"Traffik 1989" is an Emmy award winning six part miniseries out of the UK which was the inspiration for the Oscar winning "Traffic 2000". The five hour film breaks down the opium/heroine trade for the viewer from the handcasting of poppy seeds in an Afghanistan field to the "head rush" of a mainlining junkie in a flat in England. Not only does "Traffik" offer entertainment value through interleaved dramatic stories it also provides an overview of the international drug trade at all levels answering the who, where, how, and why questions of the age old and unstoppable narcotic supply/demand machine. Synergistically entertaining and educational, "Traffik" will prove to be time well spent for teens and up. (A)
35 Reviews
Television so so good not even America's greatest director could top it.
the red duchess20 June 2001
Warning: Spoilers
'Traffik', despite its title, is not really about drugs. In the best tradition of crusading British TV drama, 'Traffik' analyses and moralises about its ostensible subject, which is not some mythical scourge, but a matrix or process with identifiable social, economic and historical roots, causes and effects. There is something almost scientific in the way the film takes four sets of characters from spectacularly separate global and class backgrounds - a poppy grower forced into the Pakistani underworld by poverty and a cynical government; the English, ex-Olympic swimmer wife of a drugs baron on trial for trafficking; two shambling German policemen whose determination to convict the latter arises as much from class anger as any faith in the law; and a Tory junior minister whose Cambridge-student daughter has become an addict.
'Traffik' is unapologetically didactic - from the early scenes of Jack Lithgow in Pakistan, investigating the government's success in eliminating drugs before sanctioning more British aid, we are bombarded with facts about the problem. But these 'facts' come from a variety of sources - dissembling government representatives; left-wing lawyers with vested (ideological and domestic) interest in the corruption; poor farmers who need to grow poppies to survive.
Facts, normally reassuring markers on a map, are clearly not enough - the more facts we get, the less controllable the situation seems. It is not until Jack, the film's moral centre, the man who connects all the narrative threads, actually journeys into the heart of the drugs darkness, learns to shed his tory hypocrisy (deploring the use of drugs, but refusing to put any serious money into tackling the problem, and creating the conditions, through various free market initiatives, where drug-traffiking flourishes. Just as the anti-heroes of the old Warners' gangster films were actually model American capitalists, so the traffikers are the ideal being espoused by Thatcher and Reagan) that at least the reality of the problem can be acknowledges.
Like I say, 'Traffik' isn't really about drugs. As Jack finally recognises, after being sacked as a Tory minister, drugs isn't really the problem. It's a society dismantled by a woman who said there was no longer any such thing (as proved by Jack's non-existent family life), systematically depriving the vast majority of people of hope and happiness, increasing numbers of whom turn to drugs.
What is most frightening about 'Traffik' is not the graphic, numbing depictions of drug abuse (the technical detail of which ironically reflects the presentation of more 'legitimate', verbal factual information), but the dystopian vision of a Britain stripped of any joy, beauty or community, a bleak wasteland of derelict tenements and soulless modernity, a society of defeatists ready for the thatcherite smugglers and barons to ply their trade.
This isn't just a contemporary British story - it records the decline of an Empire built on trade reduced to lawless drug traffiking. It is surely significant that the other sites in the programme are Germany and Pakistan, crucial agents in the Empire's decline. Here the old imperial amorality comes home to roost, the formerly enslaved victims, their bodies abused by their masters' power, returning to the Imperial centre, London, the seeds of its decline literally carried in their bodies, embodying the fears of all those late 19th century gothic novels.
'Traffik' is one of the great achievements of British TV, and is in many ways superior to the recent Hollywood remake. The political focus is obviously sharper - Jack's decline is much more effective than Wakefield's because he, as agent of government policy, as well as a bad father, is very much part of the problem, whereas the American's only real political flaw is complacency. In almost every case, characterisation is tighter and much more plausible (compare Lindsay Duncan's steely Helen, already bitten by experience and failure, and her risibly superficial counterpart).
Unlike the dubious racial undercurrent of 'Traffic' (making Mexico dark and Other; the ultimate WASP horror being sex with a black man), the portrait of Pakistan is richly, tragically drawn, with disconcerting arguments about drug protection punctuated by scenes of gruesome violence. Throughout, the inextricable linking of public and private is expert. Visually, the film is remarkably inventive, without ever being flashy or 'cinematic' - especially in the last episode, where the buildings and decor seem to move as the system closes in. If 'Traffik', like its remake, feels the need to shore fragments, then the prevailing sense of waste and loss is much more damning, Jack's speech bitterly despairing.
'Traffik' is unapologetically didactic - from the early scenes of Jack Lithgow in Pakistan, investigating the government's success in eliminating drugs before sanctioning more British aid, we are bombarded with facts about the problem. But these 'facts' come from a variety of sources - dissembling government representatives; left-wing lawyers with vested (ideological and domestic) interest in the corruption; poor farmers who need to grow poppies to survive.
Facts, normally reassuring markers on a map, are clearly not enough - the more facts we get, the less controllable the situation seems. It is not until Jack, the film's moral centre, the man who connects all the narrative threads, actually journeys into the heart of the drugs darkness, learns to shed his tory hypocrisy (deploring the use of drugs, but refusing to put any serious money into tackling the problem, and creating the conditions, through various free market initiatives, where drug-traffiking flourishes. Just as the anti-heroes of the old Warners' gangster films were actually model American capitalists, so the traffikers are the ideal being espoused by Thatcher and Reagan) that at least the reality of the problem can be acknowledges.
Like I say, 'Traffik' isn't really about drugs. As Jack finally recognises, after being sacked as a Tory minister, drugs isn't really the problem. It's a society dismantled by a woman who said there was no longer any such thing (as proved by Jack's non-existent family life), systematically depriving the vast majority of people of hope and happiness, increasing numbers of whom turn to drugs.
What is most frightening about 'Traffik' is not the graphic, numbing depictions of drug abuse (the technical detail of which ironically reflects the presentation of more 'legitimate', verbal factual information), but the dystopian vision of a Britain stripped of any joy, beauty or community, a bleak wasteland of derelict tenements and soulless modernity, a society of defeatists ready for the thatcherite smugglers and barons to ply their trade.
This isn't just a contemporary British story - it records the decline of an Empire built on trade reduced to lawless drug traffiking. It is surely significant that the other sites in the programme are Germany and Pakistan, crucial agents in the Empire's decline. Here the old imperial amorality comes home to roost, the formerly enslaved victims, their bodies abused by their masters' power, returning to the Imperial centre, London, the seeds of its decline literally carried in their bodies, embodying the fears of all those late 19th century gothic novels.
'Traffik' is one of the great achievements of British TV, and is in many ways superior to the recent Hollywood remake. The political focus is obviously sharper - Jack's decline is much more effective than Wakefield's because he, as agent of government policy, as well as a bad father, is very much part of the problem, whereas the American's only real political flaw is complacency. In almost every case, characterisation is tighter and much more plausible (compare Lindsay Duncan's steely Helen, already bitten by experience and failure, and her risibly superficial counterpart).
Unlike the dubious racial undercurrent of 'Traffic' (making Mexico dark and Other; the ultimate WASP horror being sex with a black man), the portrait of Pakistan is richly, tragically drawn, with disconcerting arguments about drug protection punctuated by scenes of gruesome violence. Throughout, the inextricable linking of public and private is expert. Visually, the film is remarkably inventive, without ever being flashy or 'cinematic' - especially in the last episode, where the buildings and decor seem to move as the system closes in. If 'Traffik', like its remake, feels the need to shore fragments, then the prevailing sense of waste and loss is much more damning, Jack's speech bitterly despairing.
Excellent plot and character development
chrishall18316 May 2005
I remember seeing this in the early 90's on UK TV and was hooked. The international scope of the production is breathtaking and watching how the characters develop through the five hours it runs for is magnificent. The scenes set in Pakistan and Afghanistan are of particular interest, and as a viewer you get a real sense of a grounds-eye view of the culture and vibe of these countries during the closing stages of the Cold War. The characters of Fazal and Helen develop really well throughout the series and rivals modern shows like The Sopranos and Six Feet Under in this area. In the UK, the VHS goes for about £6 and the DVD about £10 - a quality bargain. I thought Soderbergh's version was great too - but clearly owes this masterpiece a huge debt.
Perhaps the most emotionally gripping television ever
splooner28 April 2006
It is hard to put the devastating beauty of Traffik to words, partly because I am still grasping to comprehend it myself, several hours after my second viewing. First, it must be said that Traffik contains some of the most incomparably and unforgettably haunting scenes I have seen in a film or television production. The acting is excellent, particularly that of Bill Paterson as a British minister grappling with his heroin-addicted daughter and an aid deal to Pakistan that hinges on drug issues. Another plot line describes these drug issues at a ground level in Pakistan, and revolves around a struggling opium poppy farmer and his interaction with a successful heroin smuggler. The third main storyline involves the prosecution of a Hamburg drug importer, and the conflicting efforts of his wife and two German detectives while he is under trial. It is a profound accomplishment that the interaction between these stories feels natural, transcending the forced plot entanglement often found in Hollywood movies. It is an even greater accomplishment that a work spread over three countries and half a dozen main characters can be so focused and enthralling, without having to oversimplify. It is devastating--bleak and brutal but never apathetic. In short, Traffik is a rare work of film that handles challenging subjects with unmatched compassion and clarity.
Most engrossing 5-plus hours I've ever spent before the tube
Eric-122616 December 2001
Warning: Spoilers
This drama, which I just finished watching tonight, is easily the most engrossing 5-plus hours I've ever spent in front of the tube. I rented all three tapes, and watched the whole movie start to finish.
The story starts out a little slow, and it's initially hard to get with the plot and really follow it, which is understandable, because it essentially tells 3 stories: one unfolding in Pakistan, one taking place in London, and one in Hamburg, Germany. But once you get the gist of where they're going with it, and once you realize that the stories are all inexorably interconnected, it just turns into nothing short of mesmerizing viewing.
Excellent acting, lively and thought-provoking script, and fantastic location photography are just some of the reasons to watch this film. I also can't think of a movie where I cared so much about the fates of the individual players in the story. Even at over 5 hours of playing time, I was never the least bit bored. I couldn't get enough of these people and where they were all going to end up. I hated to see it end: I could have watched for another 5 hours.
Though released in 1989, it is nevertheless still a timely film to watch, because the drug (addiction) problem it addresses, as well as the global scope of the trafficking and smuggling of illegal drugs - no, these haven't gone away in the 12 or so years since this picture came out. It's still as relevant a picture today as it was when first released, and, since a goodly part of the film takes place in Pakistan (and also, somewhat, in Afkhanistan) it merits viewing if only for the sake of presenting a better glimpse of that region where the western world is currently waging war against terrorism.
LOTS of memorable stuff in the movie: There is a touching scene where Lithgow, a hardened anti-drug minister from England, on a mission to eradicate heroin shipments emanating in Pakistan, is ultimately induced by the simple Faisal to smoke an opium cigarette (and yes, he gets a little wacked). There is a funny scene in a gun merchant's market stall in a Pakistani town, where the shop keepers are so proud of their wares that they send a boy out into the street with a brand new machine gun, who then calmly fires numerous bursts into the air to demonstrate the gun. Nobody in the streets even thinks twice about it. There is a heroin junkie so wasted from needle damage to his veins that he is literally reduced to shooting heroin into the side of his male organ - "only place left on my body where I can find a vein," says he, with complete indifference.
There are so many other memorable scenes in this movie I can't even begin to list them all. I simply urge you (if you are a serious movie viewer) to find a copy of this and watch it and see for yourself if there aren't things in it that not only boggle your mind, but linger in your mind long after you've seen it (heck, I only just saw it tonight, but I can assure you, I already KNOW that many of the images in this film will be with me for a long time to come.)
The story starts out a little slow, and it's initially hard to get with the plot and really follow it, which is understandable, because it essentially tells 3 stories: one unfolding in Pakistan, one taking place in London, and one in Hamburg, Germany. But once you get the gist of where they're going with it, and once you realize that the stories are all inexorably interconnected, it just turns into nothing short of mesmerizing viewing.
Excellent acting, lively and thought-provoking script, and fantastic location photography are just some of the reasons to watch this film. I also can't think of a movie where I cared so much about the fates of the individual players in the story. Even at over 5 hours of playing time, I was never the least bit bored. I couldn't get enough of these people and where they were all going to end up. I hated to see it end: I could have watched for another 5 hours.
Though released in 1989, it is nevertheless still a timely film to watch, because the drug (addiction) problem it addresses, as well as the global scope of the trafficking and smuggling of illegal drugs - no, these haven't gone away in the 12 or so years since this picture came out. It's still as relevant a picture today as it was when first released, and, since a goodly part of the film takes place in Pakistan (and also, somewhat, in Afkhanistan) it merits viewing if only for the sake of presenting a better glimpse of that region where the western world is currently waging war against terrorism.
LOTS of memorable stuff in the movie: There is a touching scene where Lithgow, a hardened anti-drug minister from England, on a mission to eradicate heroin shipments emanating in Pakistan, is ultimately induced by the simple Faisal to smoke an opium cigarette (and yes, he gets a little wacked). There is a funny scene in a gun merchant's market stall in a Pakistani town, where the shop keepers are so proud of their wares that they send a boy out into the street with a brand new machine gun, who then calmly fires numerous bursts into the air to demonstrate the gun. Nobody in the streets even thinks twice about it. There is a heroin junkie so wasted from needle damage to his veins that he is literally reduced to shooting heroin into the side of his male organ - "only place left on my body where I can find a vein," says he, with complete indifference.
There are so many other memorable scenes in this movie I can't even begin to list them all. I simply urge you (if you are a serious movie viewer) to find a copy of this and watch it and see for yourself if there aren't things in it that not only boggle your mind, but linger in your mind long after you've seen it (heck, I only just saw it tonight, but I can assure you, I already KNOW that many of the images in this film will be with me for a long time to come.)
One of the best dramas created for TV
cglassey14 November 2000
Warning: Spoilers
Traffik is a really well done 6 hour drama about drugs (circa 1987). It tells three stories, in parallel, about how opium is grown in North-East Pakistan, how drugs are smuggled from Pakistan into Europe, and finally, how people addicted to drugs spiral out of control. All three stories are told realistically and with empathy. You see enough of the characters lives to understand how ordinary people can get sucked into a life that is really immoral.
These aren't card-board cutouts, the opium grower is trying to feed his family in a dry area filled with guns and other opium growers. The drug smuggler is a rich German with no heart but his wife (one of the three main characters) is just an ordinary woman who has to choose between leading her life "the old way" or giving up. Finally the main character, the government minister has the toughest role as he must deal with the emotional devastation caused by his own daughter. She slips into the world of drug addiction and starts stealing, suffering from ill-health, attacking her parents emotionally, all so she can continue to satisfy her craving for the drug (heroin) that is destroying her life.
Traffik is one of the best dramas I have ever seen on TV. The scenes in this show will remain with you for a long, long time. Highly recommended. -- Colin Glassey.
These aren't card-board cutouts, the opium grower is trying to feed his family in a dry area filled with guns and other opium growers. The drug smuggler is a rich German with no heart but his wife (one of the three main characters) is just an ordinary woman who has to choose between leading her life "the old way" or giving up. Finally the main character, the government minister has the toughest role as he must deal with the emotional devastation caused by his own daughter. She slips into the world of drug addiction and starts stealing, suffering from ill-health, attacking her parents emotionally, all so she can continue to satisfy her craving for the drug (heroin) that is destroying her life.
Traffik is one of the best dramas I have ever seen on TV. The scenes in this show will remain with you for a long, long time. Highly recommended. -- Colin Glassey.
Hauning score intensifies the sorrow and desperation of Traffik
bdraraavis25 July 2006
I can only agree with many observers that Traffik is one of the most memorable dramas ever made for television. I saw Traffik when it was on TV, and I have just watched it again. I am particularly moved by the haunting original music of Tim Souster, and especially by the dolorous strains of Dmitri Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony in C minor ( the music over the credits and in parts of the film). The music intensifies the desperation of the characters as they pursue their sad fate. The music is powerfully emotional. This arrangement combines two of the movements from the symphony, but I recommend listening to the symphony per se.
Television drama at its finest
privatesf28 January 2001
I had been very curious to see the original six-hour miniseries that Steven Soderbergh's latest movie was based on, and now that I have, I am happy to say that one is not better than the other. They are both intelligent, involving and extremely entertaining. The only real advantage that the miniseries has over the movie is that it is three and a half hours longer, so we get to know the characters more in depth.
There isn't a false note to be had in this production, one that you should definitely make time for when PBS re-broadcasts this miniseries sometime in 2001. You won't regret it.
There isn't a false note to be had in this production, one that you should definitely make time for when PBS re-broadcasts this miniseries sometime in 2001. You won't regret it.
great storyline
camel-92 January 2001
beautifully constructed, "Traffik" tells the story of narcotics usage and commerce from multiple points of view. From a policeman view, from a politician view, from an addict view, from a smuggler's view, and from a farmer's view. In a carefully contructed storyline, one gets the impression on how everything is inter-related. From beautiful on-location shots in the poppy fields in Pakistan, to downtown Karachi, to the entry points airports of Frankfurt and London, to the delapidated buildings where the smuggling takes place, one sees the massive dimension of narcotics consumption.
The Seduction, The Politics, & the Reality of Heroin Addiction
dlewis-520 May 2000
This is a wonderfully gritty drama, detailing the various sides of the international heroin drug-trade--From the hills of northern Pakistan, where the tacitly allowed cultivation of opium-poppies occurs on a vast scale; to the jetsetting "Euro-Trash" in Germany and England who arrange the importation of processed heroin in multi-kilo smuggled shipments; to the end-users caught up in the web of addiction and the crime needed to support their growing habit; and finally all the levels of international government corruption and hypocrisy surrounding police efforts at controlling "the drug problem"---this drama is sketched out with a wide array of in-depth well-rounded characters, fully evolved plot, and excellent character acting and location shooting.
This puts Hollywood epics like "The French Connection" in their place!
Traffik is a deeply thought-provoking and suspenseful tale of modern drug-related espionage, and the international efforts of many people to try to eliminate it.
Unlike many "crime dramas" revolving around drugs, Traffik focusses strongly on uncovering the societal *reasons* that people slide into drug addiction... As one of the characters puts it "...until we, as a society, construct a world that people want to participate in, instead of wanting to escape from, we will not be able to stop people from taking drugs..."
This is a fascinating and fully engrossing drama. I highly recommend it!
This puts Hollywood epics like "The French Connection" in their place!
Traffik is a deeply thought-provoking and suspenseful tale of modern drug-related espionage, and the international efforts of many people to try to eliminate it.
Unlike many "crime dramas" revolving around drugs, Traffik focusses strongly on uncovering the societal *reasons* that people slide into drug addiction... As one of the characters puts it "...until we, as a society, construct a world that people want to participate in, instead of wanting to escape from, we will not be able to stop people from taking drugs..."
This is a fascinating and fully engrossing drama. I highly recommend it!
A masterpiece.
drhemp21 October 2009
I remember watching this when it was made and thinking it was brilliant at the time. Watching it for the second time nearly 20 years later, I still think Traffik is brilliant and much better than the US film that was based on this drama.
It should also be watched by all our come today gone tomorrow politicians who think they can win the war on drugs, as the issues raised in this film are as pertinent today as they were back then at the end of the 80s, and unless they change their policies, will be so in another 20 years.
Well written, well made, beautifully acted and superbly filmed. A thought provoking drama that entertains as well as brings to light some of the hard realities of the criminal drug trade.
It should also be watched by all our come today gone tomorrow politicians who think they can win the war on drugs, as the issues raised in this film are as pertinent today as they were back then at the end of the 80s, and unless they change their policies, will be so in another 20 years.
Well written, well made, beautifully acted and superbly filmed. A thought provoking drama that entertains as well as brings to light some of the hard realities of the criminal drug trade.
fact based thriller
bobgraef20 November 2021
A most excellent English mini-series (cop/thriller category, I'd guess) that takes place in Pakistan, London and Hamburg. It's about the heroin trade, all aspects from the small time farmers who grow the poppies through the big time suppliers to the small time dealers and addicted users. It's excellently done. The location filming is very interesting, especially as it was done in 1989 and includes a few scenes in Afghanistan portraying the Taliban and the fight against the Russians.
There was a later Hollywood movie of the same name that, in my opinion, is but a pale and quite inferior, copy. It takes place, mainly, in Mexico, and deals with marijuana and cocaine. That one uses the English spelling, Traffic.
Bob Graef.
There was a later Hollywood movie of the same name that, in my opinion, is but a pale and quite inferior, copy. It takes place, mainly, in Mexico, and deals with marijuana and cocaine. That one uses the English spelling, Traffic.
Bob Graef.
much stronger than the remake
xhari_nairx17 July 2001
TRAFFIK, though released 11 years before the over-rated Hollywood remake, is still far more insightful and relevant about the world of drug traffic. This despite the fact that the remake is heralded as a breakthrough in how people view the drug war. I saw the remake first, and after seeing this miniseries by distaste for the latter film grew considerably. It isn't just that it's twice as long and has that much more time to cover the issue, although that obviously helps. The dialogue is more efficient and powerful (compare Jack Lithgow's final speech to Douglas' drippy final speech). The scope is also far greater (the remake chooses to replace the story about the Pakistani farmer with the story of the Mexican cop... so we get more cops). The films handling of the Pakistani characters is affective and moving and doesn't have the naive gimicks of the remake's handling of the Mexican characters (the cinematography, for example). The film even had the guts to point out that Pakistani heroin traders get money from the American government to fight Russians (although I admit it's far less risky for a British production to make that case than it would be for a Hollywood production).
Stunning...beyond anything you'll ever see.
Manji8 January 2002
What an awesome mini-series. The original TRAFFIK completely stole me away from anything else that was on. Far more engaging than the American remake, the original TRAFFIK boasts an amazing cast formed of lesser known actors to North American audiences. Juliette Binoche being the mainly recognizable actress who plays a drug addicted teenaged daughter of a government official. But it's not star power that carries this film (though I enjoyed the American version, I felt it was dimmed by the famous Americans in the picture).
Unfortunately, I saw the American version before I found the original BBC mini-series. Of course there were no picture filters, lush locales, and the big name stars/director. However, the grit and grime of Europe (through the drugworld) perfectly compliments the impending sense of danger, which permeates throughout this film. The problems, such as getting addicts off of drugs by giving them more, poor anti-drug campaigning, and the resistance of foreign governments to assist with destroying their drug cultivators from within, all make TRAFFIK bold, immersive, and horrific all at the same time!
The truly incredible portions of the movie all come from Pakistan. My God, I never knew how bad the problem really was over in Europe...even all over! For a real education on the problems of drugs, beyond how they affect the human body you must watch both this and the American version. Each show one very clear and undeniable fact. Those countries, which are leaders in the eyes of the world, have a culture that has led to the death and suffering for many.
Drugs are worse than war. They work in the shadows, the dark secrets of any "successful" society.
Unfortunately, I saw the American version before I found the original BBC mini-series. Of course there were no picture filters, lush locales, and the big name stars/director. However, the grit and grime of Europe (through the drugworld) perfectly compliments the impending sense of danger, which permeates throughout this film. The problems, such as getting addicts off of drugs by giving them more, poor anti-drug campaigning, and the resistance of foreign governments to assist with destroying their drug cultivators from within, all make TRAFFIK bold, immersive, and horrific all at the same time!
The truly incredible portions of the movie all come from Pakistan. My God, I never knew how bad the problem really was over in Europe...even all over! For a real education on the problems of drugs, beyond how they affect the human body you must watch both this and the American version. Each show one very clear and undeniable fact. Those countries, which are leaders in the eyes of the world, have a culture that has led to the death and suffering for many.
Drugs are worse than war. They work in the shadows, the dark secrets of any "successful" society.
Brilliant.
chorattil2 February 2003
Comparison to Hollywood Remake
DFischer14 August 2001
Compared to the acclaimed Hollywood remake, this film is less flashy but much stronger at providing an overall picture of the drug problem. The remake loses the most interesting of the three plot threads, that of a farmer whose meager livelihood depends on drugs as a paying cash crop and whose increased involvement with the drug trade in an effort to better himself destroys himself and his family. Additionally, the story of the daughter's addiction goes into the problems not only of withdrawal but the high likelihood of relapse. This original miniseries makes good use of the additional time to go into the issues more thoroughly and remains stronger meat on this controversial subject.
Excellent original
root1049 July 2001
I haven't seen the more recent 'Traffic' which is based on this, but I'd bet on this one as the better creation. I know of no other movie that has so well portrayed the intricate tragedies of the drug trade and the 'war on drugs." I've watched this one at least four times and am enjoying it again as part of Masterpiece Theatre's 30th anniversary presentations.
Skip the anemic 2000 American remake and watch this one!
dianeRR25 April 2001
I was disappointed with the recent (2000) American remake of this English mini-series. Though it followed the plot line very closely, it seemed to leave the heart and soul of the original out. Not to mention adding shallow preachy heavy-handed 'messages'... So my advice is to skip the modern remake and stick with the original. It's much longer, but gripping and totally well done. Interesting, complex and textured, without the preachy self-righteousness... and it's beautifully shot, as well.
I find it galling that these heartless remakes of great overseas films get so much Hollywood fanfare at the Oscars. (Though I did like Benicio Del Torro getting some deserved praise...)
I find it galling that these heartless remakes of great overseas films get so much Hollywood fanfare at the Oscars. (Though I did like Benicio Del Torro getting some deserved praise...)
The grim and ruthless world of the drugs trade
freemantle_uk16 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The British mini-series Traffik was a critical hit back in its day, earning an International Emmy and three BAFTA and was remade into an excellent Oscar winning film, Traffic. Traffik tells a large scale story about the drugs trade affecting Europe and Pakistan, focusing on three main stories, the first one about the British Home Office Jack Lithgow (Bill Paterson) in charge of British drugs policy and finds out his daughter Caroline (Julia Ormond) is a heroin addict. The second is Hamburg where police offices Ulli (Fritz Müller-Scherz) and Dieter (Tilo Prückner) who are investigating a drug trafficker, Karl Rosshalde (George Kukura) and his English wife Helen (Lindsay Duncan) is forced to take over the business as they debts raise. Finally in Pakistan a poppy farmer Fazal (Jamal Shah) who is forced to move to Karachi where he ends up working for the notorious Tariq Butt (Talat Hussain), a ruthless drug baron supplying heroin to Europe.
Traffik is a brilliant written mini-series looking at the drugs trade from all the angles, the supply and production, the distribution in Europe, the government trying to counter the trade and the effects of addiction. Traffik has a wide scope with its international look and the action interweave perfectly. Writer Steven Moore clearly did his research as he looks at these different factors, making sure there are plenty of facts and sit ensuring there is a compelling drama as he and director Alastair Reid show the world of moral greys. Sometimes the writing does get a little preachy, particularly when talking about the lack of treatment placements for addicts and its justification of the actions of the farmers, trying to whitewash them: but on the whole it is very well written crime series.
Reid ensure there was a plenty of grit with his filming, using muted colours, shooting in less glamorous areas and giving the programme the look of gritty 70s cinema. He was willing to show the violence and horrors of drug addiction, from taking it to withdrawal. Whilst Traffik is about the drugs trade in the 80s (and features an artificial sounding score that was common in the decade), yet it does still have some present day issues, including legal highs.
Traffik does have a strong cast and looks at the corrupting effects on the trade on many people, turn Jack into a colder person when dealing with his daughter before having to find her, Fazal turning from a farmer to a man who is willing to sell his soul when giving the opportunity to work for Tariq and works his way up the ranks and Helen turning from a housewife to a desperate woman trying to save her husband and more importantly her lifestyle as she ends up playing gangster. Even the police officer Ulli becomes more desperate during the course of the programme.
Traffik is very well written programme as it tackles a wide scope of issues in a compelling story. If you are a fan of The Wire and the Steven Soderbergh film then Traffik is worth checking out.
Traffik is a brilliant written mini-series looking at the drugs trade from all the angles, the supply and production, the distribution in Europe, the government trying to counter the trade and the effects of addiction. Traffik has a wide scope with its international look and the action interweave perfectly. Writer Steven Moore clearly did his research as he looks at these different factors, making sure there are plenty of facts and sit ensuring there is a compelling drama as he and director Alastair Reid show the world of moral greys. Sometimes the writing does get a little preachy, particularly when talking about the lack of treatment placements for addicts and its justification of the actions of the farmers, trying to whitewash them: but on the whole it is very well written crime series.
Reid ensure there was a plenty of grit with his filming, using muted colours, shooting in less glamorous areas and giving the programme the look of gritty 70s cinema. He was willing to show the violence and horrors of drug addiction, from taking it to withdrawal. Whilst Traffik is about the drugs trade in the 80s (and features an artificial sounding score that was common in the decade), yet it does still have some present day issues, including legal highs.
Traffik does have a strong cast and looks at the corrupting effects on the trade on many people, turn Jack into a colder person when dealing with his daughter before having to find her, Fazal turning from a farmer to a man who is willing to sell his soul when giving the opportunity to work for Tariq and works his way up the ranks and Helen turning from a housewife to a desperate woman trying to save her husband and more importantly her lifestyle as she ends up playing gangster. Even the police officer Ulli becomes more desperate during the course of the programme.
Traffik is very well written programme as it tackles a wide scope of issues in a compelling story. If you are a fan of The Wire and the Steven Soderbergh film then Traffik is worth checking out.
True Grit
gs011b25248 April 2002
I enjoyed this programme immensely. It is exceptionally well written, with finely judged performances and clever visuals.
It is also very frank and honest, refreshing compared to the sanitised representation of drug use in films and television.
Unmissable - one of the finest television shows of recent years, and triumph on all scales for Channel 4.
9/10
It is also very frank and honest, refreshing compared to the sanitised representation of drug use in films and television.
Unmissable - one of the finest television shows of recent years, and triumph on all scales for Channel 4.
9/10
trail of misery
smswenson23 October 2001
Two German police detectives and a British member of parliament attempt to thwart the activities of international drug smugglers. Television mini-series details the mechanisms of the unstoppable heroin trade from Pakistan to London and the lives it destroys. But acting, script and plot are anything but T.V. quality. Superior to pale imitation "Traffic" (2000). (Rating: A)
Excellent miniseries
KoalaBear338 July 2001
Traffik is an excellent miniseries dealing with drug trafficking in Europe. This is the European produced PBS series on which the Oscar-nominated movie Traffic is based on. If you loved Traffic then Traffik is a must see.
Overall I would highly recommend this miniseries to anyone that is interested in seeing drugs from a social point of view. The screenplay is exciting and unexpected as it weaves through the lives of drug dealers, traffickers, farmers, policians, and police officers. Unlike other movies that sensationalize the issue of drugs, Traffik presents it AS IS.
Overall I would highly recommend this miniseries to anyone that is interested in seeing drugs from a social point of view. The screenplay is exciting and unexpected as it weaves through the lives of drug dealers, traffickers, farmers, policians, and police officers. Unlike other movies that sensationalize the issue of drugs, Traffik presents it AS IS.
Makes Traffic seem so hollywood
lingmeister28 March 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Contains spoilers I had it recorded a while ago when it was on PBS but never got a chance to watch it (probably due to prejudice about having to sit through 5-6 hrs of Masterpiece Theater, with its BBC made for TV production style (no music, settings all in one room, no outdoor scenes flat TV look...)) But after watching the movie Traffic (which I thought was pretty good at that time,) I couldn't help digging up the Traffik tape to see what else could they have dwelled into with the extra 2 1/2 hr.
Boy, was my preconceptions wrong about this TV series. It is so much more involving than Traffic. The characters are fleshed out better so that their actions are more believable. And the whole subplot involving Pakistan completes the whole point of view of everyone in the whole supply chain, from the farmer to the end user. In Traffic, the Pakistan story was rewritten and reduced down to a good cop vs bad cop plot.
There was alot more meaningful discussion and debate about alcohol and other forms of drug, whereas in Traffic they mostly became passing references of no significance. Same with social issues, which in Traffik, were conveyed realistically w/o sounding preachy. Whereas in Traffic, the characters jus t blurted it out as a statement like the way they do it in those made for TV "issue of the week" movies.
There was no bad guy vs good guy in Traffik, even the dealer is portrayed as a junkie that sells to support his habit instead of the "nobody messes with me" type of person in Traffic.
The only down part is that since I watched Traffic not much before watching this, it was hard not to compare scene by scene, and even though the scenes were not the same, I knew what the outcome was going to be already. Thank god for the Pakistan story, which is different enough that it allowed me to enjoy it completely w/o thinking which scene it compares to. Although I was thrown off thinking the drugs were fused into the ceramic of the statues in which Helen brought back to Germany (as in the storyline of Traffic.) Thank god Traffik was not that hokey and far-fetched.
Boy, was my preconceptions wrong about this TV series. It is so much more involving than Traffic. The characters are fleshed out better so that their actions are more believable. And the whole subplot involving Pakistan completes the whole point of view of everyone in the whole supply chain, from the farmer to the end user. In Traffic, the Pakistan story was rewritten and reduced down to a good cop vs bad cop plot.
There was alot more meaningful discussion and debate about alcohol and other forms of drug, whereas in Traffic they mostly became passing references of no significance. Same with social issues, which in Traffik, were conveyed realistically w/o sounding preachy. Whereas in Traffic, the characters jus t blurted it out as a statement like the way they do it in those made for TV "issue of the week" movies.
There was no bad guy vs good guy in Traffik, even the dealer is portrayed as a junkie that sells to support his habit instead of the "nobody messes with me" type of person in Traffic.
The only down part is that since I watched Traffic not much before watching this, it was hard not to compare scene by scene, and even though the scenes were not the same, I knew what the outcome was going to be already. Thank god for the Pakistan story, which is different enough that it allowed me to enjoy it completely w/o thinking which scene it compares to. Although I was thrown off thinking the drugs were fused into the ceramic of the statues in which Helen brought back to Germany (as in the storyline of Traffic.) Thank god Traffik was not that hokey and far-fetched.
The French Connection meets the Godfather.
emuir-125 January 2004
Warning: Spoilers
The best thing one can say about the film "Traffic" is that it brought attention to the superior British mini-series "Traffik". As many people have noted, the current film suffers from truncating the story to accommodate the short attention span of cinema-goers and the turn-around time of the theater owners, who measure a film's success by the overpriced food sales.
I first recorded this mini series in 1990 when it was shown on Public TV, later purchased the DVD, and have watched it many times. The whole documentary-style series has a strong element of tragedy and doom about it, as the characters are all moving toward their eventual fate. The strongest of the three tales is that of the Pakistani family forced into the City to find a way to keep body and soul together after the poppy crop is burned by the army in a staged show of force put on for the benefit of western politicians. The hardships of the family are similar to that of the rickshaw puller's family in "City of Joy". Eventually the farmer finds work, but he compromises his pride and honesty.
The Pakistani segment of the film has a particular relevance to today, with the fight against the supporters of Al Quaeda, and gives some understanding of the support for such movements among the disadvantaged poor of Pakistan and Afghanistan who rarely receive any of the money going into those countries. The film makes a point that the farmers see barely 25% of the aid which is supposed to encourage them to grow other crops.
With the American inability to see anything other than in terms of black and white - good guys v. bad guys - it is interesting to see another view where there is no black and white, only shades of grey.
Possible spoiler ahead. The only problem I had with the story was that rather than things continuing as they did before, as they would in real life, being a work of fiction they had to wrap it up with the "bad guys" getting what was coming to them. Other than that, this was a fine piece of work of the kind we see all too rarely. The cast was outstanding and the German and Pakistani locations helped give the film a "different" feel (what a change it made seeing Germans as something other than the villains in a WWII film).
I particularly liked the slower pace of the intertwined stories which gave the viewer more time to identify with the characters, unlike the US TV series which followed the US film. Traffic the film was set in Mexico and by cutting out a Mexican peasant family trying to survive any way they can, they effectively robbed the film of its most emotionally effective storyline, turned it into a cops and robbers confrontation and destroyed the balance. I care more about a third world family trying to survive than I do about a spoiled rotten Western teenager taking to drugs.
Traffic, the TV series, returned to Afghanistan but concentrated on the smugglers rather than the small farmer, and was ruined for me by the fast editing and cutting, often within seconds, of the different story lines, not to mention the kick ass gung ho DEA cavalry.
In summation, Traffik while more than 30 years old now, benefits from being unable to take advantage of flashy modern film techniques and CGI, and takes the time to let the story unfold for a more absorbing experience. It was more like reading a good book than looking at pictures in a graphic novel.
I first recorded this mini series in 1990 when it was shown on Public TV, later purchased the DVD, and have watched it many times. The whole documentary-style series has a strong element of tragedy and doom about it, as the characters are all moving toward their eventual fate. The strongest of the three tales is that of the Pakistani family forced into the City to find a way to keep body and soul together after the poppy crop is burned by the army in a staged show of force put on for the benefit of western politicians. The hardships of the family are similar to that of the rickshaw puller's family in "City of Joy". Eventually the farmer finds work, but he compromises his pride and honesty.
The Pakistani segment of the film has a particular relevance to today, with the fight against the supporters of Al Quaeda, and gives some understanding of the support for such movements among the disadvantaged poor of Pakistan and Afghanistan who rarely receive any of the money going into those countries. The film makes a point that the farmers see barely 25% of the aid which is supposed to encourage them to grow other crops.
With the American inability to see anything other than in terms of black and white - good guys v. bad guys - it is interesting to see another view where there is no black and white, only shades of grey.
Possible spoiler ahead. The only problem I had with the story was that rather than things continuing as they did before, as they would in real life, being a work of fiction they had to wrap it up with the "bad guys" getting what was coming to them. Other than that, this was a fine piece of work of the kind we see all too rarely. The cast was outstanding and the German and Pakistani locations helped give the film a "different" feel (what a change it made seeing Germans as something other than the villains in a WWII film).
I particularly liked the slower pace of the intertwined stories which gave the viewer more time to identify with the characters, unlike the US TV series which followed the US film. Traffic the film was set in Mexico and by cutting out a Mexican peasant family trying to survive any way they can, they effectively robbed the film of its most emotionally effective storyline, turned it into a cops and robbers confrontation and destroyed the balance. I care more about a third world family trying to survive than I do about a spoiled rotten Western teenager taking to drugs.
Traffic, the TV series, returned to Afghanistan but concentrated on the smugglers rather than the small farmer, and was ruined for me by the fast editing and cutting, often within seconds, of the different story lines, not to mention the kick ass gung ho DEA cavalry.
In summation, Traffik while more than 30 years old now, benefits from being unable to take advantage of flashy modern film techniques and CGI, and takes the time to let the story unfold for a more absorbing experience. It was more like reading a good book than looking at pictures in a graphic novel.
Outstanding
welshNick23 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This is so much better than the film which came out some years later.
Set in London, Germany and Pakistan this miniseries shows the drug trade from start to finish. Where it does well is that by showing all aspects you can see it from start to finish. The Farmers who grow it have little choice. It is the only way they can make sufficient money to survive. You then have the middlemen making the vast fortunes, the couriers and then the despair of the end users.
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