Product Details

• Actors: Cliff Curtis, Martin Donovan (II), Balthazar Getty, Elias Koteas, Mary McCormack
• Directors: Eric Bross, Stephen Hopkins
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: November 2, 2004
• Run Time: 263 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JMZQ
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,348 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Go beyond the Academy Award-winning film, Traffic, in this electrifying USA Original Miniseries, Traffic: The Miniseries, from directors Stephen Hopkins (director of the thrilling TV show "24") and Eric Bross (On the Line). It's a life-and-death struggle for most secret agents on America's borders. In the sinister and seductive world of illegal trafficking, most supply and demand isn't for drugs it's for chemical goods, weapons and even human beings. When three men attempt to apprehend the elusive criminals behind these illicit trade organizations, they find their lives intertwined in ways they never could have imagined. Go deep undercover in this heart-pounding, edgy race for survival, and now, in the must-own Director's Cut, experience even more of the intense action with exclusive uncensored footage and an all-new, edge-of-your-seat twist ending.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story for Our Time, August 23, 2004

By	Jeffrey K. Keezel "thekeez" (Dinwiddie, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The original version was done by the Brits in 1990. Titled "Traffik" - it concerned the herion trade from Pakistan and its impact on life in Great Britain. It's a fascinating story with major characters in three distinct locations: Britian, Hamburg, and Pakistan. The characters of these three story-arcs interconnect and intertwine as the devastation of drug use and the futility of the drug war are laid bare.

If the story seems familiar, Steven Soderbergh retold it in his feature film "Traffic" in 1991. While shifting the locale to America, changing the drug to crack/cocaine and moving the source to Mexico, Soderbergh's version retains the essential elements of the British original:

A high ranking gov't official charged with fighting illegal drugs, his struggle as the problem hits close to home, the upscale wife of an arrested major drug dealer who steps into the drug trade to maintain her family's lifestyle, the local cops doing their best in the drug war, and the locals of the third world country - the source of the drugs - caught up in the dangerous business in their efforts to merely survive.

Now, 13 years later, USA network has updated the story yet again for the post-9/11 world. And a magnificent job they have done. While Soderbergh was content to do a straight remake, this newest version resets and recasts the characters and locations while only retaining the basic bullet-points of the plot. As dark, moody, and despairing as the original, the newest "Traffic" hits the mark.

I watched it as it ran on USA some months back and decided it would be a "must-buy" when it came out on DVD. To see that we will be getting a "director's cut" - well, that's just icing on an already delicious cake.

If your tastes run toward the gritty crime genre - Homicide:LotS / The Wire / French Connection / Prime Suspect - and you don't mind a little pessimism in your entertainment - you definitely want this latest telling of a story of our time.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Engaging, Entertaining Movie!, November 18, 2004

By	Timothy D. Taylor "Moovimn" (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought the DVD without having seen this mini-series, just based on the previous theatrical film, Traffic and was really impressed by this latest installment. I was kind of skeptical, based on the lack of any really big name stars, but after watching it, I have to say that Elias Koteas, Cliff Curtis and the rest did a really fantastic job. Really keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what happens next. Also, if you enjoy the series, "24", you will really, really like this show. Definitely worth checking out and buying if you really enjoy adding a great movie to your collection.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Traffic, the Miniseries (by USA Network), September 21, 2007

By	Janet Whetstone "Janet" (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Several years ago, I stumbled across the miniseries called Traffic on the USA Network. At that time, I had recently seen the movie Traffic in the theater, so I thought I was watching a rerun of it. To my surprise, what was presented in this miniseries was a group of stories than ran and interwove concurrently as a haunting and (sadly) relevant story.

Traffic, the miniseries, told the story of the illegal, heartbreaking, tragic "trafficking" of human beings, of illegal drugs, of dangerous biological substances, etc. The motivations of those involved in the trafficking and those trying to stop the trafficking were superbly portrayed in four or five concurrent stories in multiple physical locations around the world.

Traffic's (the miniseries by USA Network) acting was superb, the stories were first-rate, the settings were realistic, the soundtrack helped dramatize the story, the actors were all perfectly cast etc. The plot moved like a freight train; there were no slow moments at all.

Traffic was an outstanding and haunting movie. I originally saw it over the course of three TV sessions, and I looked afterwards to see if USA Network would ever run it again, but they didn't. I was so thrilled when I found it on Amazon. I've seen it twice since obtaining it last month, and each time I watch it, I discover more in the story that I missed from the previous viewings.

I guess I was surprised that such a good movie as Traffic would come from a "television" network, but USA has proven to be one where outstanding stories, or series, are originated. From USA, we have Monk, Psych, The 4400 (my favorite, next to Monk), etc. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that USA should create such a fantastic story.
NOTE: I do not work for USA, and I don't know anyone who does!

Traffic, the miniseries, is at the top of my all-time "Top Five" movies, and I've seen a lot of movies.