Woodall Traffic

“What would be the harm? A few people would get high, who are getting high anyway; your partner’s still alive; we don’t have to have breakfast together. It’s pointless. You only got to me because you got tipped off by the Juarez cartel, who is trying to get into Tijuana. You’re helping them. So remember you work for a drug dealer too, Monty.” These words, said by Eduardo Ruiz in the hotel room before his appearance in court, sums up the current condition of the United States’ War on Drugs. The cartels that ship in these huge amounts of drugs are so complex and so integrated into the system that it is almost impossible to completely eliminate it. By dismantling the Tijuana cartel, the DEA officials of the movie are actually strengthening another cartel, allowing them to expand their control into a new city.

The cartels’ financial power is also something that the US cannot overcome. When Robert Wakefield, newly appointed Federal commissioner of the War of Drugs, meets with border officials on the issue, he asks the officials to clarify the notion that the cartels are able to “compete” with our budget. In an unsettling response, the official says, “No, they are way beyond us.” This signifies that the America is fighting with an entity that is far more ruthless and far more willing to do or spend whatever it takes to remain in power.

Finally, the cartels operate in such secrecy that the US cannot keep track of them, making it extremely hard to keep the issue under control. Robert Wakefield is told that the leader of the Juarez cartel died in a plastic surgery accident, which means that this particular cartel is all but dethroned. After moving passed this issue, Wakefield later learns that this is incorrect, and it was just a ploy to get the US officials away from the cartel. These cartels work in very cunning ways making it extremely difficult for the United States to track thoroughly. It is just another way in which these cartels are outsmarting the American Government and remaining powerful.

Throughout the movie, many directorial techniques are used to heighten this sense of power within the cartels. When General Salazar is shown, he shown with a high angle, making him feel large and powerful while belittling other people such as Robert Wakefield. They are also positioned in the right third of the frame, which is considered the side of most significance. Through these techniques and the scenes mentioned before, Traffic outlines the futility and wastefulness of the War on Drugs.