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I have tried to finish watching Traffic several times before but it turned out that I just turned on my DVD player and then sat back on the sofa killing about three hours aimlessly. Then I would wonder what Steven Soderbergh, the director of this movie and also one of the biggest film makers in Hollywood, was doing after his two “Ocean´s Eleven” sequels.

On a long trip, I would also watch this movie to kill the immense time. Yes, pretty sure, don’t be puzzled. I just rip and convert the original DVDs with a DVD ripper which is available online. I just download and install that  iToolSoft DVD Ripper free on my computer and add the DVDs into this program, then choose the target video format. Everything is ok, just wait the conversion to be finished in a short time.
let’s come back to the movie. “Traffic” is the kind of story that is very hard to describe in the limited space of a Blu-ray review. Essentially, Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) is appointed by the president to be the new Drug Czar. He is to spearhead the war on drugs and turn the tide in the losing battle. However, drugs find themselves invading his own household and he must face problems in his own home while he is looking into problems in Mexico and abroad. Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) is a Mexican policeman who works above the law when necessary, but finds himself being pulled in by the DEA to help fight the problems of drugs. Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman) are DEA agents who are assigned to run surveillance on the home of a notorious drug runner. His wife Helena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is struggling with the realization of her husband´s problems and having to deal with them while he is incarcerated. Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid) is her lawyer and her husband´s friend.

The story is convoluted. It is deep. Compared to “Crash,” “Traffic” is far more complex and where the Best Picture winner dealt with racism and how people handle racism based upon changing situations and environments, “Traffic” tries to tackle the ineptitude of the war on drugs. Where it may not be as socially controversial as the themes in “Crash,” it is a more complex problem to bring to the screen. The amount of exposition and background information required to set up events and situations is enormous. You can´t simply assume that a Mexican police officer can be both corrupt and a good cop with one simple scene. You need a few situations to bring background and life to the character. It is far easier to show that a cop is racist with a simple highway pullover. I´m not knocking “Crash,” I enjoyed that film tremendously, but I feel it is far more accessible to the general public and an easier pill to swallow than the deep and detailed “Traffic.”

Characters develop as the plot thickens. Robert Wakefield must come to terms with his daughter´s addiction and it affects how he handles his job as the Drug Czar. Javier finds himself questioning his own role in policework and challenging himself to take a larger role in the war against drugs and putting him in a more distinguished crossfire. The largest character arc is that of Catherine Zeta-Jones character. She must move beyond being the pregnant housewife and start to run the business left behind by her husband. Where Helena is frantic and vulnerable when her husband is first nabbed by the DEA, she becomes perhaps even more brutal and vicious in her resolve than her husband. As characters are faced more increasingly difficult and painful situations, their attitudes change and their views towards their vocation and beliefs are challenged.

Apart from the movie itself, the actors and actresses are also one attracting point. Don Cheadle is  my favorite actors. The man is brilliant. Benicio Del Toro, Luis Guzman and Michael Douglas are all wonderful actors and their performances in “Traffic” are among the best in each of their careers. Not enough can be said about Catherine Zeta-Jones. She was pregnant with her husband, Michael Douglas´ baby and while going through the later stages of her pregnancy, she put forth a hell of a fine performance. The supporting cast is great as well. The young and lovely Erika Chistensen does a fine job as the troubled and addicted daughter of Robert Wakefield. Amy Irving, Albert Finney, James Brolin and Benjamin Bratt are other familiar faces. The always entertaining Miguel Ferrer is part of the film. Miguel Ferrer is the kind of actor that deserves a spot in any film. The man is seriously underutilized by Hollywood. He is really good in his portrayal of informant Eduardo Ruiz.

Blu-ray “Traffic” is a movie that I have special feelings for with no reason, just feeling. I have tried to change the Blu-ray version to other video formats compatible with iPhone so I can watch this movie on a vacation or a business trip. Having made continuous comparison between many Blu-ray rippers, I found the best one on http://www.itoolsoft.com which is quite suitable for me because it can rip and convert Blu-ray and DVDs for playback on my iPhone with incredibly high conversion quality. Traffic, in Blu-ray or not, is a must-see movie.

Article source: http://www.itoolsoft.com

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