wrote, "Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, who based this on a British television miniseries of the same name, have created an often exhilarating, soup-to-nuts exposé of the world's most lucrative trade". In his review for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers wrote, "The hand-held camerawork – Soderbergh himself did the holding—provides a documentary feel that rivets attention". However, Richard Schickel of Time, in a rare negative review, finds the film's biggest weakness to be that it contains the "cliches of a hundred crime movies" before concluding that "Traffic, for all its earnestness, does not work. It leaves one feeling restless and dissatisfied". In an interview, director Ingmar Bergman lauded the film as "amazing". Accolades Top ten lists Traffic appeared on several critics' top ten lists for 2000. Some of the notable top-ten list appearances are: 2nd: A. O. Scott, The New York Times 2nd: Jami Bernard, New York Daily News 2nd: Bruce Kirkland, The Toronto Sun 3rd: Stephen Holden, The New York Times 3rd: Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly 3rd: Peter Travers, Rolling Stone 4th: Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times 4th: Jack Mathews, New York Daily News See also Hyperlink cinema—the film style of using multiple interconnected story lines List of media set in San Diego Mexican Drug War Narco film Notes References External links Traffic: Border Wars an essay by Manohla Dargis at the Criterion Collection 2000 films 2000s Spanish-language films 2000 crime drama films American crime drama films American crime thriller films American political drama films American political thriller films BAFTA winners (films) Edgar Award-winning works Films about Mexican drug cartels Films based on television series Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award-winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films set in Maryland Films set in Mexico Films set in Ohio Films set in Cincinnati Films set in San Diego Films set in Texas Films set in Tijuana Films set in Washington, D.C. Films shot in California Films shot in El Paso, Texas Films shot in Mexico Films shot in New Mexico Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award Films scored by Cliff Martinez Films directed by Steven Soderbergh Films with screenplays by Stephen Gaghan Hyperlink films Initial Entertainment Group films USA Films films