"Traffic" pocinje sa pogresne strane americko-meksicke granice, gdje blijeda zuta dominira spektrom boja, kao da bljestece sunce eliminira sve druge. U roku od nekoliko minuta, uvuci cemo se u okrutnu realnost rata izmedju dva meksicka kartela droga. U jednoj od nekoliko prica, pratimo meksickog policajca Javiera Rodrigueza (Del Toro), koji nastoji izbjegavati nevolju, no nevolja, u formi Generala Salazara, stalno pronalazi njega.

Sljedeca prica prati Helenu Ayalu (Zeta-Jones), nakon sto je njen muz Carlos optuzen za prodaju narkotika u San Diegu. U sedmom mjesecu trudnoce, ona nastoji sastaviti djelice svog zivota uz pomoc Carlosovog advokata (Dennis Quaid) i pod budnim okom DEA agenata (Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman). I na kraju, u ocigledno centralnoj prici u filmu, pratimo uspon sudije Vrhovnog suda Ohia Roberta Wakefielda (Douglas) na vrh DEA. On je odlucan da uradi nesto znacajno u ratu droga, ali ubrzo saznaje da se taj rat treba voditi ne samo na granici, vec i u sobi njegove kceri.

Soderbergh kontrolira film savrsenom preciznoscu, ali samo jedan sat. Ansambl je izvanredan, a fotografija oduzima dah. Scene u Meksiku jos imaju taj spaljeni izgled, i govorene su na spanjolskom, sa titlovima. Totalni haos prevara i izdaja cini ritam filma furioznim, sa gotovo stalnom akcijom. Ono sto se tada desi je van svakog objasnjenja, ali film iznenada napusti sve na cemu je Soderbergh tako marljivo radio.

Trenutak odluke je bijeg Wakefieldove kceri iz centra za rehabilitaciju. Prisiljeni smo da je slijedimo kroz ofucane dijelove grada u njenim avanturama u upotrebi droga i promiskuitetu. Wakefield stavlja borbu protiv meksickih kartela na cekanje, i polazi u potragu za kcerkom. Uprkos njegovih plemenitih namjera, ta potraga remeti tok filma, i ne sadrzi dovoljno snage da bi sama za sebe bila centralni element filma, sigurno ni blizu epskog putovanja Georga C. Scotta kroz "Hardcore". U isto vrijeme, Helena Ayala naglo odluci da ce uciniti sve da ocisti svoje ime i oslobodi svog muza. Nekako, ne vjerujemo da je njen lik spreman za to, uzimajuci u obzir ono sto smo o njoj dosad naucili.

Traffic begins on the wrong side of the US-Mexico border, with bleak yellow dominating the color spectrum, as if the scorching sun eliminates all other colors. Within minutes, we’re drawn into the cruel reality of a drug war between the two Mexican drug cartels. In one of several story lines, we follow a Mexican police officer Javier Rodriguez (Del Toro) who tries to stay away from trouble, but trouble keeps finding him, in the form of General Salazar.

Another story follows Helena Ayala (Zeta-Jones) after her husband Carlos was accused of drug trafficking in San Diego. Seven months pregnant, she tries to put the pieces of her life together with the assistance of Carlos’ attorney (Dennis Quaid) and under the watchful eye of DEA agents (Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman). And finally, in what seems to be the central story of the movie, we follow the rise of an Ohio Supreme Court Judge Robert Wakefield (Douglas) to the top of the DEA. He is determined to make a difference in the drug war, but soon finds out that war needs to be fought not on the border, but in his daughter’s bedroom.

Soderbergh controls the movie with pinpoint precision, but only for an hour or so. The ensemble is magnificent, and the camera work breathtaking. Scenes in Mexico still have that sun-scorched look, and are spoken in Spanish, with subtitles. The total chaos of double-crossings and triple-crossings makes the pace of the movie furious, with almost constant action. What happens then is beyond explanation, but the movie suddenly drops everything Soderbergh was working hard to establish and takes a turn to the south.

The defining moment is the escape of Wakefield’s daughter out of the rehabilitation facility. We are forced to follow her through the seedy neighborhoods, in her adventures in drug abuse and promiscuity. Wakefield puts the fight against the Mexican drug cartels on hold, and goes in search of her daughter. Despite his noble intentions, that search disrupts the flow of the movie, and doesn’t hold enough power itself to be the pivotal point of the movie, certainly not even close to the epic journey of George C. Scott in Hardcore. At the same time, Helena Ayala all of a sudden decides she’s willing to do anything to clear her name and bring freedom to her husband. Somehow, we do not believe that her character is ready for it, considering what we learned about her so far in the movie.