Traffik

Human trafficking is a very serious problem worldwide. Everyday, women are sold for men and is sexually abused without any protection. Many of these young women are drugged, so they have no chance to escape, to make sure they take as many clients as possible. Since i have travelled to 16 countries, i have seen some places where trafficking is active, such as in Thailand. I remember on a street in Bangkok, where very young girls were could be seen in clubs with very old men. These girls could not be older than 16, or 17, of course it is hard to tell. One man came up to me and asked me: - You want to have some fun ? I told him:- I don´t pay for sex, and these girls are too young to be here. He was not happy hearing this, and walked away swearing in Thai language. I was happy i stood up against what they were doing, but of course i know that more men should do the same. We may not be able to save everyone, but we can try and make a change. Human trafficking will never go away, as long as men ( and women ) pay to have sex with people who are forced to have sex. I have seen a lot of documentaries, and some documentary films about this subject, and you can tell this is a big problem worldwide. In Hollywood there are a number of films that have taken on the subject of human trafficking. One of the films that comes to my mind is actually a film from Sweden, by director Lukas Moodysson. His drama film Lilya 4-ever, is the tragic story of teenager Lilya, who is sold into prostitution in Estonia. This is my favourite film by director Lukas Moodysson, and i have to say this is a very emotional dark film, that sticks inside your mind. The acting is superb, the cinematography is really well made, and the plot is very effective in a very realistic way. Another film i would like to mention is the movie The Chosen Ones by director David Pablos. A very powerful, and emotional film where young teenager Sofia is forced into prostitution. This is a film that you might have to find on DVD in foreign countries, but i guarantee this is a film worth watching, with a very strong message to be told. About a few months ago i came across a trailer of a film called Traffik. A film that seemed to bring up the subject of human trafficking and also combine the home invasion genre. The trailer actually looked good, so i got a chance to watch Traffik on VOD. Do we have a really good popcorn delight with Traffik, or is this just another DVD release you don´t need to remember at all ?

Brea ( Paula Patton ) and John ( Omar Epps ) are a couple, who are heading to the countryside, for a vacation. As they stop at a gas station, John is confronted by some loud bikers, who is clearly looking for trouble. Brea get a bad vibe, after seeing a woman with bruises in the ladies room, but try to leave it behind. Brea and John continue their journey to their vacation spot, a very modern and stylish house. They are soon joined by two close friends, who will keep them company. But everything is about to change, when Brea finds a cell phone in her purse, that does not belong to her. The phone is full of pictures, that seems to be taken of human trafficking victims. Suddenly the door bell rings, and the girl Brea met in the ladies room at the gas station, is standing outside the house. Her pimp Red ( Luke Goss ) need the phone back, or someone will be hurt. Brea realize that she needs to try and send the pictures as evidence of human trafficking. to the Police. Red´s patience is running out, and he won´t let anyone get away until he have the phone.

I was actually looking forward to see Traffik, since the film looked like a throwback to thrillers of the 90´s. After watching the film, i have mixed feelings. Since this film is supposed to be about trafficking, the message does not really come across very clear. You could say this is a thriller that tries to be an action film as well, while taking on the serious subject of human trafficking. And my personal opinion is, this would have worked better as a pure action film instead, if they did some changes in the plot. Since you are supposed to take the film serious, it feels like it is difficult since you can´t really feel that the film takes itself very serious. So what do we have left that have anything positive ? The main characters Brea ( played by actor Paula Patton ) and John ( played by actor Omar Epps ) are not that bad actually, they do have some chemistry together on screen. From an acting perspective, they could have delivered more of course. Action actor Luke Goss as the evil Red may not be one of the strong characters of this film, but his performance is at least not completely terrible. A few of the action scenes are ok, though i would have liked some more violence, instead of making everything too serious. The scenes towards the end gives some interesting details on what is going on behind the human trafficking business, though i would have liked to know some information behind the business. The plot is nothing we need to remember, because it is very simple. Now, you can make a good film with a simple plot, if you construct it well. This is something that this film is missing. The scene where we get to find out that there is human trafficking involved, should have helped the plot to be more interesting. Unfortunately, that is not the case here. Director Deon Taylor directed a much better thriller called Supremacy, released in 2014. That is a film where you get to see a effective thriller, with great characters included. It is such a shame that director Deon Taylor did not use other tools in Traffik, instead of delivering a very blend movie that don´t really give us anything special. I can tell that there is a story here to be told, if it was done correctly from the beginning. But it feels like Traffik never really pick up the right speed, or power that this film would have needed. This is not an awful film, but with such a good cast, and a talented director, i feel that Traffik can´t put the missing pieces together, and just become a blend action thriller film. If you want to see a good film from director Deon Taylor, i suggest you pick up his thriller Supremacy instead, a film that actually manage to tell an effective story, and includes some good performances.

Rating: DD