Actors: Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro
Director: Steven Soderbergh
I mistrust films with multiple, interweaving stories - I hated Magnolia, I don't particularly like Short Cuts, I've grown to dislike Syriana, and even Pulp Fiction has some dud scenes. Traffic is an Important Film with a Message, and its insistence on melodrama seems to be an uphill battle against the difficulties that interweaving stories create - once we're really getting into a story, the director brings us somewhere else. We're like a child who wanders in during the middle of a movie...
I did like the different filters and camera styles used to denote exactly which story we're in; the directing generally was top-notch. Even though the beginning of the film's multiple references to alcohol could win a Hamhandedness Award for Not-So-Subtle Subtlety, sometimes painting with a broad brush is the best choice.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Somewhat forgettable to me. 3 stars.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was overrated when it first came out. But so many people love it that I gave it another try a few months ago. Still overrated.
ReplyDelete