Traffic analysis.

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Jonathan Kinas

1-5-03

Traffic analysis

Steven Soderbergh directs an astounding versatile study of the U.S. war on drugs in his film Traffic. This is a film, which on the surface, looks like its main theme is the controlling of drug trafficking between the U.S. and Mexico. Indeed this is so but there is also a lot more to the film than just the trafficking of drugs. It is about the corruption of the government, law enforcement, and most importantly the corruption of family. Heartless violence, ambition, greed, hypocrisy, deceit and the ugly results of drug addiction all make their expected appearance in powerful ways. Michael Douglas plays Judge Robert Wakefield who was assigned a new appointment as a drug czar in attempt to capture the major drug dealers and overlords. As the film progresses, you realize that Wakefield did not only have to worry about the drug problems between the U.S. and Mexico, but he had to deal with his sixteen year old daughter and her addiction to heroine. As a figure in society that is against the existence of drugs, it is almost ironic that his little daughter is sitting at home free-basing heroin and crack. Wakefield begins to realize that he not only has to agonize about the problems and well being of society, but he has to devote time and energy into elucidating that his daughter's actions are unacceptable.

The Mexican police officers Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) and Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas), borrow the essence of dishonesty from their real life reputation. The film clearly shows the differences between how the Mexican officials act towards their criminals, and how the American officials behave with their criminals. Corruption in Mexico can immediately be seen in one of the first scenes of the movie where a woman loses her car and has to pay off the Mexicans in order to get it back.

A unique aspect of this film is the way the coloring was used for the settings. San Diego had a sort of sun-drenched atmosphere appropriately lit in a bright high-key light. The lighting used and the scenes shot gave the impression of a high society life. On the other hand, in Mexico the scenes are tinted a grainy yellow as if the location is a forsaken desert border town. One would assume that it was specifically intended to not show the beautiful beaches and scenery that Mexico has in order to make the viewer think of Mexico as a dirty, corrupt country that revolves around violence and crime. The scenes filmed in Cincinnati were all sort of a blue greenish tint. These colors resemble corruption, fraud and dishonesty. Most of the scenes filmed in the U.S. were exhibiting a struggle to maintain justice and innocence. Caroline's drug addiction steals her innocence and replaces it with dishonesty and sorrow. It gives her a misconception of reality and begins to guide her down the path of treachery. She feels as if she is forgetting about her problems and entering a world of imagination and no worries, but in actuality, she is being dishonest with herself as well as her family. Robert Wakefield is in a constant struggle to eliminate the mendacious individuals that are not only corrupting society, but corrupting his innocent daughter.
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A scene that had significant meaning to the films progression was scene 37 where Robert Wakefield catches his daughter in the bathroom freebasing the drugs. Soderbergh chose freebasing to create the impression of delinquency and severity.. Caroline comes from a high-class family and she has basically a perfect life. It's obvious that she is turning towards an escape of reality for certain reasons. Her father is too caught up in his work that he doesn't have the time to dedicate to her and her needs. So he too has an addiction towards his job, which is essentially causing ...

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