Customer Reviews
Superb, well acted and not dated - By: W. Hutchinson, 08 May 2008 
This film is a supreme example of British drama. Based in three areas Britain, Germany, & Pakistan/Afghanistan & centred around four groups of characters: a British politician & his daughter, a Pakistan farmer & his drug lord boss, a German drug importer & his English wife, & two German detectives. It crosses the world of drug production, trafficking & consumption. The characters are believable & there is little moralising. It is well acted & scripted. The background music is occasionallly annoying but is not as dominant as contemporary equivalents. This is highly recommended: it is real value for money.
Superlative drama. - By: , 06 Feb 2005 I first saw this when it came out on UK television & I am pleased that it has been released in its full-length form on DVD. I imagine renewed interest in this drama owes a lot to the US film, but it is the UK series that is superior. This is because over it's 5+ hours, there is more time for character development & the story can unfold at a measured pace. It also alllows for the vital character of Fazal (his equivalent is missing in the US film).
The drama involves three storylines, braided together: The poverty that encourages Asian poppy growers to cultivate opium, the rich European traffikers who move the heroin from Asia to Europe, & the addicts of London who are hooked on the stuff. Unlike the US film, these strands are expanded so that we see the heroin manufacture in Afghanistan during the civil war, the political whitewashing of puny aid-for-action schemes, the power that the drugs trade brings to those who control it & the destructive effect that it has on innocents.
This is the most illuminating part of the drama. Both Fazal, the grower & Caroline the addict are not bad people. Fazal's story can be described with the proverb 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions' as at each step he is motivated out of love for his family. This is also true of Lindsay Duncan's character, Helen, who acts in a defensive way towards her family to the point that she is willing to kill, smuggle & traffik as her criminal husband languishes in custody.
However, the central character is Bill Patterson's government minister, directed to halt the growth of opium, but powerless to stop forces that are aided & abetted by politics, corruption & his own daughter's addiction. His story is ours as we begin with his attitude towards drugs - it is the growers fault, & ends with the knowledge that drug abuse, its attendant ills & the crime that feeds on it are the products of a society that is unwell.
There must also be praise for the direction of the film that manages to capture the mood of each setting so perfectly - the chilly hamburg harbour, the teeming throng of karachi, the rainy isolation of London, the insomnia & fatigue of the police stakeout (both the German policemen are excellent).
I have always considered the US film to be a washout, especiallly in its wilfull unwillingness to adress the issue of why drugs are grown in the first place. Thus, the UK series is superior. It is educational & entertaining & an essential purchase for anyone who enjoys high quality drama that respects the viewers intelligence.
Traffik: Gripping, Thought Provoking, Compassionate - By: , 28 Dec 2001 I saw "Traffic". I thought it was good, & then I saw "Traffik". Available now in its entire five hour plus format, this film is gripping, thought provoking, & compassionate. It is far superior than its American counterpart. The British version fleshes out the characters more, creates more compelling situations, & contains details that help give its message more impact. Drugs are a problem, the film teaches, but the indignities that modern society inflicts on everyone, are even bigger problems. You will not soon forget this compelling intimate epic, proving to me once again why I am such a big fan of British cinema.
Far supperior to the American version. - By: , 17 Sep 2001 A must see for those who liked the American version,it's superior in every sense & the performance of the actors are outstanding. I bet there is no other film of this genre better than this one,a real gem.
Seminal drugs drama made in 1989. - By: , 27 Jun 2001 This is the series that the Hollywood film is based on. Quite simply, it covers every aspect of the production, distribution & consumption of drugs - across the world. It differs from the film in that the countries represented are England, Germany & Pakistan as opposed to US & South America. The main thing that gives this excellent TV drama an edge over the film version is that it actuallly gives an insight into a key element in the drugs chain - the growers. It's also interesting viewing this drama & considering what are the main outputs from C4 in recent times? Traffik is a seriously well-informed drama that had the foresight to illustrate the drugs chain & its impact across the globe, across race, across class & even gender, while keeping you on the edge of your seat at alll times.
