"Traffik" (R, 1:36) is a 2018 crime thriller. And it IS important to have the year in my initial description of this film, because not only is this not the first movie to use that word as its title, but it's not even the first one to leave off the "c" in an attempt to distinguish itself from earlier similarly-titled films. Of course, regardless of how it's spelled, a movie with that word in the title is practically guaranteed to be about bad people doing bad things across borders. Written and directed by Deon Taylor ("Meet the Blacks", "Supremacy", "Chain Letter"), 2018's "Traffik" flirts with a home invasion plot, but is primarily about the brutal subject of human trafficking.
Paula Patton and Omar Epps star as Brea and John, a couple who haven't been dating very long, but who are very much in love and seem ready to take their relationship to the next level. Brea is a Sacramento reporter struggling to please her demanding editor (William Fichtner) and John is a very skilled mechanic who has some big birthday surprises in store for Brea. Darren (Laz Alonso), John's loyal but obnoxious sports agent buddy, is letting John use his fancy house in the mountains for the weekend. It's just the break from work that Brea needs - and just the romantic hideaway that John needs for his big plans.
But this movie is more thriller than romance and the romance soon takes a backseat to the thrills. On the way to this house in the woods, John and Brea stop at a gas station where John is harassed by some backwoods locals and Brea sees a woman (Dawn Olivieri), who is bruised, shaken and seems in need of her help. Brea is unsure what she can or should do for the woman and when a local sheriff (Missi Pyle) sees what's happening with John and those bad ol' boys, she steps in and Brea and John drive away.
Unfortunately for John and Brea, that gas station stop has repercussions for the rest of their weekend - and the rest of their lives. One of the tough guys from the gas station revs up his motorcycle, follows the couple and tries to run them off the road. John loses him, but Brea is still haunted by her encounter with the woman in the gas station restroom. At the house, the couple manage a brief romantic interlude, but it's cut short when Darren and his girlfriend (Roselyn Sanchez) show up at the house unannounced. Soon following suit is the woman from the gas station, her "boyfriend" - and his boss. They want a satellite phone that the woman slipped into Brea's purse and they're very... insistent. (Romantic weekend over.)
"Traffik" is suitably thrilling and serious-minded, but feels contrived. The plot points seem randomly generated, far-fetched and melodramatic, yet the story deals creatively with an important issue. Overall, the strong performances, the thrills and the drama are sufficient to make for an entertaining movie. "B"
Paula Patton and Omar Epps star as Brea and John, a couple who haven't been dating very long, but who are very much in love and seem ready to take their relationship to the next level. Brea is a Sacramento reporter struggling to please her demanding editor (William Fichtner) and John is a very skilled mechanic who has some big birthday surprises in store for Brea. Darren (Laz Alonso), John's loyal but obnoxious sports agent buddy, is letting John use his fancy house in the mountains for the weekend. It's just the break from work that Brea needs - and just the romantic hideaway that John needs for his big plans.
But this movie is more thriller than romance and the romance soon takes a backseat to the thrills. On the way to this house in the woods, John and Brea stop at a gas station where John is harassed by some backwoods locals and Brea sees a woman (Dawn Olivieri), who is bruised, shaken and seems in need of her help. Brea is unsure what she can or should do for the woman and when a local sheriff (Missi Pyle) sees what's happening with John and those bad ol' boys, she steps in and Brea and John drive away.
Unfortunately for John and Brea, that gas station stop has repercussions for the rest of their weekend - and the rest of their lives. One of the tough guys from the gas station revs up his motorcycle, follows the couple and tries to run them off the road. John loses him, but Brea is still haunted by her encounter with the woman in the gas station restroom. At the house, the couple manage a brief romantic interlude, but it's cut short when Darren and his girlfriend (Roselyn Sanchez) show up at the house unannounced. Soon following suit is the woman from the gas station, her "boyfriend" - and his boss. They want a satellite phone that the woman slipped into Brea's purse and they're very... insistent. (Romantic weekend over.)
"Traffik" is suitably thrilling and serious-minded, but feels contrived. The plot points seem randomly generated, far-fetched and melodramatic, yet the story deals creatively with an important issue. Overall, the strong performances, the thrills and the drama are sufficient to make for an entertaining movie. "B"