Although the film ends on a (vaguely) optimistic note, this is an astoundingly complex and deeply disturbing portrait of two countries in the grip of the drug epidemic. The different colour schemes Soderbergh uses for the four interwoven stories he tells are symbolic for people living in different worlds, with little or no understanding of each other - at least at the beginning. The Mexican policeman tempted by corruption is worlds apart from the conservative US judge who has to win the war on drugs. But the colours merge more and more, and in the end the cartel boss's wife is similar in her zeal to maintain her lifestyle to the DEA officer determined to avenge his partner's death. Fantastic perfomances all around (with del Toro the stand-out act), in their restraint perfectly matching the documentary style. A rare feat: an American crime movie which does not rely on simplification.
Review of Traffic
