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[Bernardinelli writes]There are two major differences between "Traffik" and Traffic. The first involves location. Soderbergh has transposed events from Europe and Pakistan to the United States and Mexico, with the drug of choice being cocaine, not heroin. Secondly, one of the significant plotlines of the mini-series, the plight of a Pakistani farmer growing opium to provide for his family, has been excised in the interest of time. The other major storylines - two cops with uncertain loyalties, a high-ranking government agent with an addicted daughter, and a bored housewife forced by necessity to act as a drug lord - remain largely intact.
Important to note this, but I'd also note that Simon Moore's original spans more of the globe, in consequence of this, and includes dialogue in more different languages (German for the European druglord) -- things that were simplified, with our loss, in the American movie. It was also a plus not to have the US as the center of the world, not to have overly recognizable Hollywood stars included. Del Toro is a terrific actor and deserved his Oscar. Zeta-Jones is a powerhouse, but her equivalent in "Traffik" played by Lindsay Duncan (the German drug lord's wife is English), struck me as a more interesting character nonetheless. And of course the whole element of the poor drug growers was left out, while the three-stream storytelling was just as effective, and started with the Brits.