Traffik Movie Review

Traffik (2018)

Watch the trailer
Written by: J. Mills Goodloe (Writer), Charles Martin (Novel), Chris Weitz (Screenplay)
Directed by: Deon Taylor
Starring: Paula Patton, Omar Epps, Dawn Olivieri, Luke Goss, Missi Pyle, William Fichtner
Rated: R

Plot
A couple off for a romantic weekend in the mountains are accosted by a biker gang. Alone in the mountains, Brea and John must defend themselves against the gang who will stop at nothing to protect their crime ring.

Verdict
The movie falls short of most of its goals. It's not as thrilling as it should be, the dialog is stilted, and the public service announcement about human trafficking feels shallow.
The protagonist doesn't have the bravado of Liam "Taken" Neeson in a thrilling action movie, and this isn't as grim as it should be. It ends up being rather banal. While the ending wasn't as cliche as I predicted, it didn't help either. It takes a real issue and does nothing with it, with some stats at the end trying to pass the movie off as more than it is.
Skip it.

Review
Frequently the characters don't seem human, from what they say to how they act. There are a lot of cliches that push the plot forward and they rarely felt earned. Would a biker gang dealing in human trafficking really bring attention to themselves by harassing tourists? By introducing a classic Chevelle I thought the car might have some point later in the plot, but it's a throwaway.

A weekend getaway becomes a hunt as bikers try to solve a situation they pretty much created. The very foundation of this movie is flimsy. This is never as intense as it should be. The couple doesn't have the skills to be successful. They should have failed quickly. The danger never felt real because the bikers come across as rather clumsy. They are sociopaths for the sake of the movie, but how can they not get two people who are completely unprepared with absolutely zero intentions of being discreet?

This should have been much more grim. This takes the basis of human trafficking and makes a thriller out of it without ever trying to condemn trafficking. With the main character as a reporter, she could have been interviewing victims or victim's families to give us an emotional anchor. Everything concludes rather easily. While this didn't go for the ultimate happy ending, and I really thought it might. It never felt grounded enough.

For a movie focused on the kidnapping of women, the camera tends to lust after Patton which just seems like a disconnect in a movie about human trafficking. There's really only one reason for these shots, and it ultimately bolsters the fact that this movie doesn't really have a point. The trafficking aspect is just an easy in for the story. Making this more victim focused or making Patton a victim of trafficking could have given this a backbone. There's just nothing here.