Analysis Of The Film Traffic

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There comes a time when a nation needs to realize that when a world crisis such as the “War on Drugs” persists in our society -- change is necessary. In the film Traffic directed by Steven Soderbergh, the “War on Drugs” is represented in different perspectives to illustrate the issue at diverse levels. Played by Michael Douglas, Robert Wakefield is an Ohio judge who’s appointed do the head drug position in the government. Through his point of view, it’s clear he holds the typical opinions and views of majority of people who are pro-criminalization of drugs. His daughter, an honor student, and your “perfect citizen” type character, is Caroline Wakefield played by Erika Christensen. It is through her point of view where we notice how easily drugs are available to her and how susceptible teenagers are to addiction. Finally, a unique and different perspective is shown through Javier Rodriquez played by Benicio Del Toro. Depicted as a “good cop” in Mexico, Javier is actively fighting against criminals, drug traffickers/smugglers and the reality of corruption in the Mexican military. Between the 3 we view the film at the political level of the drug war, the social level, and law enforcement level, respectively. Soderbergh uses different colors to distinguish between the several storylines. For instance, when we are played a scene involving Robert or Caroline, the overall color is a blue shade creating a “cold” feeling. When a scene involving Javier is played, the filter changes