For a movie to be nominated for "Best Picture," it must be able to capture an audience's attention early and not let go for the entire movie. Gladiator and Traffic do just that. Both these films are extremely strong at all the points an Oscar movie must be: plot, acting, music, and script (Soria).
             Ebert said, "Our laws against illegal drugs function as a price support system for the criminal drug industry. They do not stop drugs. Despite billions of dollars spent and a toll of death, addiction, crime, corruption and lives wasted in prison, it is possible today for anyone who wants drugs to get them. "For someone my age," says a high school student in Traffic, "it's a lot easier to get drugs than it is to get alcohol." Who supports the drug law enforcement industry? A good many honest and sincere people, to be sure. Also politicians who may know drug laws are futile, but don't have the nerve to appear soft on the issue. And corrupt lawmen, who find drugs a lucrative source of bribes, kickbacks and payoffs. And the drug cartels themselves, since the laws make their business so profitable. (sic) If the decriminalization of drugs was ever seriously considered in this country, the opponents would include not only high-minded public servants, but also the kingpins of the illegal drug industry (Ebert)." These are the conclusions that Mr. Ebert draws from Steven Soderbergh's film, Traffic. From this movie, it seems that the war on drugs is hopeless and hardly worth attempting to stop.
             Ebert continues, "The movie tells several parallel stories, which sometimes link but usually do not. We (sic) meet two Mexican drug enforcement cops, two San Diego-based DEA agents, a mid-level wholesaler who imports drugs from Mexico. a high-level rug millionaire who seems to be a respectable businessman, a Ohio state supreme court judge who is appointed the U.S. drug czar, and...