Traffic (2000)

4/5

Steven Soderbergh's Traffic weaves an intricate, spellbinding tale that is nearly impossible to take your eyes off of for its entire 2.5 hour running time. The plotting is impeccable, keeping you engaged whether detailing the intricacies of drug consumption or the complex involvement of governments on drug trafficking. The stories, as penned by Stephen Gaghan, are eye-opening and richly-textured. We are thrust into a collection of environments so authentic that we cannot help but take the events that pass as reality. We become involved and complicit; we end up shaken and unclean. Every person has a little bit of good in them and a little bit of bad in them, making decisions equal parts wrong and equal parts right. There are heart-breaking scenes in here, made all the more powerful thanks to superb acting, that combine with profound and provocative ideas to bring home a very specific message: the war on drugs is a lost cause. The film ends on a solemn, haunting note, showing us characters continuing to fight a battle that will never end and will only take more lives. Everything feels so overwhelming, and we are all so helpless to effect change.

But despite my high praise, the movie also fails on a number of levels. Honestly, I hated the editing. The pacing was practically non-existent, with innumerable superfluous scenes cut together haphazardly. (Not that the movie was boring per se, just that there was about 30 minutes of extra footage meandering throughout its nonlinear storyline.) The editing was almost as bad as some of Soderbergh's directing decisions. Really? Blue, orange, and red? That's your big contribution to the story? I'm not saying it's not a well-directed movie from other standpoints, just that the colors were a bit too in-your-face for me. It was about as subtle as a sledgehammer. But Soderbergh still somehow manages to fill our minds and our hearts to their breaking point, giving us a timely and timeless story that is both absorbing and poignant. And also unforgettable.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/

Devil (2010)

4/5

Devil is a terrifying movie. The plot follows five strangers who get stuck in an elevator. Through a series of violent events, we discover that one of them is the devil. And the devil's goal is to pit man against man, to brew distrust and hatred, to watch our fears and suspicions cause us to destroy our fellow man. The devil collected everyone on that elevator because of their black pasts that they don't want to admit to. A detective (Messina) who is watching on the security camera must keep everyone calm as he organizes the rescue attempt. When people inside and outside of the elevator start dying, the devil certainly gets his wish.

Because M. Night Shyamalan came up with the story and produced the film, his fingerprints are all over it. Personally, I'm a fan of his work. He envisions a closed world where every character is connected and everything happens for a reason. Like any other director, he has had his fair share of hiccups, but he provides solid entertainment with a twist ending to make you rethink the events you just watched (although it's often unsurprising because everyone expects and looks for it). The same is true of Devil, but the similarities end there.

Shyamalan's replacement director is significantly better, although not perfect. He keeps the movie plowing full force ahead while allowing you time to stop and think. You doubt every character's motivations more than once. The tension is kept at a palpable and heart-stopping level through excellent pacing. The deaths in Devil are expertly done--all off camera so that we imagine the worst. However, the scenes of pitch black are way overused. And the cinematography and special effects are below average. The best I can say of the acting is that it is not quite believable. I'm not saying that the actors did a bad job; it's just that the plot itself is so impossible that I can't imagine how anybody would react in such a situation. Overall, if the trailer had you excited, you will love this movie. It delivers thrills and chills in a well-crafted psychological horror movie.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1314655/