What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedTraffic
Steven Soderbergh · Film · 2000
If you loved Traffic, start with Traffik (1989) — a series from the same story. Below: 3 books, 1 series and 1 podcast, each matched to Traffic across media.
What hooked you in Traffic was the way systemic institutional failure forces individuals to confront the devastating, intimate costs of global drug trade.
Start with the source
The source
Traffik
Series · 1989
Books on the same thread
Drugs and Society
Jefferson M. Fish · Book · 2006
Shares a thread with Traffic: War on Drugs.
If you appreciated the analytical lens Traffic cast on the war on drugs, this collection offers a necessary, evidence-based critique of the policies that fuel such widespread social destruction.
Millennium
Stieg Larsson, David Lagercrantz · Book · 2005
Explores: Corruption, Journalism, Misogyny.
Much like the investigative intensity found in Traffic, this narrative exposes deep-seated corruption and the dark underbelly of society through the eyes of those determined to uncover the truth.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium Trilogy)
Stieg Larsson · Book · 2010
Shares a thread with Traffic: Political Thriller.
Fans of the moral complexity in Traffic will recognize the same high-stakes fight against systemic abuse of power, as journalists risk everything to dismantle networks of illicit human exploitation.
Series on the same thread
Traffik
Series · 1989
Shares 2 threads with Traffic: Drug Addiction, Moral Ambiguity.
Since Traffic was actually inspired by this British serial, you will find the same brilliant, multi-perspective approach to the global drug trade and its corrosive impact on human lives.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell
Podcast
Shares a thread with Traffic: War on Drugs.
After experiencing the fictionalized chaos in Traffic, this podcast provides an unfiltered, firsthand look at the realities of the drug trade and the prison system from an actual participant.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Traffic based on a true story?
Traffic is not based on a single true story. The 2000 film explores the United States war on drugs through multiple fictional perspectives, including a government official dealing with his daughter's cocaine abuse and a Mexican policeman fighting cartels, rather than documenting historical events.
Should I watch the 1989 series Traffik before the 2000 movie Traffic?
You do not need to watch the 1989 television series Traffik before viewing the 2000 film Traffic. While the film serves as an adaptation of the source material, the two productions function as independent explorations of the drug trade and can be viewed in any order.
What is the primary focus of the movie Traffic?
The primary focus of Traffic is the United States war on drugs. The film examines this complex issue from multiple angles, specifically highlighting the personal impact on a government official's family and the dangerous professional risks taken by a Mexican policeman opposing a powerful drug cartel.
Is Traffic related to the 1989 production Traffik?
Yes, the 2000 film Traffic is an adaptation of the 1989 television series Traffik. Both productions use the same thematic foundation to explore the international drug trade, though the film presents its own interpretation of the war on drugs through distinct narrative perspectives.