Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that drug abuse, drug smuggling, and the United States' war on drugs are the central themes of Traffic, a movie that condemns instead of glamorizes drugs yet graphically shows scenes of users doing drugs and drug-related violence. The former is perhaps most disturbing in several scenes of teenagers having afterschool parties in their parent-less homes, smoking pot, drinking, taking pills and (eventually) smoking heroin. One teen has an overdose and stops breathing. Two young characters eventually take to shooting heroin; all of this is graphically depicted onscreen. In addition to the disturbing sexual scenes there are numerous scenes of brutal, gory violence: point-blank shootings, torture, execution-style murder, a scary guy threatens a pregnant woman with the murder of her young child, and so on. Traffic is very strong stuff and may make drugs look appealing to teens; watch with kids if they watch at all.
Sexual
Content
Very explicit situations, including an underage girl who prostitutes herself for drugs, we see a man thrusting forcefully on top of her as we see him nude from the rear in a sleazy hotel room. Teens discuss having sex and doing heroin as they climax together.
Violence
Many, many scenes of violence, including gory point-blank shootings of characters we've grown to know, hideous and extended torture scenes (most of the blows occur offscreen), a car explosion, a young character has a seizure and stops breathing, a pregnant woman is threatened if she won't do cocaine, a man threatens to murder a young boy, and so on.
Language
Dozens of uses of "f--k" and "s--t," in Spanish and English.
Social
Behavior
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Many scenes of people transporting, attempting to steal, and doing various drugs. Characters onscreen snort cocaine, smoke marijuana, smoke and shoot heroin. We see heroin users cook their drugs in a spoon and then inject them, graphically. A visibly pregnant woman is almost forced to do cocaine under pain of death.
