A modern day look at America's war on drugs told through four separate stories that are connected in one way or another. A conservative politician who's just been appointed as the US drug czar learns that his daughter is a drug addict. A trophy wife struggles to save her husband's drug business, while two DEA agents protect a witness with inside knowledge of the spouse's business. In Mexico, a corrupt, yet dedicated cop struggles with his conscience when he learns that his new boss may not be the anti-drug official he made himself out to be.
Steven Soderbergh's, Mr. Ocean's himself, masterpiece gets the Criterion treatment and for good reason. I really enjoyed his use of color, especially the blue when dealing with Michael Douglas' character or a member of his family. Also, the scenes in Mexico were excellent because of their rawness/realism. However, what I enjoyed most from this film was the cast (particularily the Hispanic cast). As much as I love Benicio Del Toro, he's one of my favorite actors, I don't think he deserved the Best Supporting Actor for this role. In 2000, I would have given it to Joaquin Phoenix for his work in GLADIATOR. However, I would have given it to Benicio 3 years later for his work in 21 GRAMS.
Other great hispanic cast members were: Tomas Milian, Clifton Collins Jr., Benjamin Bratt, and Salma Hayek for her one day of shooting. Did anyone else think Catherine Zeta-Jones fit perfectly into this role and didn't need to act too much out of her personality? Also Topher Grace was funny as the smart a$$ who always has an answer or opinion on anything. I was rather disappointed to see that Erika Christensen didn't get an Oscar nomination. I really felt this was probably the best work I've seen from her and was overlooked for whatever reason.
