best Director Steven Soderbergh (also for Erin Brockovich )Won
Best Supporting Actor Benicio del ToroWon
Gold Derby Awards Best Supporting Actor of the DecadeNominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [49]
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Benicio del ToroWon
Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Catherine Zeta-JonesNominated
Best Director – Motion Picture Steven SoderberghNominated
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture Stephen GaghanWon
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Dialogue & ADR, Domestic Feature Film Larry Blake and Aaron Glascock Nominated
Grammy Awards Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or
Other Visual Media 		Cliff MartinezNominated [50]
Humanitas Prize Feature Film Stephen GaghanNominated [51]
Imagen Awards Best Theatrical Feature FilmNominated
Kansas City Film Critics Circle AwardsBest FilmWon [52]
Best DirectorSteven SoderberghWon
Best Supporting ActorBenicio del ToroWon
Kinema Junpo Awards Best Foreign Language FilmSteven SoderberghWon
Best Foreign Language Film DirectorWon
Las Vegas Film Critics Society AwardsBest DirectorSteven Soderbergh (also for Erin Brockovich )Won [53]
Best ActorMichael DouglasNominated
Best Supporting ActorBenicio del ToroWon
Best Original ScreenplayStephen GaghanNominated
Best Film EditingStephen MirrioneNominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Director Steven Soderbergh (also for Erin Brockovich )Won [54]
Best Supporting Actor Benicio del ToroRunner-up
Best Cinematography Steven SoderberghRunner-up
Manaki Brothers Film Festival Golden Camera 300Nominated
MTV Movie Awards Breakthrough Female Performance Erika Christensen Won
Nastro d'Argento Best Foreign DirectorSteven SoderberghNominated
National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Films 2nd Place [55]
Best Director Steven Soderbergh (also for Erin Brockovich )Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Film 2nd Place [56]
Best Director Steven Soderbergh (also for Erin Brockovich )Won
Best Supporting Actor Benicio Del ToroWon
Best Screenplay Stephen Gaghan3rd Place
Best Cinematography Steven Soderbergh3rd Place
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Film Won [57]
[58]
Best Director Steven Soderbergh (also for Erin Brockovich )Won
Best Actor Benicio del ToroRunner-up
Best Supporting Actor Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards [59] Best PictureMarshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, and Laura BickfordWon
Best DirectorSteven SoderberghNominated
Best Supporting ActorBenicio del ToroNominated
Best Youth PerformanceErika ChristensenNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayStephen GaghanNominated
Best CastingDebra ZaneWon
Best CinematographySteven SoderberghNominated
Best Film EditingStephen MirrioneNominated
Best SoundNominated
Best EnsembleWon
Best Titles SequenceNominated
Best Official Film WebsiteNominated
Online Film Critics Society Awards Top 10 Films5th Place [60]
Best Picture Nominated
Best Director Steven SoderberghNominated
Best Supporting Actor Benicio del ToroWon [b]
Best Screenplay Stephen GaghanNominated
Best Cinematography Steven SoderberghNominated
Best Editing Stephen MirrioneNominated
Best Ensemble Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardsBest PictureNominated
Best DirectorSteven SoderberghWon
Best Actor in a Supporting RoleBenicio del ToroNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayStephen GaghanNominated
Best CinematographySteven SoderberghNominated
Best Film EditingStephen MirrioneNominated
Political Film Society Awards Exposé Nominated
Prism Awards Theatrical Feature FilmWon
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Best Supporting Actor Benicio del ToroWon
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Won [61]
Best Director Steven SoderberghWon
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Benicio del ToroNominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Stephen GaghanNominated
Best Art Direction Keith P. CunninghamNominated
Best Cinematography Steven SoderberghNominated
Best Editing Stephen MirrioneNominated
Best Original Score Cliff MartinezNominated
Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble Won
Saturn Awards Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film Nominated [62]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Benjamin Bratt, James Brolin, Don Cheadle,
Erika Christensen, Clifton Collins Jr., Benicio del Toro,
Michael Douglas, Albert Finney, Topher Grace,
Amy Irving, Dennis Quaid, and Catherine Zeta-Jones		Won [63]
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Benicio del ToroWon
Southeastern Film Critics Association AwardsBest Picture2nd Place [64]
Best DirectorSteven SoderberghWon
Best Supporting ActorBenicio del ToroWon
Best Adapted ScreenplayStephen GaghanWon
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie BreakoutErika ChristensenNominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards Best Film Runner-up [65]
Best Director Steven SoderberghWon
Best Male Performance Benicio Del ToroWon
Turkish Film Critics Association Awards Best Foreign Film2nd Place
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards Best Film Won [66]
Best Director Steven SoderberghWon
Best Actor Benicio Del ToroWon
Village Voice Film Poll Best Supporting PerformanceWon [67]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Screenplay – Based on Material Previously Produced or Published Stephen GaghanWon [68]
Young Hollywood Awards Breakthrough Male PerformanceTopher GraceWon
Standout Female PerformanceErika ChristensenWon

Top ten lists

Traffic appeared on several critics' top ten lists for 2000. Some of the notable top-ten list appearances are: [69]

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Soderbergh</span> American filmmaker (born 1963)

Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventive films made within the studio system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramón Arellano Félix</span> Mexican drug trafficker (1964–2002)

Ramón Eduardo Arellano Félix was a Mexican drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel. He was the leader of the enforcement wing of the organization until his assassination on February 10, 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benicio del Toro</span> Puerto Rican actor (born 1967)

Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican-born Spanish actor. He has garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Silver Bear for his portrayal of the jaded but morally upright police officer Javier Rodriguez in the film Traffic (2000). Del Toro's performance as despairing ex-con turned zealot Jack Jordan, in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams (2003), earned him a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Gaghan</span> American screenwriter and director (born 1965)

Stephen Gaghan is an American screenwriter and director. He is noted for writing the screenplay for Steven Soderbergh's film Traffic, based on a Channel 4 series, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as Syriana which he wrote and directed. He also wrote and directed the thriller Abandon and the family film Dolittle, and directed the drama Gold.

The 66th New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 2000, were announced on 13 December 2000 and presented on 14 January 2001 by the New York Film Critics Circle.

The 4th Online Film Critics Society Awards, honoring the best in film for 2000, were given on 2 January 2001.

The 26th Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, honoring the best in film for 2000, were given in December 2000.

Jesús Hector Gutiérrez Rebollo was a Mexican military general who was sentenced to 40 years in prison on multiple charges, including involvement in organized crime in the late nineties.

The Juárez Cartel, also known as the Vicente Carrillo Fuentes Organization, is a Mexican drug cartel based in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, across the Mexico—U.S. border from El Paso, Texas. The cartel is one of several drug trafficking organizations that have been known to decapitate their rivals, mutilate their corpses and dump them in public places to instill fear not only in the general public but also in local law enforcement and their rivals, the Sinaloa Cartel. Its current known leader is Juan Pablo Ledezma. The Juárez Cartel has an armed wing known as La Línea, a Juárez street gang that usually performs the executions and is now the cartel’s most powerful and leading faction. It also uses the Barrio Azteca gang to attack its enemies.

The 13th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, given on 26 February 2001, honored the finest achievements in 2000 filmmaking.

The 6th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on January 22, 2001, honoring the finest achievements of 2000 filmmaking.

The 35th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 6 January 2001, honored the best in film for 2000.

<i>Drug Wars: The Camarena Story</i> 1990 American TV miniseries

Drug Wars: The Camarena Story is a 1990 American crime drama television miniseries based on the life of Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, an undercover DEA who was abducted and killed by the Guadalajara Cartel in 1985. The series is directed by Brian Gibson and stars Steven Bauer in the titular role and Benicio del Toro as cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero, alongside Elizabeth Peña, Miguel Ferrer, Treat Williams and Craig T. Nelson. The teleplay is based on Elaine Shannon’s non-fiction book Desperados and the Time magazine article of the same name. Filmmaker Michael Mann served as an executive producer, as well as co-writing one of the episodes.

Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo, commonly referred to by his aliases El Jefe de Jefes and El Padrino, is a convicted Mexican drug kingpin who was one of the founders of the Guadalajara Cartel, which controlled much of the drug trafficking in Mexico and the corridors along the Mexico–United States border in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamín Arellano Félix</span> Mexican drug trafficker

Benjamín Arellano Félix is a Mexican former drug lord who alongside his brothers founded and led the Tijuana Cartel or "Arellano-Félix Organization” until his arrest in March 2002.

<i>Savages</i> (2012 film) Film by Oliver Stone

Savages is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by Oliver Stone. It is based on Don Winslow's novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Stone, Winslow, and Shane Salerno. It stars Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Benicio del Toro, Demián Bichir, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch and John Travolta. The film follows two marijuana growers, Chon, an ex-Navy SEAL, and Ben, who are best friends, as they confront the Mexican drug cartel that kidnapped their shared girlfriend.

<i>Sicario</i> (2015 film) Action thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve

Sicario is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve, written by Taylor Sheridan in his screenwriting debut and starring Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin. The film follows a principled FBI special agent who is enlisted by a government task force to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel. Sicario was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It began a limited release in the United States on September 18, 2015, followed by a nationwide release on October 2, 2015.

<i>Narcos</i> American crime drama series

Narcos is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. Set and filmed in Colombia, seasons 1 and 2 are based on the story of Colombian narcoterrorist and drug lord Pablo Escobar, leader of the Medellín Cartel and billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine. The series also focuses on Escobar's interactions with drug lords, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents, and various opposition entities. Season 3 picks up after the fall of Escobar and continues to follow the DEA as they try to shut down the rise of the infamous Cali Cartel.

<i>Sicario: Day of the Soldado</i> 2018 film by Stefano Sollima

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a 2018 American crime thriller film directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan. A sequel to 2015's Sicario, the film features Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, and Raoul Trujillo reprising their roles, with Isabela Moner, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Catherine Keener joining the cast. The story relates to human trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border and an attempt by the United States government to incite increased conflict among the cartels.

Laura Conde Bickford is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award nominated film and television producer who produced Traffic, Che, Duplicity, Arbitrage, and Beasts of No Nation. She was nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Picture for Traffic in 2001 and an Emmy Award for Citizen X in 1996. She has been a member of Producers Branch of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2002. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America and was on the board of the writers and human rights organization PEN USA in Los Angeles from 2012-2018 until their merger with PEN America and is a current member of PEN's LA committee.

References

  1. ↑ "Traffic (2000)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Dargis, Manohla (2000-12-26). "Go! Go! Go!". L.A. Weekly . Archived from the original on 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
  3. ↑ "Traffic (2000)" Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine . Box Office Mojo . IMDb. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  4. ↑ Dargis, Manohla. "Traffic: Border Wars". The Criterion Collection.
  5. ↑ Cason, Jim; David Brooks (2001-03-09). "Traffic, película que podría ser la crítica más severa a la lucha antidrogas de EU". La Jornada (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  6. ↑ Cavallo, Ascanio (2001-03-10). "Traffic". El Mercurio (in Spanish). Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  7. ↑ Shaw, Deborah (2005). ""You Are Alright, But...": Individual and Collective Representations of Mexicans, Latinos, Anglo-Americans and African-Americans in Steven Soderbergh's 'Traffic'". Quarterly Review of Film and Video . 22: 211–223. doi:10.1080/10509200490474339. S2CID   190712388. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Hope, Darrell (January 2001). "The 'Traffic' Report with Steven Soderbergh". DGA Magazine. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lemons, Stephen (2000-12-20). "Steven Soderbergh". Salon.com . Archived from the original on 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Divine, Christian (2001-01-02). "Pushing Words". Creative Screenwriting. pp. 57–58.
  11. ↑ Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca (2000-02-15). "Red Light, Green Light". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Kaufman, Anthony (2001-01-03). "Interview: Man of the Year, Steven Soderbergh 'Traffic''s in Success". indieWIRE . Archived from the original on 2006-04-12. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Daly, Steve (2001-03-02). "Dope & Glory". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  14. ↑ Conversations with Ross: "Featuring Sam Jaeger" Archived 2011-04-24 at the Wayback Machine . RossCarey.com. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  15. ↑ Méndez-Méndez, S.; Mendez, S.M.; Cueto, G.; Deynes, N.R.; Rodríguez-Deynes, N. (2003). Notable Caribbeans and Caribbean Americans: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. p. 139. ISBN   978-0-313-31443-8 . Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  16. 1 2 Lyman, Rick (2001-02-16). "Follow the Muse: Inspiration to Balance Lofty and Light". The New York Times . Retrieved 2008-05-26.
  17. ↑ French, Phillip (January 28, 2001). "Traffic". The Guardian . Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  18. ↑ Benninger, Michael (2016-03-01). "Hot Shots". Pacific San Diego. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  19. ↑ Rivero, Enrique (February 1, 2002). "USA's Traffic' Travels to Criterion Collection". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2002. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Traffic". Box Office Mojo . IMDb. Archived from the original on 2015-08-15. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  21. ↑ "Traffic (2000)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Traffic reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  24. ↑ Ebert, Roger (2001-01-01). "Traffic". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on 2008-04-19. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  25. ↑ Holden, Stephen (2000-12-27). "Teeming Mural of a War Fought and Lost". The New York Times . Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
  26. ↑ Sarris, Andrew (2000-12-24). "Soderbergh, on Border Patrol, Dissects the Drug Economy". The New York Observer . Archived from the original on 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  27. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (2001-01-05). "The High Drama". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 31, 2012. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  28. ↑ Howe, Desson (2001-01-05). "Green Light for 'Traffic'". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  29. ↑ Travers, Peter (2001-12-18). "Traffic". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  30. ↑ Schickel, Richard (2000-12-31). "Caution: Gridlock Ahead". Time . Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  31. ↑ "EuroScreenwriters – Interviews with European Film Directors – Ingmar Bergman". Sydsvenskan. Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  32. ↑ "The 73rd Academy Awards (2001) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  33. ↑ "AFI Awards 2000" . Retrieved December 23, 2021.
  34. ↑ "2001 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America . Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Berlinale: 2001 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  36. ↑ "Black Reel Awards – Past Nominees & Winners by Category". Black Reel Awards . Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  37. ↑ LANCE FIASCO (April 12, 2001). "'NSync Takes Home Three Blockbuster Entertainment Awards". idobi Network. Archived from the original on 2016-09-11. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  38. ↑ "BSFC Winners: 2000s". Boston Society of Film Critics. July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  39. ↑ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 2001". British Academy Film Awards . Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Best Cinematography in Feature Film" (PDF). British Society of Cinematographers . Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  41. ↑ "The 2002 Caesars Ceremony". César Awards . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  42. ↑ "1988-2013 Award Winner Archives". Chicago Film Critics Association. January 1, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  43. ↑ "7th Annual Chlotrudis Awards". Chlotrudis Society for Independent Films . Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  44. ↑ "3rd CDGA (2001)". Costume Designers Guild . Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  45. ↑ "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 2000". Bfca.org. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  46. ↑ "53rd Annual DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  47. ↑ "Category List – Best Motion Picture". Edgar Awards . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  48. ↑ "2000 FFCC AWARD WINNERS". Florida Film Critics Circle . Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  49. ↑ "Traffic". Golden Globe Awards . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  50. ↑ "44th Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards . Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  51. ↑ "Past Winners & Nominees". Humanitas Prize . Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  52. ↑ "KCFCC Award Winners – 2000-09". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. December 14, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  53. ↑ "Previous Sierra Award Winners". Las Vegas Film Critics Society. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  54. ↑ "The 26th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  55. ↑ "2000 Award Winners". National Board of Review . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  56. ↑ "Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics. December 19, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  57. ↑ "2000 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  58. ↑ Holden, Stephen (2000-12-14). "'Traffic' Captures Awards From New York Film Critics". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2021-03-20. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  59. ↑ "5th Annual Film Awards (2000)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  60. ↑ "2000 Awards (4th Annual)". Online Film Critics Society. January 3, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2021.
  61. ↑ "International Press Academy website – 2001 5th Annual SATELLITE Awards". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008.
  62. ↑ "Past Saturn Awards". Saturn Awards. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  63. ↑ "The 7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Archived from the original on November 1, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  64. ↑ "2000 SEFA Awards". Southeastern Film Critics Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  65. ↑ "TFCA Awards 2000". Toronto Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on 2011-10-06.
  66. ↑ "1st Annual Award Winners". Vancouver Film Critics Circle. February 2001. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  67. ↑ "2000 Village Voice Film Poll". Mubi . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  68. ↑ "Writers Guild Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. 2010. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  69. ↑ "Metacritic: 2000 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  70. ↑ Bernard, Jami (2000-12-29). "Jami's Top 10 Movies". New York Daily News .
  71. ↑ Kirkland, Bruce (2000-12-29). "The Best, and the Rest". Toronto Sun .
  72. ↑ Mathews, Jack (2000-12-29). "Jack's Top 10 Movies". New York Daily News .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.